Contests

IEEE Empower a Billion Lives global competition 2018 – $1 Million dollar prize

August 1, 2018

Application Deadline: August 31st, 2018

IEEE Empower a Billion Lives is a global competition aimed at fostering innovation to develop solutions to electricity access. Solutions are expected to be scalable, regionally relevant, holistic, and leverage 21st century technologies with exponentially declining prices.

There are 3 billion people in the world living in energy poverty, and over 1 billion people without any access to electricity. So far, only 1.8 million people have gained tier 2 energy access by using off-grid electric services.

To address energy poverty, more of the same may not be the answer. New strategies are needed to scale energy access solutions 1000x.

The IEEE Empower a Billion Lives competition is agnostic to energy sources, technologies, and business models. Solutions will be evaluated on both their technical innovation and business viability to rapidly and sustainably scale to one billion customers.

Requirements:

The competition is completely open to all, including student groups, small- and medium-sized companies, research labs, international corporations, and non-profit organizations.

The competition is organized by IEEE, an all-volunteer organization whose goal is to foster technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity.

Benefits:

Learning opportunity

Learn about one of the most pressing issues facing humanity from experts in the field

Huge untapped market potential

A market of 1.1 billion unserved people is one of the largest market opportunities today

Exposure

Winners of the regional rounds and the global round will be featured on press releases, social media, and various media outlets

Networking

Participate in banquets and other social events with participants active in the sector

Significant Prize Monies

Amongst the regional rounds and global final winners a maximum $1 Million dollar prize purse will be distributed

Timeline:

May 1, 2018 to Aug 31, 2018

Registered teams present their solution concept and a three-minute pitch video.
Regional rounds

Nov 2018 to Jan 2019

Qualified teams demonstrate their solution prototypes and pitch their business ideas at a regional round nearest to them (see map).
Field test

Qualified teams complete a 3 month long field pilot in a region of their choosing.
Global final

Sep 29, 2019 to Oct 3, 2019

IEEE ECCE Conference

Qualified teams demonstrate the ruggedized prototypes, field test results, and final business plan