Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge 2015

Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge is a joint effort of USAID, U.S. Global Development Lab and National Geographic Society to come up with the solution of wildlife crime such as Wildlife Trafficking with the help of Modern Technology.

The applicants need to come up with innovative science and technology solutions to the four major issues, which are:

• Transit Routes
• Forensic Evidence
• Consumer Demand
• Corruption.

• Multiple Prize Packages and a Grand Prize worth up to USD 500,000 will be awarded to the applicant with most effective as well as practical solutions to combat wildlife trafficking.
• Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge will accept Ideas at all stages, which are applicable to both marine and terrestrial wildlife.
• The applicant of Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge can be from any country except Iran, Syria, Cuba, North Korea, and Sudan as they are countries restricted by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

Depending upon the effectiveness and usability of the project the Judges will select a project for the award of a Grand Prize and Prize packages. The details of the Prizes and Grand Prize are as follow:

• Grand Prize: The winner of the grand prize will get cash awards ranging from USD 100,000 to USD 500,000 along with recognition.
• Prize Packages: The winners of Prize Packages will get a cash prize of USD 10,000, recognition, technical and networking support along with the opportunity to apply for a Grand Prize.
  • The prize package includes airfare to the award event.

The application process is divided into 3 stages, initially, every applicant needs to submit Concept notes related to their project, after judging, selected concept notes will apply for the Prize packages and then the o Grand Prize. All the applications have to be in the English Language. The details of the application process are as follow.>> Click here to apply for the Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge

• Stage 1- Submit Concept Note: Applicants need to submit concept notes providing the summary of their proposed solution, using the online portal available for the same purpose. During the submission, candidates need to select the issue which their solution best addresses. Concept Notes must include:
  • Demographic information about the applicant or the applicant's organization.
  • Description of the proposed solution.
  • How the solution addresses one or more of the four challenge issues?
  • A description of how the solution might scale to reach a significant number of users.

An applicant can submit multiple concept notes.

• Stage 2- Provide Detailed Concept Notes & Answers: Prize Applications will be submitted by Concept Note Finalists.
  • Prize Applicants will have to provide elaborated information on their Concept Note.
  • Provide answers to additional questions as it will enable detailed evaluation of their solution.
  • The Concept Note Finalists are expected to be announced in Summer 2015.
• Stage 3- Apply for the Grand Prize
  • The winners of Prize applications will get a chance to apply for Grand Prize application.

The applications will be judged by a group of technical experts drawn from the Challenge Team on the basis of the solution's Potential Impact and Potential to Scale. Applicants should try to focus on the following questions when considering their solution's competitiveness.

• The potential impact of the solution on the wildlife trafficking issues:
  • How effectively does the solution address the issue?
  • How likely is the solution to bring about the intended outcome? How significant is the claim and is it supported by evidence?
  • To how many situations (e.g. countries, trafficked species, types of trafficking) the provided solution is applicable?
  • What will be the effect of the solution on the currently deployed solution for the same problem?
• Potential for the solution to reach scale:
  • Has the market (i.e. customers or users) for this solution been identified and, if so, how realistic is the business model/plan?
  • Has consideration been given to the price of the solution and, if so, how cost-effective is the solution given the intended customer/user? Is the estimated price realistic given the cost of required inputs?
  • Is the solution easily adaptable in the target context's existing systems/infrastructure and processes? If not, how significant are the departures or changes required?
  • Does the solution fit with current practices, behaviours, and culture of target users and/or population? If not, how significant are the departures or changes required?
  • How significant are the training requirements, costs, and dependencies?
  • Is the solution suitable for a variety of organizations and users?
  • What resources (e.g. capacity, funds, time) are required for the upscaling and activation of the solution in real life scenarios?