USAID Development 2.0 Challenge – THIS WEEK ONLY!

Hi everyone,

Just a quick post here to bring an initiative to your attention. Through the USAID Development 2.0 Challenge, you and I are able to vote on our favorite international projects at: http://www.netsquared.org/usaid/vote. Register, login and vote! But hurry because they’ve limited feedback to December 8 -12!

The world is waiting…

UPDATE: There are a lot of State Department people here on GovLoop. I just recommended to USAID that they post their Development 2.0 Challenge over at Exchanges Connect. Can someone help me facilitate the connection? Let’s see if GovLoop can create a real-time connection that would not have happened without it!

Also, a bit more about the Challenge is found below (taken from the website):

USAID is proud to announce the launch of the 2008 USAID Development 2.0 Challenge. Brought to you by the Global Development Commons.

Mobile technology, including everything from inventive applications for smart phones to simple text messaging, is increasingly ubiquitous in the developing world. USAID challenges you to explore its potential through an innovation for maximum development impact in areas such as health, banking, education, agricultural trade, or other pressing development issues.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. Government agency that delivers economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide on behalf of the American people, is sponsoring a challenge to find the best in mobile innovations for good. Through a NetSquared community vote, fifteen finalists will be chosen. A panel of judges, selected by USAID, will then select the winners. The first place winner will receive a grant of $10,000, the two runner-ups will receive grants of $5,000 each. All three winners will have the opportunity to present their ideas to senior USAID officials, experts, and the public in Washington D.C.

Here’s How It Works:
Individuals and organizations working with mobile technologies to create change are invited to share their projects with the community through the USAID Development 2.0 Challenge submission form. Once you’ve hit submit for your challenge, it’s public. This provides you with an opportunity to get feedback from your community, the USAID community, the NetSquared community and other friendly collaborators.

Once the project submission process has closed, we will hold a community vote to select the top fifteen projects. Those projects will then go in front of a panel of USAID-selected judges who will determine the three winners.