Are you the next youth CISCO global problem solver?
Cisco Systems, Inc, an American multinational technology company based in California, opened yesterday its fourth annual CISCO Global Problem Solver Challenge with $350,000 cash prizes to give away.
The competition is a worldwide search for technology-driven enthusiasts who are can create business ideas that leverage technology for social impact.
The Global Problem Solver Challenge is open to students and recent alumni from any college or university.
In a statement, CISCO said it is committed to positively impacting 1 billion people by 2025 through technology innovations that help the society.
As part of their work, CISCO said they seek to inspire and empower a generation of global problem solvers who will not only survive but thrive in the increasingly digital economy.
The competition is open to all nationalities across the globe.
Looking back
Last year, about 335 teams from around the globe joined the third CISCO Global Problem Solver Challenge, where CISCO gave away $300,000 in cash prizes.
OORJA from Imperial College London won the $100,000 grand prize. The team deploys and operates pay-as-you-go community solar pumping systems to provide affordable irrigation systems to small scale farmers. This is a solution that allows the farmers to have affordable water services throughout the year.
Solar Free from Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Kenya won the second prize of $75,000. The team created a portable solar-powered cold storage solution, mentorship, training program, and mobile app that helps smallholder farmers increase their post-harvest sales through preserving their produce.
CISCO awarded the People’s Choice award to Banoo of Universitas GadjahMada in Indonesia for the integrated a microbubble, IoT, and a solar panel that provides smart aquaculture technology to help people boost their food resilience in areas where land and water availability is scarce.
US Duke University’s Calla Imaging landed on the third prize with $25,000 by creating a patient-centric cervical cancer screening technology.
Also awarded $25,000 for the third prize was Illuminum GreenHouses from Kenya for providing small scale farmers affordable greenhouses and drip kits equipped with solar power and IoT sensors that protect their crops from pests.
TRASHCON of RV College of Engineering in India also got $25,000 in the third prize for their solution to sort and process any mixed municipal solid waste automatically into biodegradable waste.
2020 CISCO GLOBAL PROBLEM SOLVER CHALLENGE Prizes
Winners of the competition will receive the following cash prizes
The winners will win the following prizes.
$100,000 for the Grand Prize Winner
$75,000 for the Second Prize Winner
$25,000 each for three Third Place Winners
$10,000 each for four Fourth Place Winners
$10,000 for People’s Choice Award
$25,000 for one India Impact Grand Prize Winner
Two (2) India Impact Runners Up of $10,000 for two India Impact Runners Up
$5,000 for India Impact People Choice Award
Eligibility
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The following are the requirements to participate:
The applicants must be 18 years or older
If participating in groups, half of the group members must be students currently enrolled at a post=secondary institution or have received a degree after March 2018.
If entering as a business entity, at least 25 percent of the business must be owned by participants. Recent graduates may also apply.
For more information visit: CISCO GLOBAL PROBLEM SOLVER CHALLENGE
