THREE €50,000 PRIZES FROM THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION FOR THE MOST INNOVATIVE PROJECTS TO EMPOWER YOUNG PEOPLE IN A CHANGING ECONOMY
Innovations that take place in a certain location and respond to specific local conditions, challenges and opportunities are often called ‘place-based’.
Why take a place-based approach? Well, all places are different and have different needs, challenges and opportunities. Solutions should respond to these specific local characteristics in order to be successful within that community.
WHAT IS THE COMPETITION LOOKING FOR?
Ideas could include, but are not limited to:
New tech
Initiatives that use new technologies and ways of working to provide opportunities for youth based on local specificities and needs.
entrepreneurship
Ideas that promote and enable youth entrepreneurship and innovation using local assets, particularly among young people who may not otherwise have become innovators.
SKILLS
Ideas responding to current or future requirements in the local community for skills and experience, or ideas developed from locally-available skills and experience.
JOB SECURITY
Solutions to improve the quality of life and financial or social security of young people in irregular work.
ADVICE
Innovations that provide information, advice and guidance to young people so they can navigate their options in the new economy.
LONG-TERM
Creative concepts that will provide young people with long-term projects, prospects and potential career opportunities.
HOW DOES THE COMPETITION WORK?
Application
You must have entered your idea by Friday 27 April 2018, 12:00 (noon) Brussels time.
Rules
You can read the Rules of Contest here and the Frequently Asked Questions here.
Judging
Our judging panel chose 30 of the most promising applications as semi-finalists, to receive business development support.
Academy
Semi-finalists were matched with a mentor and invited to a three day academy in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, in July 2018 to progress their ideas.
mentoring
With the help of their mentors, the semi-finalists will submit a detailed project development plan to the judges by the end of August 2018. This factsheet contains further information on the mentoring.
Awards
Ten finalists will be selected to pitch their projects at the awards in Brussels in November 2018, where three winners will each be awarded prizes of €50,000 to develop their ideas.
Impact Prize
In 2019 the 30 semi-finalists will have another chance to win €50,000 through the Impact Prize, which is awarded to the project which has demonstrated greatest impact in the 12 months since submitting their detailed project development plan.
WHO ENTERED?
Our new #newsletter outlines the next steps in the 2018 #diogochallenge competition and features also great blog articles on our recent Academy - read it here: https://t.co/4qlJf9Udrn
Next stop: Impact Prize - as the 2018 #diogochallenge continues, we are ready to receive entries from 2017 semi-finalists who have made an impact with their projects. This is their second chance to win a €50.000 prize (awarded in November). Read more here:https://t.co/4qlJf9Udrn
In July the #diogochallenge @EUSocialInnov semi-finalists gathered for a 3 day #socialinnovation training academy. Read more here: https://t.co/CgyLydMyVZ