THE TEENAGERS INNOVATION PRIZE (TIP) CONTEST

It has been more than 50 years since our independence as a country, Nigeria. It is quite disheartening to say that Nigeria, has not only failed to improve substantially as a country, but has also failed to live up to the standards of the global world. Every day, we see basic survival challenges become monumental challenges in Nigeria.

It is against this back-drop that the Unveiling Africa Foundation provides a platform for Critical thinking and problem solving for ‘Everyday Society Problems’ by engaging the next generation of Nigerian leaders who are today’s teenagers!

What is the UVA Teenagers Innovation Prize (TIP) Contest?

In an effort to ensure UVA programs continue to deliver on value and societal impact, UVA is replacing its annual essay contest with an Innovation Contest. For the past two years, we have seen over 1000 essays; majority of which are elaborate write ups of Nigeria’s problems. The question we were always left with was ‘What next’?. The Teenagers Innovation Prize (TIP) has been put in place by Unveiling Africa Foundation to reward African teenagers who go beyond identifying issues in their societies to proffering sustainable solutions for them. We want to see teenagers engage and proffer solutions to real life Nigerian issues from traffic, to flooding, to bad roads and so on. It is our belief that such activities will provide a platform for Nigerians to acquire pivotal skills such as Problem Solving, Critical Thinking & Teaming skills during their formative years which are required to drive development.

The 2012 Contest is themed: ‘Solving Everyday Problems’.

Contest Deadline: August 31, 2012

ELIGIBILITY:

• Applicants must be between the ages of 13 and 19.
• Innovations in all fields (science and technology, civil society, community, arts and culture, sports, etc.) will be considered.
• Group projects are invited; however, only one representative (Team leader) will be exposed to the scheduled trainings prior to the selection of winners. The winnings can be shared amongst team members.

EVALUATION CRITERIA:

Contestants will be evaluated based on 4 parameters:

• Uniqueness:
  1. How innovative, out of the box and fresh is the thinking behind your idea?

• Societal Impact:
  1. Is your innovation of significant quality?
  2. Does it solve everyday problems in your community or our society?
  3. Does it have a positive effect on the community?

• Adaptability:
  1. How good is your idea?
  2. Can it be replicated in communities with similar challenges?

1. Scalability & Business Viability:
   1. Will your innovation be relevant and easy to implement if applied on a nation-wide level for example?
   2. Can your idea be sold to a state governor or an investor because of the value it adds?

PRIZE:

1st Prize: N300,000

2nd Prize: N100,000

3rd Prize: N75,000

Top 10 winners will be exposed to Unveiling Africa Foundation Leadership & Entrepreneurship program which includes:

• UVA Nation Building Training
• Mentorship & internship placement
• Entrepreneurship workshop on business planning & creation
• Opportunity to further develop and implement your ideas

For more information about Unveiling Africa and to download the form, click here