Education Challenge
Business Competition
The Cool Initiatives Education Challenge
Do you have an idea that could improve education?
Fancy £10,000 to turn that idea into reality?
The Cool Initiatives Education Challenge 2019 is now OPEN FOR APPLICATIONS!
Applications close on the
8th
March 2019.
STOP PRESS - Deadline extended until midnight on the 10th March 2019.
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We believe that Ideas are the mother of invention, not necessity! And we know that many people have GREAT ideas that just need a little extra to turn them into reality.
What can you win?
Cash prizes are just that. No strings attached.
£10,000 first prize
£5,000 second prize
£500 finalist prize (remaining 4 of 6 finalists)
£500 ‘people choice’ prize
What sort of ideas are we looking for?
You might have a startup already, or just have the ideas germinating in your head. Or you may know someone else who does! In which case… please pass this on.
All we ask is that it is an idea or service aimed at servicing early years to secondary education and aims to solve one or more of the following three challenges for technology identified by Damien Hinds (Secretary of State Education) Aug 2018
i.e. to develop innovative:
- Teaching practices to support access, inclusion, and improved learning outcomes for all;
- Assessment processes, making assessment more effective and efficient;
- Administration processes to reduce the burden of ‘non-teaching’ tasks.
- Assessment processes, making assessment more effective and efficient;
- Administration processes to reduce the burden of ‘non-teaching’ tasks.
Entrants can exist as a sole trader, Ltd company or partnership and has to have a
UK base. The competition is open to those who have just an idea and are maybe in full/part time work elsewhere with no current business in place, as well as those who have already started their business. BUT
entrants should not have raised any external equity-based finance already. Having used grants or personal/friends/family finance is fine and entrants to last year's challenge are free to apply again.
The first stage of the competition will consist of an entry form and a video explaining the idea (You automatically save your entry as you go along, so can revisit over the competition period).
Stage 2 shortlisted companies will be asked to expand on those ideas, and the final 6 will be picked from that shortlist to present virtually to the Judging panel. The 6 final pitches will also be open for the 'People's Choice' awards.
The Judging panel will consist of Cool Initiatives staff that have not partaken in the shortlisting process, and representatives from the Education and Technology world.
If you have any further questions, contact CI team using the
contact us page.
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About the Education Challenge 2018
The Cool Initiatives Education Challenge 2018 was our first business competition, and the Grand Final of the competition was held in Lincoln on 18th May 2018. The six finalists presented their ideas with passion and professionalism and helped to showcase some of the great work that’s going on in the EdTech sector.
Picking winners from such a talented but eclectic bunch proved to be very difficult, but the judges were very impressed with this year’s winner: Flash Academy, represented by Veejay Lingiah. Flash Academy is a new platform for schools that supports teachers to deliver learning for pupils that don’t have English as their first language. The judges felt that Veejay clearly demonstrated the problem - and a solution. Runner-up was Edval Timetables, represented by Chris Cooper; Edval are the self-proclaimed “Masters of Timetabling” and the judges felt that they could be a really disruptive force in the UK education sector.
You can contact the Cool Initiatives team at our
contact us
page.