Competition for Innovators ​in Agri-tech and the Chance to Win Grand Prize $1,000,000

The Milken-Motsepe Prize pleased to open the opportunity to unconventional innovators and local and non-traditional voices to participate in global competition; The Milken-Motsepe Innovation Prize program. This competition will reward innovations that either increase farm productivity or reduce post-harvest loss. It is the chance for teams across a wide range of geographies and disciplines will receive free training resources, mentoring, and networking opportunities to improve their chances of competing successfully. 

If you win the competition, you will have one of the following prizes:

Winner in the Design Round:

• Up to 25 prizes of $10,000 each will be awarded.

Winner in the Final Round:

• Grand Prize: $1,000,000.
• Second Place Prize: $300,000. 
• Third Place Prize: $150,000.
• Most Creative Use of 4IR Technologies: $100,000.
• People’s Choice: $100,000.

You should follow these terms:

1. Any individual or team, globally, can participate with the exception of:
2. Any individual or entity organized or with primary residence anywhere prohibited by US law.
3. Any employee or immediate family member of an employee of the Milken Institute or the Motsepe Foundation.
4. Any individual under the legal age of majority in his or her primary residence must have an adult of legal age sign legal documents on the team’s behalf.
5. Teams’ submittals may include innovations at any stage of the agricultural cycle, from seed to sale, which should be:

• Suitable for use for at least one crop. 
• Grown by small and medium-sized farms anywhere in Africa. 
• Productivity can be increased through any innovations up through the harvesting process.
•  Post-harvest loss can be reduced by innovations between the beginning of the harvest and when the product is sold at the market.
• You must include a sustainable business model that explains how the innovations will be made accessible to and affordable for small and medium-sized farms.

Competition Structure:

The competition includes two rounds: 

1. An eight-month Design Round: Twenty-five prizes will be awarded at its end.
2. The Finalist Round: One-year Finalist Round, five prizes will be awarded at its end.

Judging Process: 

Design Round Judging Criteria

Your work will be judged upon:

1. The potential to increase net economic value to the farmer by increasing productivity on the farm and/or decreasing post-harvest loss. 
2. In the execution, your work will be judged on the potential to:

• Reduce costs to small and medium-sized farms
• Be implemented in practice by small and medium-sized farms
• Be deployed affordably or at scale, based on a viable business model
• Develop or integrate innovative technologies into current farming practices on small and medium-sized farms.

Finalist Round Judging:

Your work will be judged based on:

• Standard productivity.
• Costs.
• Loss.
• Realized Value: net economic values for each crop or other output product.

About Milken-Motsepe Prize:

The Milken-Motsepe Innovation Prize program is a series of multi-year, multimillion-dollar prize competitions for technological solutions that accelerate progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); no poverty, and zero hunger, with a spotlight on Africa. The Milken-Motsepe Prize in AgriTech is a global competition for innovative solutions to increase economic value to farmers, from seed to sale.

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