I. Competition Details 

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The goal of this competition is to promote and encourage innovative thinking among young Asian-Americans in North Carolina. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted society in numerous ways, creating a new demand for young talent and innovation. This competition aims to develop that talent and expose young innovators to the world of policy and technology.

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Policy innovation: An innovation that proposes a policy change or addition to further our current state of society through governmental action.

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Technology innovation: An innovation that proposes some form of technology to improve people's quality of life during the current situation.

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II. Who Can Participate?

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Any Asian-American under the age of 20 can participate in a team. Teams consist of up to 4 members each, and at least one member of each team must be Asian-American. No fees are charged.

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1. Fill out this form to apply for the competition.

2. Submit a comprehensive business plan in PDF format to this email: ______ (Up to 10 pages in length)

3. Selected teams will present their innovation to a panel of judges.

4. Winning teams will receive their awards at an online awards ceremony.

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* All projects must be original works.  The intellectual property rights of the entries belong to the participants. The organizer has the right to use the entries for promotion and publication (no technical details are involved). Any inventions, patents and other important related resources must be submitted with full legally authorized intellectual property owner's written authorization and patent certificate.

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III. Competition Timeline

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1. Applications open: 7/21/20 - 8/31/20

2. Application submission deadline: 8/31/20

3. Business plan submission deadline: 9/30/20

4. Panel presentation: 10/15/20

5. Awards ceremony: 10/30/20

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IV. Awards

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1. Monetary awards

Gold Award: $500

Silver Award: $200

Bronze Award: $100

2. Opportunity to personally interact with and learn from leading NC entrepreneurs

3. Interview with Asian American News Network

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V. About the Organizers

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International Leadership Foundation (ILF) www.ilfnational.org

ILF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that promotes the civic awareness, public involvement and economic effectiveness of the Asian Pacific American (APA) community. Its mission is to develop young leaders in the United States in the fields of public service, entrepreneurship and international arena through a network of business and community leaders. Its mission is accomplished through civic leadership training and support from the ILF’s network of 15 national and global advisory boards. Since 2000, ILF has provided scholarships and educational programs (ILF Civic Fellowship program, Young Ambassadors program, Youth Leadership Academy/Workshop) to over 7,000 students to cultivate the next generation of emerging leaders. 

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Asian American News Network (AANN) www.asianamericannewsnetwork.com

AANN is an Asian-American oriented news network that reports on all topics, from politics to culture, across the United States. Its goal is to provide quick and accessible factual news to the Asian-American community and amplify the voices of the widely diverse Asian-American community to better our society, as well as exemplifying and demonstrating Asian-American core values. Created during the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic, AANN has broadcasted the voices of public figures from Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest to Mr. Sia Lo, the first Hmong-American Congressional Candidate. 

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