Maybe the difference is the intention. Many of those awards are meant to recognizer excellence in a certain field. The recipient does not necessarily participate to receive the award, they may not even have been aware it existed.
With the VM prize on the other hand, the intention would be to change people's behavior. My fear remains that a monetary prize would simply increase the amount of Cheshires, people who get their solutions published through dubious means and defend it aggressively.
Edit: I hadn't seen the articles yet before I posted, but it confirms what I said:
"Let’s begin with two things that science prizes are not. First, they are not goals. They differ from Olympic Medals or Super Bowl Rings. In sports, the goal is to win the prize. If you don’t finish first, you are a loser. In science the goal is to discover truth – prizes are a pleasant after-thought."
With the VM prize on the other hand, the intention would be to change people's behavior. My fear remains that a monetary prize would simply increase the amount of Cheshires, people who get their solutions published through dubious means and defend it aggressively.
Edit: I hadn't seen the articles yet before I posted, but it confirms what I said:
"Let’s begin with two things that science prizes are not. First, they are not goals. They differ from Olympic Medals or Super Bowl Rings. In sports, the goal is to win the prize. If you don’t finish first, you are a loser. In science the goal is to discover truth – prizes are a pleasant after-thought."