challenges & competition

U.S. Mission to Afghanistan: Youth Debate Training and Competition

Deadline: 20 June 2016

The Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan is seeking proposals from eligible organizations for Youth Debate Training and Competition intending Afghan youth to develop skills required for successful civic engagement (e.g., public speaking, critical thinking, team-building, in-depth research) through formal debate training and competition.

Funding Information

The Base Period award floor and ceiling are set at $70,000 and $100,000.
PAS intends to award a cooperative agreement for a period of 12 months (base period) with options for two additional 12-month periods (option years one and two).

Benefits

This cooperative agreement will fund debate training and a series of debate competitions throughout Afghanistan, culminating in a final round of competition in Kabul, Afghanistan.
This youth debate program will create opportunities for women and men between the ages of 18 and 30 from provinces across Afghanistan to develop important skills for successful civic engagement, including public speaking, critical thinking, team-building, and in-depth research.
The Youth Debate Training and Competition is intended to help build people-to-people ties and strengthen checks and balances.
By training young Afghan men and women and providing opportunities for them to practice the skills required to succeed in a formal debate competition, this project will contribute to the strengthening of civil society.
The debates will be conducted in English using an internationally recognized debate format, which will further complement the goals of the project.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility is open to all non-profit, non-governmental organizations.
Organizations may subcontract with other entities, but only one, non-profit, non-governmental entity can be the prime recipient of the award.
For profit entitles are not eligible to be the prime recipient of an award.
When sub-contracting with other entities, the responsibilities of each entity must be clearly defined in the proposal.
Applicants must submit proof of their non-profit status with their proposal submission (e.g. proof of 501(c)(3) status, Afghan NGO license).
Applications that do not include proof of non-profit status will not be considered.
Individuals are not eligible for an award.
There is no limit on the number of applications an entity may submit
Previous federal award recipients who are not/were not in compliance with the terms of the award, including the financial and program reporting requirements, are not eligible for an award
Applicants are advised that successful passing of vetting to evaluate the risk that funds may benefit terrorists or their supporters is a condition of award.

How to Apply

Interested applicants can submit their applications electronically via given website.

For more information, please visit Youth Debate Training and Competition.

U.S. Mission to Afghanistan: US-China Training Programs for Afghan Cooperation and Reconstruction

Deadline: 25 May 2016

U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan is seeking proposals from the eligible organisations for the U.S.-China Training Programs for Afghan Cooperation and Reconstruction, an open competition for an assistance award for a cooperative agreement to implement:

A two-week training program in the U.S. for up to 15 Afghan professionals in a specific sector of Afghan development (e.g. agriculture).
A second, preferably concurrent, two-week training program in the U.S. for up to 15 Afghan professionals in a separate development sector (e.g. public health).

Goals

Build the capacity of personnel in key sectors of the Afghan government, economy, or civil society, thereby enhancing their ability to work cooperatively and effectively with the U.S. government and other countries and strengthen reconstruction efforts,
Promote regional integration by facilitating a dialogue on cooperation, regional stability and economic and diplomatic linkages for Afghan professionals in key sectors.

Proposals Priorities

Proposals should describe:

The applicant’s previous experience conducting short-term study or training tours in the U.S. for foreign professionals to include arranging international travel and high level meetings with various government and non-governmental audiences;
The applicant’s proposed schedule and agenda for each of the two programs, including how they might overlap and have common activities;
Any personnel or partner organizations that will play a role in conducting training exercises or seminars, along with the qualifications of those personnel or organizations

Award Information

The award floor for the base period and each option year is set at $175,000.
The award ceiling is set at $250,000 for the base year and for each of the two option years
Public Affairs Section (PAS) intends to award a cooperative agreement for a period of 12 months (base period) with options for two additional 12 month periods (option years one and two).

Eligibility Criteria

The project will be funded by an appropriation for Diplomatic and Consular Programs and authorized by the Fulbright-Hays Act of 1961 (as amended), and is subject to the statutory limitations of such funding.
Eligibility is open to all non-profit, non-governmental organizations.
Organizations may subcontract with other entities, but only one, non-profit, non-governmental entity can be the prime recipient of the award.
For profit entitles are not eligible to be the prime recipient of an award.
When sub-contracting with other entities, the responsibilities of each entity must be clearly defined in the proposal.
Applicants must submit proof of their non-profit status with their proposal submission (e.g. proof of 501(c)(3) status, Afghan NGO license).
Applications that do not include proof of non-profit status will not be considered.
Individuals are not eligible for an award.

How to Apply

Interested applicants must submit their application materials via given website.

For more information, please visit US-China Training Programs for Afghan.

Applications Open for 2016 Innovation Competition by MasterCard Foundation Fund for Rural Prosperity

Deadline: 28 March 2016

Applications are open for the 2016 Innovation Competition by Mastercard Foundation Fund for Rural Prosperity.

The competition aims to transform lives of people by supporting Financial Innovation.

The MasterCard Foundation Fund for Rural Prosperity is a US$50 million challenge fund to extend financial services to people living in poverty.

Is your idea innovative?

The ideas will be judged on the basis of following questions:
What is the potential for the proposed idea to change access to financial services in rural Africa?
In what way is the proposed idea new? Is it new to the financial services sector, new to the country, new to the continent? Perhaps it is even a first in the world?
To what extent does the proposed project reach financially underserved markets?

Eligible Countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, DRC, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia.

Eligibility Criteria

The MasterCard Foundation Fund for Rural Prosperity will only support ideas from institutions looking to deliver a financial service, product or process to rural poor people in an eligible African country mentioned above.
Projects may be proposed by a single institution or by a partnership of two or more of them (which could include a non-governmental organization); however, the proposal must be made by one company acting as the lead organization.
Firms that apply should have an established and verifiable institutional track record.

How to Apply

Interested applicants can register for the competition via given website.

For more information, please visit 2016 Innovation Competition.

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Apply for Mo Entrepreneurs Competition: Recognizing and Supporting the Efforts of Young Tanzanian Entrepreneurs!

Deadline: 26 February 2016

Mo Dewji Foundation and Darecha Limited are collaboratively seeking applications from young entrepreneurs in Tanzania for its Mo Entrepreneurs Competition to recognize and support their efforts.

The competition seeks young entrepreneurs who have the passion, drive, and determination to grow their start-ups.

The competition launches a platform that will enable Mohammed Dewji to support young entrepreneurs who are running highly potential start ups but lack further support in form of growth capital, networks and mentorship which could accelerate the growth of their start-ups.

Mo Dewji Foundation was conceived since the year 2000, when the CEO of MeTL Group, Mohammed Dewji, driven by passion and ambitions for the society, made great efforts to develop and expand the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility and its role in creating a positive change.

The aim of the Mo Dewji Foundation is ‘To enable and empower the many under-privileged who continue to struggle in Tanzania, with a specific emphasis on health and education’.

Foundation’s Focus Areas

The Mo Dewji Foundation focuses on improving life conditions in Tanzania in several areas:

Promoting education in order to create a pathway for the population, especially the disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, to lead to a more productive, equitable and just society.
Strengthening healthcare and creating purified drinking water to assist in preventing the occurrence of diseases.

Support/Recognition

A minimum of 3 winners/companies will be provided with a business investment totaling TZS 30 million (TZS 10 million each) as a start-up/growth capital. Terms and conditions will apply.
The winners will receive a mentorship and networking support from the CEO of MeTL group and Chairman of Mo Dewji Foundation, Mohammed Dewji

Eligibility Criteria

The applicant must be a young Tanzanian between the age of 18-30 years old.
The applicant must be the founder(s) of the start-up/small business.
A start-up must be in operation for a minimum of 6 months with record of existence.
A start-up must be based in Tanzania
A start-up should have a minimum capital of TZS 1 million.
Applicants can submit only one application.
Applicants responses must not exceed a required word limit
An application must be submitted in a PDF format
These terms and conditions can be modified by the organizers of the competition.

How to Apply

Interested applicants can download the application forms through given website.

For more information, please visit Mo Entrepreneurs Competition.

Submit Entries for Human Rights Essay Award 2016: Get a Full Scholarship to Attend the Program of Advanced Studies in Human Rights & Humanitarian Law in Washington

Deadline: 1 February 2016

Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law is currently inviting essay submissions for its Human Rights Essay Award 2016.

The Human Rights Essay Award is an annual competition sponsored by the Academy and seeks to stimulate the production of scholarly work in international human rights law. Participants have the flexibility to choose any subject related to the assigned topic. The essay has to be a legal article.

Awardees will receive a full scholarship to attend the program of advanced studies of the Academy and Human Rights and Humanitarian Law.

Essay Topic

The topic for Human rights Essay Award 2016 is- Extractive Industries and Human Rights.

Prizes

The Academy will grant two Awards, one for the best article in English and one for the best article in Spanish. The Award in each case will consist of:

A full scholarship to the Program of Advanced Studies on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law for either the Diploma or Certificate of Attendance options.
Travel expenses to and from Washington D.C.
Housing at the university dorms
Per diem for living expenses
The best articles will be published in the American University International Law Review.

Eligibility Criteria

Candidates can be from any country who must hold a law degree and have demonstrated experience or interest in international human rights law.
Each participant must also include a curriculum vitae of no more than three pages in length explaining the experience or interest of the author in human rights issues.
Past Winners cannot submit essays in future competitions.

Essay Guidelines

Articles must not exceed 35 pages in length, including footnotes.
Essays must use Times New Roman font, 12-point double-spaced for the body of the essay and 10-point single-spaced for footnotes.
All essays must be on letter size paper (8.5 x 11 inches/21.59 x 27.94 cm) with 1 inch (2.54 cm) margins all around.
Character spacing must be set to normal.
Authors should not put their name or any identifying information in their essays.
Essays will only be accepted in Word format
Any essay that does not follow the guidelines will be reformatted and 5 points will be taken off. If the essay is longer than 35 pages, it will be automatically disqualified.
The essay has to be a legal article; therefore, it will include foot pages and citations. The absence of those will cause that the essay will be disqualified.

How to Apply

Essays must be submitted using the online submission page, no emailed entries will be accepted.

For more information, please visit Essay Competition 2016.

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Vodafone Americas Foundation: Funding the best Innovations using Wireless Technology to Address Critical Social Issues around the World

Deadline: 22 February 2016

The Vodafone Americas Foundation is currently inviting applications for its competition- ‘designing the Wireless Innovation Project’ to promote innovation and increase implementation of wireless related technology for a better world. Total awards up to $600,000 will be available to support projects .

The Vodafone Wireless Innovation Project (the “competition”) seeks to identify and fund the best innovations using wireless related technology to address critical social issues around the world. Project proposals must demonstrate significant advancement in the field of wireless-related technology applied to social benefit use. The competition is open to projects from universities and nonprofit organizations based in the United States. Although organizations must be based in the United States, projects may operate and help people outside of the United States.

Social & Technical Issue Areas

Applicants must demonstrate a multi-disciplinary approach that uses an innovation in wireless-related technology to address a critical global issue in one or more of the following areas:

Access to communication
Education
Economic development
Environment
Health
Connectivity
Energy
Language or Literacy hurdles

Awards

Winners will be selected for awards of $100,000, $200,000, and $300,000 which will be paid in equal installments over three years.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants should be either (a) U.S. nonprofit corporation or trust that is tax-exempt under IRS Section 501(c)(3) and that is a public charity (not a private foundation) or
a U.S. University, including a university department, university-based research center, university-based entrepreneurship or technology innovation center that is legally part of the university.
Project team participants may not be an employee of the Vodafone Americas Foundation, Vodafone Group Plc or any entity in which Vodafone Group Plc holds, directly or indirectly, a shareholding or interest of 20% or more or has the right to exercise, directly or indirectly, 20% or more of the voting rights (collectively, the “Vodafone Entities”).
The applicant should propose an innovation in wireless-related technology to address a critical global issue in one or more of the following issue areas: education, health, access to communication, the environment or economic development.
The project should demonstrate a significant advancement in wireless-related technology. (We define innovation as something that hasn’t been done before, building upon existing technology, or a unique combination of technologies.)
The project should be at a stage of research where an advanced prototype or field/market test can occur during the award period.
Early-stage research, or ready to launch products, will not be considered.
Projects should involve an established multi-disciplinary team that demonstrates the expertise needed for a comprehensive solution to the targeted problem. For example, a team may consist of members from two or more of the following disciplines: engineering, design, business, international development, or other relevant disciplines. A team may also consist of university-based researchers and non-profit organizations working such areas as international development, health or environment.
Projects should demonstrate potential for replication and large scale impact.
Proposals should include a business plan or demonstration of financial sustainability.

How to Submit a Proposal

To submit a proposal, Applicants must first successfully complete the Eligibility Questionnaire. Eligible Applicants will then receive the URL for the online application via e-mail and be asked to create a username and password which will enable them to work on their proposal online. The application consists of multiple narrative questions and a project budget spreadsheet that Applicants must complete and submit. All information must be submitted through the on-line application. Finalists will be notified on or about March 25, 2016. The winners will be publicly announced and recognized at a public forum in June, 2016.

For more information, please visit Vodafone Call.

Golden Turtle Wildlife Fine Arts Competition

Deadline: 30 November 2015

The wildlife fund “FLORANIMAL” is inviting applicants for Golden Turtle Wildlife fine arts competition.

Applicants can be nominated for the following nomination categories

Painting
- Portrait of Animal: Portrait image of any wild animals. The main criteria in the nomination – a successful display of character, the “soul” of the animal – through his emotions, posture, eye expression.
- Animals in Nature: Works in this category should reflect the unity of the animal and its habitat, as in the biological so in the artistic aspect. Figure is estimated as a united artistic composition.
Graphics
- Portrait of Animal: Portrait image of any wild animals. The main criteria in the nomination – a successful display of character, the “soul” of the animal – through his emotions, posture, eye expression.
- Animals in Nature: Works in this category should reflect the unity of the animal and its habitat, as in the biological so in the artistic aspect. Figure is estimated as a united artistic composition.
Caricature: Humorous image of environmental issues and relationships in the wild. The main criteria is: a humorous, ironic image of the heroes and of disclosing problems.
Book Illustration: This nomination must be submitted pictorial concept of books, brochures, leaflets devoted to nature, its inhabitants and conservation.

Award Information

The total prize fund is 80000$.

Eligibility Criteria

Any author can be the participant of competition, except organizers of the competition, the announced judges, members of an expert commission if its works meet competition requirements.
No work may be entered in more than one category.

How to Apply

Interested applicants can submit their application forms at the address, given on the website.

Note: Official languages of competition are Russian and English.

For more information, please visit Golden Turtle Wildlife Fine Arts Competition.

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Golden Turtle Competition: Identifying Best Works and Projects

The wildlife fund “FLORANIMAL” is organizing Golden Turtle contest that includes various creative competition with an aim to identify the best works and projects demonstrating the beauty and harmony of wild nature. Golden Turtle will represent the best works submitted to the contest, as well as other projects aimed at preserving wildlife annually held in Moscow.

The Golden Turtle is a largest international eco-cultural educational project, carried out in Russia. The various competition of Golden Turtle includes:

Movie: Golden Turtle Wildlife Film Competition
Design:Golden Turtle Best Art Design Competition
Art:Golden Turtle Wildlife Fine Arts Competition/Exhibitions

Golden Turtle Wildlife Film Competition

Deadline: 31 December 2015

The wildlife fund “FLORANIMAL” is organizing Golden Turtle Wildlife Film Competition. The competition is open for all types of films, shooting by studio, TV companies and independent directors (film-makers), presented to the competition on the established nominations, in unlimited location and country of residence.

The main subjects of this competition are wildlife originality of ecosystems and landscapes, environmental problems and relationship between human and nature.

The object of the contest “Golden Turtle” is the identifying the best cinematographers, shooting wildlife.

Nomination Categories

Behavior of animals: Awarded films display the behavior of animals more than others. It’s good to show animals in new, art style. Films, which bring as innovative and scientific values, are welcome.
Habitat: Awarded films display uniqueness and beauty of habitat and ecosystem more than others. It’s good to show the harmony of nature in interaction with animals and whole ecosystem.
The wonder of nature: Awarded films show unknown and unique objects of our planet more than others. Films, which represent some phenomenon in biology, oceanology, volcanology, meteorology, archeology and others, are welcome.
The human and the nature: Awarded films represent relationship between human and nature to a greater extent. Films about people associated with wildlife preservation, are welcome.

Eligibility Criteria

Participants of competition can be films and programs in Russian language and films in any language with subtitles or with voiceover translation in Russian.
Trailer must be more 1 minute. The organizers can create the trailer by themselves.
Film-participant must be present on DVD. Image format must be available for a wide viewing. Film must be with subtitles and the information about sponsors can be present in the subtitles or in the film.

How to Apply

Interested applicants can download and submit their application form at the address, given on the website.

For more information, please visit Golden Turtle Wildlife Film Competition.

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Golden Turtle Best Art Design Competition

Deadline: 31 December 2015

The wildlife fund “FLORANIMAL” is the organizing Golden Turtle Best Art Design Competition, exhibition for environment and wildlife conservation.

Nomination Categories

Poster: Environmental Problems-Posters on free subject highlighting the problem of preservation of the environment on the planet. Nature and impact (both negative and positive) of anthropogenic factor on it, or any other topic affecting the interaction of the environment and human.

Poster: Wildlife Conservation-Posters on the theme wildlife and its conservation. The reflection of the beauty of our planet and wildlife through graphic design.

Poster: Series-Series of posters on any environmental subject revealing the problem and complementing each other. No more than 4.

Award Prize Information

The total prize fund is 80000$.

Eligibility Criteria

Any author can be the participant of competition, except organizers of the competition, the announced judges, members of an expert commission if its works meet competition requirements. Open to all photographers worldwide.
The author may be as a person as a group of people (design studio, design schools, etc.)

How to Apply

Interested applicants can submit their application forms at the address, given at the website.

Note: Official languages of competition are Russian and English.

For more information, please visit Golden Turtle Best Art Design Competition.

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Submit Entries for New Technological Art Award 2016

Deadline: 31 March 2016

The Liedts-Meesen is currently inviting applications for its biennial update_6/New Technological Art Award 2016. The aim of the competition is to present works in accordance with Update’s mission. The submitted work may have been exhibited previously, but the jury reserves the right to exclude creations that turn out to be not realizable within the limits of the practical possibilities of the Liedts-Meesen Foundation, keeping in mind that the works will be displayed during the exhibition. The basic equipment is available and at the disposal of the selected artists; specific and special equipment must be provided for and lent by the artists for the duration of the exhibition.

Focus areas

The scope of contemporary artistic creations and traditional media with works using contemporary and new technologies in an original and intelligent way: treatment of sounds and light, use of new media, application of innovative evolutions in communications, telecommunications and broadcasting, centered on the world of information, communication, and computers and interaction.

Prizes

A cash award of 5,000 euro will be allocated to a work and to its creator. There will also be a prize of the European Commission. The winners will be announced at the final day of the exhibition.

Eligibility Criteria

International competition is open to all age groups and to all nationalities.
English must be the working language.

How to Apply

Applicants can apply online through the website.

For more information, please visit biennial events.