FUTURE OF TECHNOLOGY Entrepreneurial Challenge

The Winner of the challenge is

Ana Isabel Gadala-María

Central America

How would you change the lives of 10 million people?

December 15, 2010 – March 31, 2011

Throughout history and across the globe, millions of lives have been improved by the innovative ideas of individuals from many different fields of expertise. Could yours be the next BIG idea?

Universidad Francisco Marroquín and Singularity University are sponsoring a contest designed to identify innovative thinkers and their projects. This contest is open to anyone from Central America, 35 years old and younger, who is ready to transform their innovative ideas into reality. This is an exciting opportunity to present your ideas for the future.

The challenge: How would you answer this question?

“How can we improve the standard of living—health, education, and security—of 10 million people, in the next 10 years, in Central America, through the use of telecommunications?”

How to Participate

1. Complete the Entry Form.

2. Answer the following question in English in 700 words or less:

“How can we improve the standard of living—health, education, and security—of 10 million people, in the next 10 years, through the use of telecommunications?”

3. Create a video explaining your project. Videos must be in English and must not exceed 5 minutes. See Video Presentation for more instructions, specifications, and details.

Deadline for all entries is March 31, 2011.

4. The winner will be announced on this website April 15, 2011.

Official Contest Rules

The contest will take place between December 15, 2010 and March 31, 2011.
The winner will be awarded a scholarship to the 2011 Graduate Studies Program (GSP) at Singularity University (SU), valued at $30,000; roundtrip airfare from Guatemala to San Francisco; and roundtrip transportation between San Francisco airport and the NASA Ames Research Center.
Entries will be accepted from December 15, 2010 to March 31, 2011. The only way to enter the contest is through the website http://www.su.ufm.edu.
The winner will be announced on the contest website on April 15, 2011.

Eligible Contestants

Must be 35 years old or younger.
Must be residents of Central America.
Must have a valid U.S. visa.
Must have medical and life insurance with international coverage.*
Must speak English.
Must be available to participate in the SU Graduate Studies Program, June 18 to August 27, 2011.

Video Presentation

Each video will be reviewed by the panel of judges. Your video should explain and support the proposed project you wrote about in your essay. Videos must be no longer than five minutes and in English. Please use subtitles if you include a testimonial from someone who does not speak English.

Judging Criteria

Videos must include the following elements:

Introduction to the contestant and his or her proposal (for example, “My name is Juan and my project is. . .”).
Explanation of the problem you want to solve and how you got your idea.
Explanation of how to implement your idea.
What you would expect in the future if your project was put into effect.

Video Production and Postproduction

How the video is produced is up to each contestant (recording and/or editing). It may be a simple video with the contestant speaking directly into the camera the entire time or it may be edited to include images and explanatory videos that support the proposed project. Avoid the use of copyrighted material in video, images, and audio.

Regardless of how their video is produced, contestants must appear in front of the camera at least once (introducing themselves and their proposed project) so the panel of judges can see them.