HONORABLE MENTIONS
One remarkable aspect of the Unorthodox Prize has been its utility for uncovering latent opportunities that we never would have otherwise found (nor would applicants have otherwise found us). Through our work on our two prizes to date, we have been exposed to new fields of inquiry and areas of opportunity that we will continue to explore. There are several other submissions that deserve an honorable mention for capturing the spirit of the prize. We were excited to see applicants working in uncommon fields and proposing unconventional solutions to important problems.
Cement Trust’s submission exposes the dangers of substandard building practices in developing countries and proposes international quality standards for concrete production. Craig Calfee’s idea to test his Village Go-Rider bicycle rental model highlights transportation challenges and opportunities in poor infrastructure settings. New Incentives proposed a radical idea of using conditional cash transfers as an incentive for preventing neonatal deaths. Instiglio described how it is promoting the use of social impact bonds to improve development outcomes. Microclinic International proposed applying its social network-driven model of addressing diseases to maternal health. Dr. Eyitayo Fakunle of the Scripps Research Institute described her efforts to create a biobanking systems for Africans and African-Americans in order to enable genetic testing and genome-based drug development for people of African heritage.
Several submissions proposed interesting uses of mobile and web-based technologies for social change such as Urgency Rank, a ranking system for citizen reports; Ensure Your Family, a web tool for diaspora to purchase financial services on behalf of their families back home; Social Cops, a mobile app that uses incentives to solve civic issues; Project SAM, a text-based tool to improve inventory and record keeping in resource-poor settings; and a mobile crowdfunding app for community projects to be developed by the 1% Club and Kenya’s Nailab.
Cement Trust’s submission exposes the dangers of substandard building practices in developing countries and proposes international quality standards for concrete production. Craig Calfee’s idea to test his Village Go-Rider bicycle rental model highlights transportation challenges and opportunities in poor infrastructure settings. New Incentives proposed a radical idea of using conditional cash transfers as an incentive for preventing neonatal deaths. Instiglio described how it is promoting the use of social impact bonds to improve development outcomes. Microclinic International proposed applying its social network-driven model of addressing diseases to maternal health. Dr. Eyitayo Fakunle of the Scripps Research Institute described her efforts to create a biobanking systems for Africans and African-Americans in order to enable genetic testing and genome-based drug development for people of African heritage.
Several submissions proposed interesting uses of mobile and web-based technologies for social change such as Urgency Rank, a ranking system for citizen reports; Ensure Your Family, a web tool for diaspora to purchase financial services on behalf of their families back home; Social Cops, a mobile app that uses incentives to solve civic issues; Project SAM, a text-based tool to improve inventory and record keeping in resource-poor settings; and a mobile crowdfunding app for community projects to be developed by the 1% Club and Kenya’s Nailab.