The annual competition, created in 2010, offers young people the opportunity to participate in workshops on entrepreneurial skills, meet and connect with key players in the ICT sector and present their projects in InnovationSpace, a special pavilion at the ITU Telecom World exhibition.
The first stage of the 2014 edition is dedicated to "local digital content." Open to the participation of founders of new companies between the ages of 18 and 30 from the 193 ITU Member States, the competition seeks the most promising young technology companies that inspire the creation, compilation, or digitization of dynamic local content, especially in non-Latin characters.
Proposals can be submitted by newly created companies dedicated to character content that solve the technical problems arising from the digitization of non-Latin characters through innovative technologies or determine new uses of old technologies, such as optical character recognition, voice recognition or translation software.
ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun I. Touré said: "I am pleased to announce the first stage of the Young Innovators Competition at the latest edition of ITU Telecom World 2014. At last year's competition, young innovators from around the world shared inspiring ideas and projects with significant social impact and remarkable commercial potential. I look forward to exploring the latest innovations at ITU Telecom World 2014, which will take place in Doha this December.".
The first stage of the competition has been launched in collaboration with Ooredoo, which is supporting the organization of ITU Telecom World 2014 in Qatar. With its extensive experience in fostering the creation of relevant local content and its ability to inspire new business ventures across the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region and Asia, Ooredoo will provide invaluable support to the competition.
Sheikh Saud Bin Nasser Al Thani, CEO of Qatar Ooredoo, stated: "We are delighted to support this first stage of the Young Innovators Competition. We know that new digital content can be a source of inspiration and create new opportunities in people's lives, and we firmly believe that every market deserves valuable content in its own language that is tailored to its interests."
About the Contest
A Selection Committee, made up of experts, will be responsible for selecting the two new winning companies of this Competition, which will be invited to attend ITU Telecom World 2014.
At the event itself, the selected young innovators will attend sessions where they will receive advice and workshops on entrepreneurial skills, have the opportunity to meet and contact the main players in the ICT sector, and will have the possibility of presenting their projects in the InnovationSpace, a special pavilion of the exhibition.
Prizes of up to $10,000 USD will be awarded to fund the launch and expansion of winning startups. The competition will consist of several stages, the first of which focuses on local digital content.
The deadline for submitting the first presentations is May 30, 2014, at 24:00 GMT+2.
For more information about the Competition, to apply to participate, or to comment on the submissions, please visit https://ideas.itu.int/.
ITU Telecom World 2014 will take place from December 7-10, 2014 in Doha, Qatar.
