The National Football League wants a better helmet, and for the first time, it's willing to pay for it.

The richest and most-watched U.S. sports league has created the NFL Helmet Challenge, a $3 million, 18-month contest to see who can create a piece of equipment that outperforms anything in use. The money includes $2 million in development capital and a further $1 million winner's prize.

The competition, the NFL said, will bring together manufacturers, engineers and entrepreneurs amid heightened awareness of the risks of repetitive head trauma. It's the next step in the league's so-called Engineering Roadmap, a league-funded initiative aimed at a better understanding of the biomechanics of head injuries.

"There's been an evolution in helmet design," said Jeff Miller, the NFL's executive vice president for health-and-safety innovation. "We think there's room for some revolutionary change as well."

Applicants will have access to a bevy of resources to develop their prototypes, including as much as $2 million in grant funding, NFL video review data, models of modern helmets and a new methodology for testing that is slated for use next year. The new testing is based on fresh data that show the conditions under which players have sustained concussions.