While you were out trick-or-treating, 10 finalists from the Google Impact Challenge – India were in Delhi demonstrating how their projects use technology to make the world a better place.
They were chosen from thousands of nonprofits who have entered the competition, and each of the three winners plus a fan favourite walked away with Rs 3 crore (approximately US$480,000) in prize money to scale their efforts. They are:
Digital Green Trust (Videos for agricultural training)
The majority of the Indian population (more than 50 percent) work as farmers, but they lack the training and educational tools to sustain a living. Digital Green Trust provides agricultural training to farmers through their video hub and online knowledge platform.
Agastya (Motorbike science labs for rural education)
Agastya aims to address the lack of science equipment and digital resources for rural children by launching a network of motorbike science labs staffed by trained teachers and equipped with cutting-edge technology.
Janaagraha (Apps to connect citizens and government)
Hoping to close information gaps, Janaagraha plans to create online and mobile apps connecting government representatives in urban India with citizens. Users will be able to provide faster, more detailed feedback directly to their representatives.
Fan Favourite: SANA (Water and sanitation infrastructure)
Getting clean drinking water and toilets is still a pressing challenge across India. SANA (Social Awareness, Newer Alternatives), will combine solar-powered micro-ionizing water purification and biodigesting technology to improve water and sanitation infrastructure for rural villages.
The Fan Favourite was selected through an online voting process, which garnered over half a million votes leading up to the finals.
In addition to the cash prize, these four winners will receive plenty of “Google help and mentorship”.
The search giant, as an added treat and to the delight of the audience, awarded the six other finalists Rs 1.5 crore (US$240,000) in seed funding, which was previously unannounced. They are: Chintan, Pratham Books, Breakthrough, Going to School Fund, Shelter Associates, and Prayas Energy Group.
You can watch the whole competition and awards ceremony here.
