News | April 7, 2015

In September 2014, we put out a call for bold solutions to amplify citizen voice and promote good governance in 12 countries across Africa and Asia. A total of 241 eligible solutions were submitted from across the globe, with over 25,000 public votes cast in support of submitted ideas.

During the Global Innovation Week held April 13th – 17th in Jakarta, the ten finalists from this competition will pitch their innovations to the competition Jury, work with expert mentors and compete for a grant from a pool of £300,000.

The Finalists

Global Innovation Competition FInalists

Global Innovation Competition Finalists

The finalists, pictured above, are pitching ideas for Ghana, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Mozambique, Kenya, South Africa, Pakistan and Indonesia.

Their innovations range from anonymous reporting of workers' rights violations in Bangladesh, to a cloud-based information system supporting government disaster response in the Philippines, and a citizen journalism network reporting on miscarriages of justice in rural South Africa.

Although the projects are very different from each other, all the finalists are united in their willingness to take-risks, their thirst to learn from others and their desire to deliver genuine change in communities across the world.

“Innovation is tied to risk, and risk-taking has been a big part of my life. I was previously working in a bank, but realised I wanted to make change happen for people in their local communities, and I wanted to help them understand how the government works”-Oluseun Onigbinde, BudgIt.

“I grew up in disaster. Ever since I was little, I’ve seen very terrible things that have happened to my close friends and family. This is my main driving force for the project” –  Frei Sangil, Balangay.

Meet the 10 finalists and learn about their ideas here.

The Global Innovation Week

Running from April 13th – 17th in Jakarta, Indonesia, the week is a unique mentoring and networking opportunity for the finalists.

The jury, featured below, along with mentors from organizations such as theAssociation for Progressive Communications and VNG will interrogate and help refine each idea, giving the finalists new perspectives and access to specialist support. To gain a sense of the week’s activities, watch the Global Innovation Competition 2014 video below.

The Global Innovation Gala

The Gala Night held on April 16th is the culmination of the Global Innovation Competition, at which the winners are announced. Winners will receive a grant from a pool of £300,000 and a tailored programme of mentoring from our South to South Lab.

The Jury

Global Innovation Competition Jury

Global Innovation Competition Jury

The Jury are leaders in the governance, technology and development fields.

In this post, they reflect on how innovations are changing the way governments interact with citizens, and share advice that has shaped their own careers in innovation.

The Global Innovation Competition 2016

The Global Innovation Competition is key part of Making All Voices Count’s broader approach to finding and funding innovations that improve citizen-state relations. Read more on our how we work here.

The next Global Innovation Competition will be launched this September.

Follow the Global Innovation Competition and share your thoughts on twitter with #GIC2015.

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