World Challenge 09 - Global Competition showcasing Enterprise and Innovation at Grassroots Level

Now in its fifth year, World Challenge 09 is a global competition aimed at finding projects or small businesses from around the world that have shown enterprise and innovation at a grass roots level. World Challenge 09 is brought to you by BBC World News and Newsweek, in association with Shell, and is about championing and rewarding projects and business which really make a difference.

Plan Bee won the World Challenge 08. The Pakistani project helps female beekeepers boost their income by selling high quality honey. The northern areas of Pakistan are among the poorest and most isolated regions in the country. Effective development assistance has yet to reach these hilly, remote areas and it is the women and children who are most affected. The only workable and sustainable solution is to capitalize on local resources, building on what is achievable as well as culturally acceptable.

Your chance to nominate a project
We are looking for your nominations for innovative projects or ideas that demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit working for the benefit of the community whilst adopting a responsible approach.

Nominations close at midnight (GMT) on the 22nd May 2009.

Nominate a project or small business for World Challenge 09

2009 Nation Student Writing Contest

Sponsored by the BIL Charitable Trust to recognize and reward the best in student writing

How has the recession affected you, your family or someone you know?

Essays should not exceed 800 words and should be original, unpublished work that demonstrates fresh, clear thinking and superior quality of expression and craftsmanship. Winners receive $1000 and are published in The Nation magazine.

We'll select five high school and five collegiate finalists and two winners--one from college, one from high school. Each winner will be awarded a $1,000 cash prize and a Nation subscription. The winning essays will be published in a special youth issue of the magazine in October, 2009,  and will be featured at TheNation.com. The finalists will be awarded $250 each and subscriptions, and their entries will be published online.


Entries (only one per student) will be accepted through May 31, 2009. A winner will be announced by September 15.

Please send entries to studentprize@thenation.com

Dell Social Innovation Competetion shortlists projects

Out of the 527 ideas, Dell has selected 100 ideas to move forward and compete in the next round of the competition. Check out the semifinalists listed on the website. Really happy to see some interesting ideas to change the world.

More ideas on Dell Social Innovation Competition website.

Self Sustainable Apartments


Rural Research & Consultancy


Solarcycle


SWEET India: Safe Water for Everyone using Efficient Technology

Energize & Win $10,000

DoSomething.org is participating in a joint promotion with Mountain Dew Voltage that gives groups of young people the chance to win grants to get involved and energize their communities. The contest is called "Power In Numbers", which will be giving away a total of $100,000 in grants divided for ten winning finalists.

How to win:

Put together a team of 3-10 people between the ages of 13-25. Come up with a creative idea that will make a positive change in the world. Designate a team captain that will connect with the sponsors, provide them with team information, and answer a series of detailed questions about your project.

The second submission phase begins March 9th, 2009 and will end on April 6th, 2009.

Check out the contest details for more specific rules and regulations.

Here are what some of the contestants are submitting:

The Sparkle Effect: To inspire high school students across America to create special needs cheerleading squads.

Solar Woodstock: Aim to create an economically and environmentally sustainable school by using solar energy.

Youth United for Darfur: Students from around Chicago rally together to show the world that teens won't stand for genocide.

The Uta Community Center: Building a resource for South African youth to fight the legacy of apartheid in their community.

Ref: Change Wire

Response Able Design Challenge 09

Four RADC09 expeditions are taking place in July, August and September 2009.

Students, managers, executives, environmentalists and entrepreneurs will be challenged to explore, discover and apply their creativity, design, communication and leadership skills in addressing the 'Glocal' challenges of climate change, the urgent need to create value in the transition to a low carbon economy and in creating more resilient communities.

More details at http://www.responseabilityalliance.com/html/radc09.html


See Image below

Calling all Women in Mobile for Good!

Another TED Fellow, Katrin Verclas, and her organization MobileActive are doing a special feature on amazing women who are using mobile technology for social change for International Women's Day (March 8).

Are you one? Know anyone? If so, please let us know who they are and how they use mobile technology to make the world a better place. And please spread the word!

We are looking for amazing women from all over the world. The sisterhood at MobileActive is doing great work in Liberia, Pakistan, South Africa, USA, Mexico, Niger, India, Senegal, Mozambique, etc -- you name it :) Watch MobileActive.org on March 8th for more fun :)

So, please look around in your circles of amazing (mobile) women and let us know who comes to your mind! Last date to send your entries - 8th March. You can email at katrin@mobileactive.org

Campus Climate Challenge - India

In recognizing that college and high school campuses are ideal places for youth to experiment and demonstrate their creative climate solutions, while also sharing climate solutions with other youth, IYCN is seeking to develop capacity of Campus Climate Changers across the nation, who would take up the Campus Climate Challenge, to reduce the carbon footprint and environmental impact of their campus as a climate solution and inspire other campuses across the country.

This can begin with an energy, water and waste audit of your campus — create a baseline. If you can’t find all the data, find what you can, and then move forward to what you can do. Calculate energy consumption, find a way to reduce it, and prove to your administration that your plan will work!

Details here: http://www.indiaclimatesolutions.com/campus-climate-challenge

Giving USA Photo Contest 2009 - Apply Now

For do-gooder photographers, Giving USA is seeking images for their cover.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: April 15, 2009

Giving USA Foundation is seeking unique and compelling photos to grace the cover of its seminal report, Giving USA. This popular contest will showcase the work of a talented photographer on the cover of Giving USA 2009, as well as the back cover and interior chapters. We are seeking images of people providing direct assistance through a charitable organization or volunteer effort that represents the spirit of giving. Activities could include fundraising, delivery of services, or other types of assistance.

Photos selected for the cover will be printed in black and white or black with another color (duotone).

Entries must be:

Available in at least 300 dpi resolution;
Electronic format (JPEG preferred);
Owned by the entrant (individual or organization), who will agree to give Giving USA permission to use the photo at no charge;
Accompanied by an entry form, including assurance that subject(s) of photograph have given permission in writing for the photograph to be used.

Color photos accepted, but black and white preferred.

The judges will be looking for photographs that reproduce well in black and white (or duotone), that convey the importance of giving, that tell a story, and that are not dominated by the logo, name, or service mark of any one charity. The judges' selection will be final. A blue ribbon panel of nationally-known photographers will select the winners.


Winning entries will receive:
Acknowledgement in Giving USA 2009
A complimentary copy of Giving USA 2009 ($75 retail value)
Prominent mention in press release distributed to major media in the philanthropy sector
Their photos posted at the Giving USA Web site for an unspecified time but beginning around June 29, 2009.

Send submissions by e-mail to sbond@connect2amc.com or by mail (on CD) to Sharon Bond, Giving USA Foundation, 4700 West Lake Avenue, Glenview, IL 60025. Only electronic images will be accepted (jpeg format preferred). For judging purposes, low-res images are acceptable, but high-res versions must be available (at least 300 dpi) from the winner.

For Online Submissions, Apply at http://www.givingusa.org/press_releases/gusa/contest/

HYSTA Business Plan Competition Announcement

Message from the HYSTA Emerging Leaders Forum

You are cordially invited to enter a second Business Plan Competition hosted by HYSTA, as part of our Entrepreneur Bootcamp. HYSTA is a prominent Bay Area non-profit organization focusing on promoting entrepreneurship. Just like E-Challenge, our Business Plan Competition provides an excellent platform for you to present your business ideas to Silicon Valley VCs.

Please consider the following benefits of our competition:
- Winner will get a prize of 3-month free rent at Plug and Play Incubator;
- Runners up will get a 50% rent discount for 3-months at Plug and Play;
- Pitch in front of VCs from Accel Partners, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Mayfield/GSR Ventures, and Incubic Ventures (seed/early-stage investor);

Since you already have your executive summary ready, why not double your chances of getting VC attention (and eventually funding) by participating in both competition? Our competition is a simple one-day pitch event requiring minimum additional effort, but getting you in front of more top-tier VCs.

To participate in HYSTA Entrepreneur Bootcamp Business Plan Competition, startups should submit a clear, concise two page executive summary to: submit.bootcamp@hysta.us including the following information:
· Company's Name
· Name of the Participant(s)
· Email and Phone Numbers for Each Participant

All Executive Summaries will be handled with high confidentiality.
Example can be downloaded via this link: ES_Template.doc.
Executive Summary Submission Deadline: Midnight, March 1, 2009

The 2009 EBC Competition will be held on Saturday March 14. Please note that the pitch will be in front of an audience of investors and general public, so please plan your presentation accordingly.

Please refer to the following link for full details:
http://sites.google.com/a/hysta.us/bootcamp/call-for-entr...

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at davidzhuang@stanfordalumni.org

David Zhuang
Co-Director
HYSTA Emerging Leaders Forum