A global competition for university students, the Ericsson Innovation Awards 2021 are now open for entry, with this year’s theme being “bridging the digital divide” and a grand prize of €25 000 up for grabs.

Students are encouraged to form teams of two to four members and teams have until August 5th at 13:00 to register and submit their ideas. Ericsson has advised that the first 50 submissions will receive extra guidance for refining their ideas.

“The digital revolution has transformed the world, enriching our lives in countless ways yet half the planet lives without access to the tools, information, and resources that many of us rely on every day. As the world becomes increasingly reliant on technology, the digital divide is growing. Economic, geographic, gender and access factors have left vast portions of the global population at a severe disadvantage,” explains Ericsson regarding this year’s theme.

The digital divide and its ever widening status is something we have discussed on numerous occasion here at Hypertext, so it would be pleasing to see local and African students put forward some innovative solutions.

If you need further incentive for entering, Ericsson has broken down the different prizes as follows:

Semi-finalists

Each of the seven regional winners will receive:

• €1 000 cash prize
• In some cases, additional special recognition and prizes offered within your respective regions.

All 14 Semi-finalists – including the seven regional winners – will receive:

• Seven weeks of mentorship from Ericsson experts in innovation and business
• Recognition on Ericsson social and digital media
• The possibility of Ericsson recruiter interviews (if any suitable positions are available at the time)
• Certificate of achievement.

Finalists

All three finalist teams will receive:

• Cash prizes, as outlined below (with the Swedish taxes paid by Ericsson)
• Grand Prize Winner: €25 000
• 2nd Place: €15 000
• 3rd Place: €5 000
• Bonus: Social Media Prize: €2 000
• An invitation to the Ericsson Innovation Awards Grand Final
• An additional four weeks of mentorship
• Recognition across Ericsson social media and digital channels.

A full timeline of the Innovation Awards 2021 can be found below, with further details on entry located here.