The World Summit Youth Award 2016

World Summit Youth Award (WSYA) is a unique global contest which brings together young developers and digital entrepreneurs, creative designers, producers, application developers, journalists, and writers - under 30 years of age - who use internet and mobile technology to put the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) into action and make a difference.

• WSYA was established in 2005, and has led its international competition honouring excellence in the use of Internet for social empowerment during six editions.

• The WSYA selects and promotes best practice in e-Content. The contest demonstrates young people's potential to create outstanding digital contents and serves as a platform for people from all UN member states to work together in the efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

World Summit Youth Award Contest Categories

The projects and applications can be submitted in the 6 categories which are directly tied to the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs).

• Fight poverty, hunger and disease
• Education for all
• Women Empowerment
• Digital Generation
• Go green, Climate Change 
  
• Innovation for SDGs (as an open category)

You Can participate in the Contest if:

• You are under 30 years
• Have you developed a social project with Internet or Mobile Technology?
• You want to make a difference in the world, your country or community?
• You are a committed social entrepreneur and are eager to give your project a new drive?

• The World Summit Youth Award honours 3 winners (persons or team) and up to 3 runners-up per category whose product, project or application is chosen by the expert jury as the best in digital content in one of the categories.
• Become a part of the global WSYA network- The winners and runners up become part of the global WSYA Netwok.
• Present Project on the World Stage: At the winners' event all WSYA winners have the opportunity to present their projects on a world stage, exchange ideas with their peers and network with renowned experts in the field of ICT for development.
• Learn more about youth initiatives and MDGs at workshops and seminars held by experts and entrepreneurs
• Winning project will  be published on the website of world youth awards  
• WYSA promotes the winners with network of ICT experts, business leaders, multimedia producers, academician, Governmental organisations, young entrepreneurs and youth leaders.

 Previous year’s World Summit Award

• In 2013, the winners' event took place in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from October 24-26, 2013
• It was hosted by the Sri Lankan Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) and in partnership with the World Summit Award (WSA)
• The 3-days event featured keynote speeches, workshops and engaging panel discussions.

There are two ways of participating in the Youth award:

• The project is nominated by a Youth award Ambassador or by a former Winner. If your project is nominated, you are automatically shortlisted and in round 2.
• The project has tobe submit online to the Youth award database. It will be evaluated in round 1 and only the best projects in each category will be shortlisted. Application Proces for participation in the World Youth Summit Award
  • Online Registration: A person has to first register online on the Official website of World Youth Summit Award>
    
  • After Successfully registering the participants will receive an ID number

What does the participant need to do to submit the Project?

• Short description of your product/project
• Long description of your product/project
• Introduce yourself and/or your team to the jury or upload a CV
• How sustainable is your project over the long term? Outline potential challenges, strategies and development.
• What are your project goals in the framework of the UN Millennium Development Goals?
• What is the youth component in your project (project management, target group, partners, etc)?

Submission of World Summit Youth Award Project

• The project itself can be in any language. The Application has to be in English as the Jury has to understand what your project is about to be able to evaluate it properly.
• Submissions can be made in the following six categories
• Fight poverty, hunger and disease
• Education for all
• Women Empowerment
• Digital Generation
• Go green, Climate Change 
• Innovations for SDGs (as Open Category)
  

An international jury -composed of young experts, social activists, successful entrepreneurs and representatives of the private sector and different international institutions- will evaluate the projects and select 18 winners (three winners per category) to be awarded at the winners' event and which will join the global WSYA network.

Submitted projects will be evaluated in two rounds by an online jury of young experts. If candidate's project is nominated by a Youth award Ambassador or by a former winner, it will be automatically shortlisted to round 2.

• In first round shortlisting will be done of 10 participants per category.
• In the second round, two or three projects will be selected per category as the final winners of WSYA.

Evaluation is done on the basis of 6 criteria

• Content: Quality, comprehensiveness and impact of content and relevance for MDGs.
• Design: Usability, navigation and aesthetic value of layout and graphics
• Innovation & Creativity: Demonstration of significant originality and initiative
• Interactivity: Level of engagement and action offered to site users
• Sustainability: Project survival over time
• Strategic value: Get action on reaching one of the eight MDGs

ICNM – International Center for New Media Leopoldskronstr.
30 - 5020 Salzburg,
Austria

Phone: +43.660 630408-6
E-mail: wsya@icnm.net