Young Winners Announced for NFTE World Series of Innovation: United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
NEW YORK, NY (PRWEB) April 13, 2017 -- Eleven teams of young innovators from across the globe were recognized today for their entrepreneurial ideas to help solve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—global goals that the United Nations has identified as the largest and most serious challenges to humanity. The online competition, World Series of Innovation, invited students age 13–24 to imagine creative solutions to challenges like access to quality education and bringing the internet to developing countries.
There were six unique Innovation Challenges comprising the World Series of Innovation program (http://innovation.nfte.com), and there are two winning student teams per category. Each winning team receives $2,000 in cash and prizes, plus $500 for their school or youth serving organization. Runner-up teams receive a prize of $250. Over 1,500 international entries came from 10 countries.
World Series of Innovation is organized annually by Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE). This was the first year ever that the program focused on the United Nations SDGs. Sponsors included presenting partner The Moody’s Foundation, as well as GoDaddy, MasterCard, Pitney Bowes, and The Coca-Cola Company.
The winners, by Innovation Challenge:
Moody’s Good Jobs Challenge: Design a business that helps people get good jobs—jobs that pay enough and that are enjoyable for the people doing them. (SDG #8, Decent Work and Economic Growth)
• Adjudicator Winner and People’s Choice Winner: Tie-In Project: a company that works to diversify the tech industry in the United States, by contracting students to lead social media projects for tech companies
Moody’s Quality Education Challenge: Design a business that brings high-quality education to more kids. (SDG #4, Quality Education)
• Adjudicator Winner: Sunbook: A solar-powered LCD touch-screen book that works offline, promoted through a “get one give one” campaign similar to Tom’s shoes
• People’s Choice Winner: Primos Project: A solar-powered printer that prints educational materials for people in rural communities
Coca-Cola Clean Water Challenge: Design a brand of bottled water that inspires people to protect and restore water-related ecosystems. (SDG #6, Clean Water and Sanitation)
• Adjudicator Winner: Concilio Water: Water bottle connected to an online game―game triggers charitable donation for each water trivia question that a customer answers correctly
• People’s Choice Winner: Current Water: Sustainable sourcing and bottling methods (paired with the opportunity for consumers to help select a charity that benefits from proceeds)
GoDaddy Internet Access Challenge: Design a business that helps provide developing countries access to the internet. (SDG #9, Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure)
• Adjudicator Winner: The Moose: Kinetically powered micro-modems inside sneakers
• People’s Choice Winner: Dream-Fi: solar and battery powered internet drones transit signal to a tiny router in your shirt pocket
Pitney Bowes STEM Education Challenge: Design a product that helps kids or adults to explore real-world STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math). (SDG #4, Quality Education)
• Adjudicator Winner: ArchiPicture: an app leveraging augmented reality technology to display 3D images of objects at their actual size
• People’s Choice Winner: NanoScience: an interactive app that teaches children and adults about nanoscience and its intersection with interests such as sports, biology, and fashion
MasterCard Refugee Challenge: Design a technology product or service that allows refugees to accept and deliver payments to help cover their most basic needs. (SDG #9, Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure)
• People’s Choice Winner: Refugee Pay: mobile wallet with the option for refugees to redeem rebates for necessities
• Adjudicator Winner: ReThinking Refuge: A system that allows refugees to provide an ID based on a finger scan
Volunteers from sponsoring companies helped to select “Adjudicator’s Choice” winners.
“Rather than have today’s young people characterized by anxiety, terror, or isolation, let them be celebrated as Generation Entrepreneur—the bright and resourceful minds who found ways to produce sustainably, to improve public health, and to bring greater peace to their neighbors across the globe,” said Shawn Osborne, President and CEO of NFTE. “World Series of Innovation is an introductory activity that helps young people to see themselves as innovators and realize that their creativity is an important ingredient in building a more vibrant economy and sustainable society.”
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Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE)
Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) is an international nonprofit that activates the entrepreneurial mindset in young people and builds their knowledge about business startup. Students acquire the entrepreneurial mindset (e.g., innovation, self-reliance, comfort with risk), alongside business, STEM, and presentation skills—equipping them to drive their best futures in the 21st Century. NFTE focuses its work on under-resourced communities, with programs in 23 locations in 10 countries.
To learn more, visit http://www.nfte.com, like NFTE on Facebook at http://www.Facebook.com/NFTE, or follow us on Twitter at @NFTE.
The Moody’s Foundation
Moody's is an essential component of the global capital markets, providing credit ratings, research, tools and analysis that contribute to transparent and integrated financial markets.
Built on the recognition that a company grows stronger by helping others, The Moody’s Foundation works to enhance its communities and the lives of its employees by providing grants and engaging in community service in local neighborhoods. The Moody’s Foundation, established in 2002 by Moody’s Corporation, partners with nonprofit organizations to support initiatives such as education in the fields of mathematics, finance, and economics, as well as workforce development, civic affairs, and arts and culture. For more information, please visit https://www.moodys.com/Pages/itc003.aspx
Sarah Currid, NFTE, http://www.nfte.com, +1 917-281-4340, [email protected]
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