Students: this is your chance to change the world. TAKE IT!
If you haven’t already submitted your ideas to the Dell Social Innovation Competition, it’s not too late. The entry deadline is Monday, March 2, 2009.
Not sure what I’m talking about? Here’s the 411: The University of Texas at Austin and Dell are looking for college students worldwide with ingenious entrepreneurial ideas that will change the world. Dream up a plan that combines creativity and innovation to tackle a pressing social issue, and you can win $50,000 to put your plan into action! Enter online at www.dellsocialinnovationcompetition.com/
I was completely entertained reading through the most popular submissions yesterday. Take the sOccket, “a soccer ball…that captures the impact energy normally dissipated when the ball is kicked, storing it to charge batteries and lights.” The Harvard University team submitting the idea says early prototypes can power an LED display for around three hours after kicking the ball around for just 10 minutes. This could change what nightfall means to rural areas without electricity.
The Farmery is another cool one. Submitted by ben24542, “the Farmery is an urban vertical farming and retail system that… [enables] consumers to see firsthand the story of how their food was produced… [and] offer affordable, locally grown organic produce.”
So far, ideas have poured in from 160 universities (Texas A&M leads with 35 entries (whoop!), followed by Harvard (7), Cornell (6), and The University of Texas and University of Central Florida (5 each).
And it’s a truly global competition. Entries are in from 24 countries, with the majority hailing from United States, India, Vietnam, Singapore, Canada and Colombia.
So what’s your idea? TELL US! It only takes a few minutes. Really. Do it! It could get you $50,000…and change the world.