Dell Social Innovation Competition

Posted by on December 13, 2010

University Students From Around the World Invited to Enter Dell Social Innovation Competition
Deadline: February 14, 2011

The RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service in the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas and Dell invite college students from around the world who want to improve areas of critical human need through innovation to enter the Dell Social Innovation Competition.

The competition provides a vehicle for taking student innovations from idea to reality and offers a real-world exercise for perfecting students’ skills in project/business planning and development, presenting their ideas to investors, and building resource networks. Undergraduate and graduate-level students from any university or college in the world are eligible to enter. The individual or team must be comprised of students currently attending a university. (Students who graduated in December 2010 are eligible to enter.) Team size is not restricted. Contestants must be actively involved in the venture. Teams can seek advice from mentors or outside experts, but the venture must be entirely student-led. Team members must be principal owners of the venture.

The venture should exist primarily to address a significant social problem. The mission and practices of the venture must incorporate a quantifiable social return. Whether it is a for-profit business or a nonprofit organization, the venture must be financially viable; be scalable and take into account the potential for growth; and, If already in existence, must not have been in operation for more than three years.

Students enter the competition by submitting a brief description of their innovation online at the program’s Web site. Students and the public can read the ideas and vote for their favorites. A panel of judges will select up to ninety semifinalist entries to move to the second round of competition. Up to ten ideas with the most public votes will also move forward as semifinalists.

The semifinalists will create a written plan detailing their social venture and record a three-minute video pitch. Judges will select three finalists to travel to Austin, Texas, to present their plans to a committee comprised of leaders from the business, nonprofit, and government sectors. During the final event, held at the University of Texas at Austin, all finalists will receive prizes, and the overall winner will receive $50,000 in seed funding to launch his or her venture.

All plans must be written in English.

Visit the competition Web site for complete program information and entry guidelines.

http://www.dellsocialinnovationcompetition.com/