Vincentian students, and persons under 35 years can come up with an idea or create a mobile app which can improve livelihood here, and in so doing, win money.
There is also a chance for an outstanding ‘start-up’ to take part in an event called 4YFN (4 Years From Now), hosted by GSMA in Barcelona, Spain, in March 2021.
The opportunities, as per the above, are afforded by this year’s National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC) eighth Annual ICODE 784 Competition, which was launched on Tuesday at the NTRC Headquarters, Kingstown.
Students/persons have until September 25 to register for the Competition.
As has been the case in the past, the competition will unfold in various categories: an Open category, a Secondary Schools Mobile App Category and a Secondary Schools Ideas Category.
Preliminary judging begins on October 13, and the final in each category is scheduled for November 10.
Speaking at last Tuesday’s launch, NTRC’s Consumer and Public Relations Manager Rhea Lewis gave some details about what the Competition entails.
“Participants are expected to conduct research at private or public sector agencies in which they are proposing the changes to be made, and explain what makes their project innovative,” she explained.
Students are encouraged to work in teams of two to four persons. Those selected to the finals will show a working prototype or model of their mobile application.
Presenters will have seven minutes to deliver and face five minutes questioning from the panel.
The winning team in the Open category takes home $5,000, with $2,500, and $1,500 for second and third places respectively.
For the Secondary Mobile App category, the top prize is $4,000, with $2,000 and $1,500 for second and third.
In the Secondary Ideas category, $2,000 is on offer for the winner. The second place gets $1,000, with $800 allotted for the third place.
This the eighth year that such a competition is being held, and NTRC Director Apollo Knights expressed satisfaction with the increasing number of registrants annually.
He cited the event as helping with improving some operations and, according to the NTRC, the “aim is to improve the efficiency of their services and to increase their profits which will lead to national development.”
Tuesday’s exercise was streamed live, and saw Perricia Andrews winning a Samsung Galaxy A30’s smartphone. Rayanna Patrick secured a similar device, having received the most likes on an Instagram promotion of the programme