The Discovery of North-West Passage Act 1744 (18 Geo. II, c.17) was an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of Great Britain passed in 1745 and repealed in 1818. It offered a public reward for the successful discovery of a Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The preamble to the Act stated the expected economic benefits of the discovery of the passage, and that it would be "a great encouragement to adventurers" to offer a prize. The allocated sum was 20,000l, to be paid to the owners of the first ships to successfully make such a passage.