1. Why is the Miss.Africa Digital Seed Fund Focused on African communities

Statistics have shown that several of the fastest-growing economies in the world are African countries.

The seed fund is intended to support initiatives in these fastest-growing economies to become well-equipped with ICT technologies for learning and economic empowerment, and catalyse equitable economic growth and development in these countries.

  1. Who is eligible to participate?

Individuals and organizations around Africa are eligible to participate so long as their initiatives, programs, applications, websites, or services are designed to meet the needs of the above-mentioned categories. (Note: Residents of countries outside Africa will not be eligible at this time.)

  1. Who are the judges?

A diverse, global panel of technology and business leaders who are also members of the DCA Global Strategic Advisory Leadership Group will determine the winners of the Challenge.

  1. How will you choose the winners?

Application Entries for the Miss.Africa Digital Seed Fund will be judged based on applicability to STEM subjects, innovation, impact, scalability, launch-readiness, and entrepreneurship.

  • STEM: The application of the program/Initiative to promote the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields
  • Innovation: How original, groundbreaking, or creative is the app, website, or service?
  • Impact: Has the program or initiative impacted numerous lives in meaningful ways within their locale?
  • Scalability: Does the program/initiative scale technically? What percentage of the designated population does it reach?
  • Entrepreneurship: Does the program have the ability to monetize itself or expand to solve local problems and create revenue opportunities?
  • Launch-readiness: If the program/ initiative has not been launched, is it ready to go live

The selection of the winner will take place after the panel of judges has reviewed and analysed all applications received.

  1. How will the Seed Fund winner be notified?

The Seed Fund winner will be contacted by email in February 2016. Due to the volume of submissions anticipated, only the winner will be notified once the selection has taken place.