This paper examines the role of marginality in problem-solving effectiveness in broadcast search, using a dataset of 166 science challenges involving over 12,000 scientists. The study finds that both technical and social marginality—being distant in terms of technical expertise or social standing—play a significant role in determining individual success in problem-solving. Technical marginality, measured as the distance between a solver's field of expertise and the problem field, is positively related to the provision of a winning solution. Social marginality, represented by female solvers, who are often in the "outer circle" of the scientific establishment, performs significantly better than men in developing successful solutions. The findings contribute to the literature on open and distributed innovation by highlighting the value of openness in removing barriers to entry for non-obvious individuals. They also contribute to the knowledge-based theory of the firm by showing the effectiveness of market mechanisms in drawing knowledge from diverse external sources to solve internal problems. The study uses an empirical approach to analyze the impact of marginality on problem-solving success in broadcast search, considering both technical and social dimensions of marginality. The results suggest that marginal individuals, who are not bound by the current thinking in the field, can offer novel perspectives and heuristics that are useful for generating solutions to problems. The study also finds that women, due to their social marginality, are more likely to be successful in broadcast search problem-solving. The analysis is based on data from InnoCentive.com, a platform where individuals can solve science problems broadcast by companies. The study uses a Heckman-Probit model to control for sample selection bias and estimates the relationship between marginality and problem-solving success. The findings suggest that both technical and social marginality are important factors in determining the success of solvers in broadcast search.This paper examines the role of marginality in problem-solving effectiveness in broadcast search, using a dataset of 166 science challenges involving over 12,000 scientists. The study finds that both technical and social marginality—being distant in terms of technical expertise or social standing—play a significant role in determining individual success in problem-solving. Technical marginality, measured as the distance between a solver's field of expertise and the problem field, is positively related to the provision of a winning solution. Social marginality, represented by female solvers, who are often in the "outer circle" of the scientific establishment, performs significantly better than men in developing successful solutions. The findings contribute to the literature on open and distributed innovation by highlighting the value of openness in removing barriers to entry for non-obvious individuals. They also contribute to the knowledge-based theory of the firm by showing the effectiveness of market mechanisms in drawing knowledge from diverse external sources to solve internal problems. The study uses an empirical approach to analyze the impact of marginality on problem-solving success in broadcast search, considering both technical and social dimensions of marginality. The results suggest that marginal individuals, who are not bound by the current thinking in the field, can offer novel perspectives and heuristics that are useful for generating solutions to problems. The study also finds that women, due to their social marginality, are more likely to be successful in broadcast search problem-solving. The analysis is based on data from InnoCentive.com, a platform where individuals can solve science problems broadcast by companies. The study uses a Heckman-Probit model to control for sample selection bias and estimates the relationship between marginality and problem-solving success. The findings suggest that both technical and social marginality are important factors in determining the success of solvers in broadcast search.