Eligibility

In order to be eligible to apply for the Social Innovation Challenge, you must be a currently enrolled student at the University of San Diego during the spring semester of the SIC. Any enrolled University of San Diego student can apply from the undergraduate or graduate levels. Students must comply with the Social Innovation Challenge deadlines to be eligible to enter the competition. Late entries will not be eligible.

Eligibility Verification

If you are invited to submit your full written plan you will be required to verify your above eligibility (including enrollment status). We will not allow changes to project teams after the completion of the of the April 8, 2013 full written plan deadline.

Dates

Students must apply by creating and submitting their project idea by March 1, 2013. If students are selected to advance in the competition, they must upload a video and submit a full written plan by April 8, 2013. Students will pitch to judges live on April 30, 2013. Awards will be announced at a ceremony on May 3, 2013.

Right to Disqualify
We will disqualify any incomplete or illegible project entries. We are not responsible for projects that are not entered into the competition for any reason, or for project entries that are not viewable online for any reason.

Awards

The 2013 Social Innovation Challenge will award up to $40,000 to student projects. Our prizes are awarded by judges.

Award Distribution
Prizes will be awarded either to the student who submitted the application or the venture created as a result of the Social Innovation Challenge or a venture that applies to the Social Innovation Challenge led by a current student at the University of San Diego.

Award Obligation
Prizes must be spent on the project and adhere as closely to final written plan. Students must submit one-page monthly reports.

How to Apply

• Complete your profile here
• Create your project and team by March 1, 2013. You can add members or find a team to join.
• Complete your project page, this serves as your official competition entry.
• Attend Idea Labs to learn more about taking your idea to action.
• Explore the USD community of mentors, judges and student projects and have access to a global community at the Dell Social Innovation Challenge.

Intellectual Property Guidelines

As of December 1, 2011

The authors of each social venture plan will retain all rights to their plan regarding its use at all times prior to and following the competition except as stated below. Due to the nature of the competition, we will not ask judges, reviewers, staff or the audience to agree to or sign non-disclosure statements for any participant.

All public sessions of the competition, including but not limited to oral presentations and question/answer sessions, are open to the public at large. Any and all of these public sessions may be broadcast to interested persons through media, which may include radio, television and the Internet. Any data or information discussed or divulged in public sessions by entrants should be considered information that will likely enter the public realm, and entrants should not assume any right of confidentiality in any data or information discussed, divulged or presented in these sessions.

The University of San Diego, Center for Peace and Commerce, may make photocopies, photographs, videotapes and/or audiotapes of the presentations, including the business plan and other documents, charts or material prepared for use in presentation at the 2013 Social Innovation Competition. Students retain all proprietary rights. The University may use the materials in any book or other printed materials and any videotape or other medium that it may produce, provided that any profits earned from the sale of such items is used by the University solely to defray the costs of future competitions. The University has non-exclusive world rights, in all languages and in all media, to use or to publish the materials in any book, other printed materials, videotapes or other medium and to use the materials in future editions thereof and derivative products.