World Series of Innovation (WSI) is an international online competition of business ideas that invites young people from all over the world to join the solution of global problems of humanity and contribute to the achievement of the goals of sustainable development of the United Nations by generating and implementing their own entrepreneurial initiatives.
WSI from the international non-profit organization for the development of entrepreneurship Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), USA - aims to increase global awareness of entrepreneurship as a driver of innovation. Encouraging young people to create entrepreneurial solutions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, the initiative focuses the entrepreneurial thinking of young people on the generation of innovative ideas, critical thinking and the application of new approaches to solving society's problems.
To participate in the competition, young people aged 13 to 24 must choose one of the 8 challenges corresponding to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, work out their solution with experts from the Ukrainian Future business incubator during Innovation Days, and submit an online application to WSI for consideration international jury. According to the results of the assessment of international experts, the best ideas of young innovators in each category will be awarded cash prizes: $1,500 for the first place, $600 for the second place, and $300 for the third place.
In Ukraine, the official partner of NFTE and the organizer of the preparatory stage of the competition is Ukrainian Future, a business incubator of the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Preparatory sessions within the framework of Innovation Days will take place in an online format for 2 days — October 31 and November 1, 2024, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The purpose of the trainings is to help participants immerse themselves in the problems outlined by this year's competition and to prepare an application in a high-quality way.
Participation is possible only with prior registration. You can register by calling.
Target audience: students of grades 9-11 of general secondary and after-school education institutions and students of professional (vocational-technical) and higher education institutions.
Important dates of the World Series of Innovation
7.10.2024 Registration of participants of preparatory training as part of Innovation Days
25.10.2024 Deadline for registration
31.10.2024 — 1.11.2024 Innovation Days (11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.)
7.11.2024 Consultation (17.00 — 17.40)
8.12.2024 Deadline for submitting applications for participation in the WSI competition
9.12.2024 1st stage of project evaluation by judges
7.02.2025 Announcement of 10 finalists in each of 8 categories
25.02.2025 Deadline for finalists to create a 1-minute video
1.03.2025 II stage of project evaluation by judges
14.04.2025 Announcement of WSI winners
UN Goals and WSI Challenges
The Global Sustainable Development Goals were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action for all people to live in peace and prosperity by 2030. In total, 17 mutually complementary Goals were identified. In partnership with NFTE, leading global companies offer the participants of the WSI competition a number of challenges involving the development of projects aimed at solving humanity's biggest problems and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals:
Goal 3. Strong health and well-being. MetLife Foundation Good Health and Well-Being Challenge. The challenge is to develop solutions to ensure access to physical and/or mental well-being in your community. View challenge.
Goal 4. Quality education. Comerica Quality Education Challenge. The task is to propose solutions for the development of platforms or initiatives that will teach basic industry skills and allow engaging young people to fully participate in economic processes. View challenge.
Goal 4. Quality education. Intuit for Education Game Based Financial Learning Challenge. The challenge is to create a fun, engaging financial game that teaches young people the basics of financial management, budgeting, saving and investing. View challenge.
Goal 6. Clean water and proper sanitation. Aramco Clean Water Challenge. The task is to develop an innovative solution based on the technology of turning dirty or salty water into safe drinking water for your community. View challenge.
Goal 8. Decent work and economic growth. Citi Foundation Youth Economic Advancement Challenge. The task is to propose a solution that uses artificial intelligence tools to promote youth employment, education or training for local communities. View challenge.
Goal 9. Industry, innovation and infrastructure. CBT Technology Solar Innovation Challenge. The task is to develop a product/service/solution for public spaces (schools, libraries, community centers and parks) that involves the use of solar energy to improve the learning environment and reduce operational costs. View challenge.
Goal 13. Fight against climate change. Zuora Climate Action Challenge. The challenge is to offer an innovative solution that will encourage people and communities to reduce their carbon footprint through consumption-based approaches. View challenge.
Goal 16. Peace, justice and strong institutions. EY Responsible AI Challenge. The challenge is to develop solutions for using artificial intelligence and entrepreneurship to create sustainable, inclusive and peaceful communities. View challenge.