How the competition works
Round one opens November 30, 2021, and closes February 11, 2022, at 5:00 pm PST. To submit your project you will need to complete an online questionnaire, which will cover the following topics:
- Defining the problem you are solving
- Overview of your solution
- Benefits of your solution and how it uses digital technologies
- How your solution is unique and will be taken to market
- Risks associated with the solution
- 90-second pitch video explaining the solution
Judges evaluate submissions and will prioritize the ideas that are especially innovative and articulate the use of technology, feasibility, and scale of impact.
On April 26, 2022, Semi-Finalists will get an invitation via email to submit a more detailed proposal.
The round two application window will open on April 26, 2022, and close on May 20, 2022. Finalists will be announced on July 5, 2022.
In addition to the information provided in round one, the online round two questionnaires for Semi-Finalists will include the following sections:
- Detailed technical overview of the solution
- Dependencies
- Timeline for the next 12-24 months
- also the Addressable market
- Financial model
- In addition, team bios
If you are selected as a Semi-Finalist, you should check that your team leader logs in to the Challenge website before the deadline to double-check all of the materials and click submit to be considered for the final round.
If you are selected as a Finalist, you should share your participation in the Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge 2022 with your supporters and invite them to vote for their favourite entries. Voting for the People’s Choice Award takes place from July 5 – 29, 2022.
Finally, on August 23, 2022, CISCO will announce the winners!
Also check out: Life After Conflict (International Competition)
Eligibility
- individuals participating should be age eighteen (18) years or older at the time of registration
- teams should be of up to five individuals and each team member should be age eighteen years or older at the time of registration
- legal business entities for Business Entity Participant
- Individual Participants, Team Participants or Business Entity Participants that have previously received monetary awards in the Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge or a Cisco prize at the Rice Business Plan Competition are not eligible for this Contest.
- you should not be an employee or internally contracted vendor of Sponsor or its subsidiaries, agents and affiliates
- also, the participants must not be the immediate family members or members of the same household of any such employee or vendor
- anyone professionally involved in the development or administration of this Contest are also not allowed to participate
- also, an employee cannot participate in the competition if their employer’s guidelines or regulations do not allow entry in the Contest or acceptance of the prize(s).
- This Contest is not open to Individual Participants who are permanent residents of the province of Quebec, Canada during the Contest period.
- In addition, residents of Cuba, Iran, Syria, North Korea, Myanmar (formerly Burma) and Sudan are not eligible to participate.
JUDGING CRITERIA:
- The innovative digital technology aspect of solution: How innovative is the solution in its use of new or existing technology to solve a local or global problem? Are there other solutions available and if so, how does this differentiate from them? (33%)
- Feasibility: How feasible is the solution to put into practice? Does the solution make sense financially? Will the solution be sustainable over the long term? (24%)
- Impact: What is the scale of potential social impact? How broad is the impact? What number of people will your solution reach? How significant is the impact? (33%)
- Clarity: How well do you articulate your solution as well as the potential impact it will have on society? (10%)
