UPDATE: Congratulations to the top three finalists in the USAID Development 2.0 Challenge, who are, in alphabetical order:
The top three finalists were honored at the USAID Development 2.0 Challenge Awards Ceremony on January 8, 2009 in Washington, D.C.
USAID is proud to announce the launch of the 2008 USAID Development 2.0 Challenge. Brought to you by the Global Development Commons.
Mobile technology, including everything from inventive applications for smart phones to simple text messaging, is increasingly ubiquitous in the developing world. USAID challenges you to explore its potential through an innovation for maximum development impact in areas such as health, banking, education, agricultural trade, or other pressing development issues.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. Government agency that delivers economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide on behalf of the American people, is sponsoring a challenge to find the best in mobile innovations for good. Through a NetSquared community vote, fifteen finalists will be chosen. A panel of judges, selected by USAID, will then select the winners. The first place winner will receive a grant of $10,000, the two runner-ups will receive grants of $5,000 each. All three winners will have the opportunity to present their ideas to senior USAID officials, experts, and the public in Washington D.C.
Here's How It Works:
Individuals and organizations working with mobile technologies to create change are invited to share their projects with the community through the USAID Development 2.0 Challenge submission form. Once you've hit submit for your challenge, it's public. This provides you with an opportunity to get feedback from your community, the USAID community, the NetSquared community and other friendly collaborators.
Once the project submission process has closed, we will hold a community vote to select the top fifteen projects. Those projects will then go in front of a panel of USAID-selected judges who will determine the three winners.
How to Apply
Four Easy Steps to Participate:
- Register and/or Login
- Click on Username
- Click on "Submit a Project to the Project Gallery" under My Project Idea
- Select "USAID" from the Prize Tag menu located below Additional Cause Area Tags on the Submission Form
Please Note: All projects submitted will be governed by the
AttributionNon-Commercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States license.
Key Dates
- October 13, 2008 - Submission Period Begins
- December 5, 2008 - Submission Period Ends (UPDATED)
- December 8, 2008 - Community Voting Begins (UPDATED)
- December 12, 2008 - Community Voting Closes
- December 15, 2008 - Fifteen USAID Featured Projects Announced
- January 8, 2009 - Winners Announced
Back to Top
FAQ
Q: How much money will winners receive?
A: First place will receive $10,000, the two runner-ups will receive $5,000 each. Winners will be chosen by a USAID-selected panel from among the Top 15 chosen by the NetSquared Community. Additional information may be required in order to process payment.
Q: Are there other USAID-sponsored rewards for the top fifteen finalists?
A: Short answer - Yes! Publicity and Travel. USAID will publicize the top fifteen finalists on the USAID Web site, Global Development Commons and Commons.net to help facilitate networking opportunities with USAID, NGOs and other USAID Partners. Additionally, travel expenses for one participant from each of the top three winning teams will be covered to the USAID event where projects will receive additional publicity and valuable feedback from USAID experts.
Q: What are the elgibility rules?
A: There are only a few: Check out the Rules and Regulations
Q: Can non-U.S. citizens and organizations participate?
A: Yes, of course!
Q: What will happen to my published project if I do not win the USAID Development 2.0 Challenge?
A: Your project will remain in the Project Gallery to be eligible for additional upcoming challenges unless you choose to delete the submission. We encourage you to keep your project updated via the edit tab.
Q: How do I view projects submitted to the USAID Development 2.0 Challenge?
A: Visit the Project Gallery
Q: Who will judge the submissions?
A: The top 15 projects will be voted on by the NetSquared Community and the final three winners will be chosen by jury selected by USAID to be announced on January 15, 2009.
Q: Who can I contact for help?
A: Please send your inquiries to us at usaidchallenge@techsoup.org.
Q: Where do I find more information about USAID?
A: Visit the USAID Web site
Back to Top
View Participants
View all participants: USAID Project Gallery
Back to Top
Vote
Voting takes place from Monday, December 8th 9am Pacific Time to Friday, December 12th 5pm Pacific Time. For all vote details please visit the USAID Vote page.
Back to Top
Judging Criteria
The following critera will serve as guidelines for the panel of judges who will determine the Top Three from the Top Fifteen chosen during the vote process.
SCORING
- Technical feasibility
- Is the proposed technical solution reasonable, achievable, and not overly complex?
- Can the project be implemented in a reasonably short amount of time?
- “Development impact” potential
- Does this idea get to the core of a particular development problem and does it have potential to make a significant contribution to work on the issue? (The broader and more direct the “impact”, the better.)
- Is a clear, specific target population articulated?
- Value for money and likelihood of attracting outside investment and/or interest
- Is this an elegant ICT solution that provides scalable impact for relatively little cost? (For example: heavy infrastructure spending requirements are not desirable.)
- Will external partners (other development actors, venture capitalists, IT companies, etc.) be intrigued by this idea and want to invest in it? Will it provide adequate social or capital return on investment?
- Innovativeness
- Does the project provide an “innovative solution package”? (The idea does not have to be brand new and never tested — but it should feel innovative and primed for success in the proposed environment.)
- Replicability and Scalability
- Is the idea replicable and scalable in different communities, countries, or settings other than the one addressed in the description?
Back to Top
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.