SustainFood Student Idea Competition
Zero Hunger Student Idea Competition
SustainFood invites all student teams to submit innovative ideas to address food security challenges related to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 2-Zero Hunger. Recent record-high food prices, supply chain problems, and extreme climate events have exacerbated a food crisis that puts millions of people at risk of food insecurity and malnutrition at home and globally. We encourage all students to address these pressing global issues by building sustainable, innovative food production, distribution, and consumption solutions.
Possible Topics
The possible topics may focus on, but are not limited to, the following areas:
- Reducing the effect of climate change on food production through climate-smart techniques
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Role of water and energy systems and trade-offs in food induction value chains.
- Increasing access to healthy food
- Promoting and supporting local/urban farming and produce
- Improving the functioning of food commodity markets
- Reducing food waste
What is an Idea Competition?
An idea competition is a challenge in which you devise a solution to a significant problem using your team’s skills, knowledge, and creativity. You can focus on a problem in your country or region or a global problem. You will only conceptualize the solution. You are not required to build the solution or create a business plan.
What are the benefits?
The top three teams will receive online Customer Discovery training in Spring 2024 to develop ideas further by testing. In addition, teams will tap into the resources of the SustainFood project, with the potential to connect with strategic partners, business mentors, and other students who help to turn your idea into a successful venture.
What is a Customer Discovery Lab?
The first step of taking an idea from concept to business is validating whether your idea addresses an important problem of your target customers. This 4-week Customer Discovery Lab will help you better handle what problems your customers have, where they hang out, and what value you can provide that others cannot. The program introduces methods to test business models and markets. The Customer Discovery Lab is free of charge for selected teams.
3Competition Process:
- Application Deadline: Submit your application by Friday, November 3, 2023, at 24:00:00 GMT – 4.
- Finalists Announced: The finalists will be announced on Friday, November 10, 2023.
- Finalist Pitches Due: Finalists must submit a 3-minute video pitch by Friday, December 8, 2023.
- Top 3 Teams Announced: The top three teams will be announced on Friday, December 22, 2023.
- Customer Discovery Training: The top three teams will participate in four 75-minute virtual Customer Discovery training sessions free of charge in Spring 2024. Training session dates and times will be determined based on team availability.
- Winner Announced: The winner of the competition will be determined after the Customer Discovery process concludes.
For questions and more information, please email Dr. Abdullah Konak (konak@psu.edu)
Apply
Submit your innovative idea by November 3rd.
Application Requirements?
- The Chief Innovator must be a student (undergraduate or graduate).
- Applications from a single student are accepted, but the multidisciplinary teams of students are highly encouraged.
- Each team must have an academic advisor/mentor at their home institution.
- Application should be in English.
How to Apply?
- Form a team of students.
- Find an academic advisor at your home institution.
- Complete the application form by answering the following questions.
- What is your innovative idea? (Maximum 500 characters)
- Please summarize the problem that your idea will help to address. Why is the problem important? (Maximum 750 characters)
- Why is your idea innovative? Are there any similar, competing solutions? (Maximum 750 characters)
- Why is your idea feasible, and can your team tackle the problem? (Maximum 750 characters)
- What needs to be done to turn your idea into reality? (Maximum 750 characters)
- Explain why your idea fits the scope of this competition. (Maximum 750 characters)
- Can you share your long-term vision for your idea beyond the Zero Hunger challenge? (Maximum 750 characters)
- What are your motivations for participating in the Zero Hunger competition? (Maximum 750 characters)
- How do you plan to stay motivated and attend training events throughout the Zero Hunger challenge? (Maximum 750 characters)
