The project should be advanced beyond the idea or concept stage and have demonstrated that it has been put into action. 

Note: Projects do not have to be full-fledged innovations, commercialized or have the ability to monetize, e.g., social or community innovations may have different valuable impacts. 

All entries will be evaluated using the following evaluation criteria:

Problem or Opportunity Being Addressed (5 points): 

• Clear and compelling description of the problem or opportunity. 
• Justification for why the innovation project is needed. 

Solution (10 points): 

• Submission is an innovation* 
• Clear and concise explanation of the innovation. 
• Demonstrates a unique and creative solution

Research Done (5 points): 

• Evidence of community, background, expert, and/or market research conducted. 
• Shows understanding of the problem space and potential challenges. 

Expected Impact (10 points): 

• Clearly identifies the target users or beneficiaries of the innovation. 
• Describes concrete ways the innovation will improve the lives of the target users or beneficiaries. 

Landscape Review (5 points) :

• Explain what’s currently being done to solve this problem and how the project is different—or why the issue hasn’t been addressed yet.  

Feasibility of Implementing the Innovation (5 points): 

• Presents a well-thought-out plan for full implementation of the innovation. 
• Addresses potential barriers and offers feasible solutions. 

Collaboration (5 points): 

• Identifies relevant collaborators and community partnerships. 
• Explains how these collaborations will support the innovation throughout the process.

Collaboration (5 points): 

• Identifies relevant collaborators and community partnerships. 
• Explains how these collaborations will support the innovation throughout the process. 

Plans For Use of Award (5 points): 

• Provides a clear and detailed plan for how the cash award will be used to support the innovation. 
• Shows a strategic approach to utilizing the funds for maximum impact. 

Scoring Guidelines: 

• 10-9 OR 5: Excellent – Exceptional performance, meets all the criteria with excellence. 
• 8-7 OR 4: Very Good – Strong performance, meets most of the criteria well. 
• 6-5 OR 3: Satisfactory – Adequate performance, meets some of the criteria. 
• 4-2 OR 2: Needs Improvement – Below-average performance, falls short on several criteria. 
• 1-0: Unsatisfactory – Poor performance, does not meet the majority of the criteria. 
• Total Points: The maximum total points that can be awarded to an entry is 50. 

Innovation Challenge Rubric: