The 2019 World Bank Youth Summit Competition challenges young social entrepreneurs to submit innovative proposals for salable enterprises that leverage smart technology to build sustainable and inclusive cities that will serve the needs of 1 million people by 2030. The World Bank Group wants to hear from young changemakers across the globe on how we can leverage the growth of cities for more sustainable and inclusive communities.
By 2030, two-thirds of the world’s population will live in cities, with the majority of growth in developing countries. Cities are unprecedented hubs of opportunity, but also present some of the most complex and pressing challenges of our time. Everyone has a role to play to address these challenges – governments, international organizations, non-profits, local communities, and individuals – but no one is better placed than young people to innovate and overcome the obstacles faced in an era of fast-paced, technology-driven change.
The World Bank Youth Summit Competition provides a forum for young people to identify problems in their communities and craft innovative solutions for smarter and more resilient cities. It aims to stimulate entrepreneurial problem solving and create dialogue on innovative ways to unlock obstacles that have traditionally hindered investment in smart cities.
Programme Details
- Theme: Harness smart technology to (i) Address the rising impacts of climate change and pollution in urban cities and/or (ii) Promote inclusive economic growth..
- Number of Prizes: Not specified.
- Date: December 2-3, 2019 in Washington, DC.
- Target group: Open to all.
Benefits
beside the Prize, participants to the World Bank Youth Summit Competition will have access to Speed mentoring, online communities via social media before, during, and after the Summit, and a unique opportunities to engage directly with industry leaders.
Eligibility
The World Bank Youth Summit Competition is open to individuals or teams of up to 4 people aged 18 to 35, from all over the world. Prior entrepreneurial experience or business background is not required – all youth with the drive to innovate are encouraged to participate, including professionals, students and academics, NGO leaders, government officials and start-up founders.
How to Enter
Applicants for the World Bank Youth Summit Competition should propose an innovative and action-oriented idea leveraging data technology to address pollution and climate change, or facilitate the inclusion of the urban poor in cities.
The proposed solution (i) can be aimed at business or service (e.g. product, service, program, initiative, etc.), (ii) should solve a specific problem statement or challenge, (iii) explains the proposal’s proof-of-concept and impact to date; and (iv) addresses at least one of the smart and resilient cities subthemes in the two pillars below.
Pillar 1: Tackle Pollution and Climate Change
- Climate change prevention and mitigation
- Climate resilience and adaptation, including disaster risk management in urban and informal settlements
- Reduction or management of urban pollution, including air pollution, water contamination and waste management
- Urban transportation and congestion
- Green cities and green urban spaces
Pillar 2: Inclusive Economic Growth
- Leverage the informal economy for job creation and livelihood development
- Labor market resilience of the urban poor working in industries undergoing automation
- Inclusion of women, minorities and the disabled in social and financial services
- Peer-to-peer sharing technologies
- Political, social and economic empowerment of the urban poor
Selection criteria
Proposals for the World Bank Youth Summit Competition will be assessed on the following judging criteria:
- Clarity, scope and relevance of the problem and of the proposed solution;
- Innovation and originality;
- Feasibility of implementation and sustainability over time;
- Potential for impact; and
- Compliance with competition criteria.
Application instructions
Follow the following steps to enter the 2019 World Bank Youth Summit Competition:
- Ensure you meet the Eligibility Requirements:
- Prepare a proposal outlining your idea, that apply to at least one client country of the World Bank Groupad. Proposals must:
- Provide a short 2-5 sentence summary of the idea;
- Describe the specific problem/need that the proposed solution seeks to address;
- Describe the innovation or solution proposed to address this specific problem/need (e.g. a product, service, program, policy, course, initiative, etc.)
- Explain how your proposal is unique relative to existing approaches; and
- Describe your main strategies for ensuring financial sustainability in the future.
- Proposals must be between 1,000- 2,500 words in length (including all bodies of text, titles, headings, tables, textboxes, footnotes, endnotes, references, appendices, etc.) and must not exceed 4 pages in total.
- The names and respective countries of citizenship of the participant(s) for teams, all team members’ names and respective countries of citizenship and The final word count (all-inclusive) must be provided at the top of the first page of proposals:
- Submit your proposal by 11:59 pm ET, October 1, 2019 via the online competition submission form.
Note: Teams and individuals are limited to one submission each. For more detail on the World Bank Youth Summit Competition, please visit the official page.