T-Mobile Foundation/Ashoka Changemaker Challenge 2022 for Young Innovators (Win up to $15,000)
Deadline: March 31, 2022
Applications for the T-Mobile Foundation/Ashoka Changemaker Challenge 2022 are now open. The Changemaker Challenge is a nationwide contest that gives young leaders the opportunity to level up their ideas for creating a more inclusive, equitable and sustainable future.
For young people to thrive in a world where change is the only constant, they need to master the skills needed to be innovative, problem-solving changemakers. Through the Changemaker Challenge, T-Mobile, the T-Mobile Foundation, and Ashoka are committed to helping young people unleash their big ideas to drive meaningful change.
Focus Areas
This year, they are looking for bold ideas in the following areas:
Digital Empowerment – Solutions that help bridge the digital divide, enabling access for all to the digital age and the skills needed to thrive in it. Examples of ideas you may submit include but are not limited to:
- Build a mobile STEM education center that travels to different schools, providing students of all backgrounds access to STEM learning.
- Create a platform that helps users build digital literacy skills.
- Start a program for young people to create their own mini-digital exchange communities and explore critical global issues together.
- Create Wi-Fi hotspots to help kids in schools who have limited internet connection access virtual education.
Related: 19 Free Funds and Grants For Entrepreneurs and Where To Get Them.
Thriving Planet– Ideas to help improve the health of our planet. Examples of ideas you may submit include but are not limited to:
- Develop a sustainable product that offers an alternative to plastic bottles.
- Launch a project to prevent textile waste through upcycling and donations.
- Improve urban sustainability through a gardening-based program.
- Develop a product to help people calculate and reduce the impact of their trash.
Equity In Action – Ideas and solutions that remove barriers and create opportunities for everyone to thrive in an inclusive society. Examples of ideas you may submit include but are not limited to:
- Create a program that provides skills and career development resources for young Black men.
- Develop a program that inspires youth-led crime prevention, utilizing educational, athletic, and recreational activities to build trust and understanding between young people and the police force.
- Start a program that fosters a more inclusive environment for students with special needs in general education.
- Promoting confidence in young girls by connecting them with women role models through storytelling and hands-on activities.
Benefits of the T-Mobile Foundation/Ashoka Changemaker Challenge 2022
- Fifteen winners will be selected for the chance to win up to $15,000 in seed funding for their projects, as well as an all-expenses paid trip to T-Mobile headquarters in Bellevue, Wash., to participate in the three-day Changemaker Lab later this year.
Eligibility for the T-Mobile Foundation/Ashoka Changemaker Challenge 2022
- Participants must be at least 13 when applying and not older than 18 by the end of entry period.
- They should be United States or Puerto Rico residents.
- Two participants of eligible ages (plus ONE chaperone required if any participant is under 18) per winning team will travel for the Changemaker Lab.
- One application per initiative and per person will be accepted.
- Previous winners from the Changemaker Challenge are not eligible. If you applied last year and were not one of the winning teams, you can re-apply.
- Applications must be submitted in English.
- Employees of T-MOBILE USA, INC. or T-Mobile Puerto Rico, LLC, their parent companies, affiliates and subsidiaries, joint ventures, participating advertising and promotion agencies are only eligible to compete in the specific challenge in place for those individuals with formal ties to T-Mobile. One can apply for this challenge by selecting the option marked “Yes” for the question “Are you employed by T-Mobile or related to an employee of T-Mobile?” when completing the application. The eligible relationships to the T-Mobile employee are Parent/Guardian or Sibling.
Related: Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator Grant Program 2022 (up to $2,000)
Evaluation Criteria
Entries will be evaluated on the following criteria:
- Changemaker Quality: You are a Changemaker! You’ve taken action to make a real difference and are helping others to find their power too.
- Creativity: Whether you’re tackling a new challenge or bringing a different perspective to an existing problem, you’re doing it in a fresh, innovative way that shakes things up and doesn’t stick with the norm.
- Commitment: You’re ready to stick by your project and leave a lasting impact. You may have taken some of the first steps or could just have identified a problem and made a plan, but you are ready to go beyond a one-time activity to make a difference for the future.
- Connection: You are focused on making a difference in a community that is close to you and your experiences. You are open to connecting with others and working together to solve the problem you care about.
Application
March 10, 8PM PST: Early entry deadline. T-Mobile and Ashoka will select one team per category from those that apply by March 10, 2022 for a cash prize of $1,000. Additionally, all entries submitted by the early entry deadline will receive feedback on how to improve their application.
Click here to apply