ITU Innovation Challenge 2019 for young Changemakers (Fully Funded)

Application Deadline: July 31st 2019

Join a network of change-makers that will help you positively transform your community!

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1. Submit your project or idea on the platform– From the active challenges, choose the one that fits you the most. Share an overview of your proposal with the crowd using the post function. 
Explore the challenges

2. Gather a community to co-create – Use the social media feature to invite other participants to support your project. You can also request feedback on your idea from the platform community. You will need to gather 15 votes from the community to move from this stage.

3. Refine your idea through expert advice – Learn from a community and other experts’ insights to further develop your business model or project proposal.

4. Submit your final proposal – Your final proposal must be documented using the challenge submission form and sent to a secure email.

All submissions must complete all stages of the co-creation process by July 31, 2019.

The winners will be announced in early August 2019.

5. Winners’ announcement – Every entry is submitted to a jury which selects winners based on pre-established guidelines rules for each challenge. The competition is very selective:

• Up to 10 global winners will be announced, and will form teams with regional winners to further refine their ideas;
• A number of regional winners will be determined by the sponsors;
• All winners (global and regional) are offered a trip to one of our key flagship events for a boot camp.

Benefits:

Up to 10 global winners will be chosen by a jury of experts. Additional winners may be sponsored by regional organizations or countries in a specific region. If you wish to sponsor additional winners, or need further information on these challenges, please contact us at innovation@itu.int. 

Global winners, with the support of regional winners, will develop the winning ideas and pitch the refined proposal to a jury of experts during one of our events below. They will be recognized as global change-makers who “have what it takes to create a digital world”.

The selected winners will be rewarded with a trip to one of our key flagship events:

1. Round-trip air ticket (economy class) between major airport of the applicant’s country and the event City.
2. Hotel accommodation during their stay,
3. Participate in event program where they will receive mentoring, capacity building, pitching and networking opportunities.
4. Participate in a boot camp to expose enhance their idea, with possibility of pitching their projects in front a large global audience
5. Have an opportunity to make strong case for collaboration with other markets
6. Be recognized an Innovation champion in the global stage with an award.

There are limited seats available for every challenge and the final award depends on our sponsors and partners’ requirements.

The number of selected participants to the events depends on many factors including our sponsors, the host organizations and financial support from your own communities.

Team Application

You are welcomed to apply as a team as well. However, only one reward is given per winning team. In such case, the team will designate one person details for the reward in the application form, and attach the resumes of the other team members during the submission process.

This should be sent along with your proposal to the secure email for final applications. The designated person will represent the team at the event. Other team members can attend the event at their own cost. 

Evaluation criteria

Your proposal must meet the criteria of the specific challenge you are applying for. The winners will be invited to participate in one of our global event, either at the ITU Telecom World or the Young ICT leaders Forum.

Your application will be evaluated by a jury composed of senior ITU officials, host sponsors, and Innovation experts, based on the following criteria:

• Originality: The concept of your proposal must be original to fit your context;
• Creativity: Your idea must to be innovative and unique
• Sustainability: The ways and methods to sustain your key activities must be clearly described;
• Viability: Your proposed solutions must be realistic and logical. Bonus points may be awarded if you can categorize your solutions into short, mid and long terms;
•  Impact: Your idea/proposal must be within the context of the challenge. You must consider cross-cutting impacts, problems and relevant solutions; 
• Co-creation: a special attention will be given to candidates who are actively helping other participants advance their ideas.  

Notes:

• Participants of all age are welcomed to take part in the challenges however, participation to the Young ICT leaders Forum event in Busan is reserved for winners aged 18 to 35 at time of application.
• Returning challenges winners from previous years with a validated minimum viable proposal will be given special consideration. Winners will only be selected for one global event. Team submission winners will only have one team member approved to participate at the event. 
• There are limited seats available for every challenge and the number of winners and final award depends on our sponsors and partners’ requirements.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the ITU Innovation Challenge 2019