Deadline: 30 June 2024
Applications are now open for the World Food Forum's Global Youth Hackathon on Food Waste 2024 . The Global Youth Hackathon on Food Waste is designed to engage passionate individuals in developing innovative, community-based solutions to combat food waste. Participants will collaborate, receive guidance and refine their proposals through various stages, culminating in viable initiatives that can significantly reduce food waste in their communities.
Teams and individuals interested in taking part can submit preliminary proposals in English, which will be analysed by a diverse panel of WFF evaluators, KidsforSDGs and technical experts. The 15 best proposals will be selected for inclusion in the hackathon. The organisers will pair each project with a mentor from a group of food waste experts from inside and outside the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The mentors will conduct two live online sessions with the participants before the hackathon to help refine their projects and proposals.
The online hackathon will see participants presenting their projects to the hackathon judges in themed rooms. After the hackathon, the contestants will revise and resubmit their proposals, including a detailed budget. These will then be re-evaluated by the same judges, who will select the five best final projects based on the improvements made. These participants will receive additional guidance to prepare for live presentations at the main WFF 2024 event in Rome.
Benefits
- At the main WFF event, the finalists will present their proposals to a new panel of final judges and a live audience, competing for the chance to be one of the two winning projects, with prizes ranging from US$ 500 to US$ 3,500.
Eligibility
- Open to young people with a genuine passion for tackling food waste issues and a strong commitment to making a positive impact on their community.
- Applicants must be aged between 18 and 35 at the time of the live presentation and can submit their preliminary proposals individually or in groups of up to five members.
Selection criteria
Applications will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria:
- Innovation: Applicants must demonstrate creative and innovative thinking in their proposed solutions to food waste challenges, showing a willingness to think outside the box. Proposals should demonstrate innovative ideas or methodologies that offer unique solutions not commonly used in current practices.
- Feasibility: Applicants must provide detailed implementation plans that describe how their proposals can realistically be carried out with the resources, timescales and constraints provided. Proposals must demonstrate practicality and resourcefulness, considering factors such as financial viability, logistical feasibility and regulatory compliance.
- Impact: Proposals should address specific food waste issues prevalent in participants' communities, demonstrating an understanding of local needs and challenges. In addition, applicants must articulate a clear vision of the potential outcomes of the proposed solutions, demonstrating how their proposals can contribute to reducing food waste and promoting sustainability at the community level.
- Scalability: Applicants should demonstrate a vision of how their proposals can grow beyond the initial implementation phase and be sustained in the long term, considering factors such as adaptability to different community environments, potential for partnerships and ongoing resource needs.
Application
