If there’s something you’re unsure about, find the answer below!
About the Prize
What are Challenge Prizes?
Challenge prizes offer a reward to whoever can first or most effectively meet a defined challenge. Through a public competition, challenge prizes aim to tap into and engage the broadest possible community of innovators in the solving of a specific problem or challenge.
Who are Nesta Challenges?
Nesta Challenges exists to design and run challenge prizes that help solve pressing problems that lack solutions. We shine a spotlight where it matters and incentivise people to solve these issues. We are independent supporters of change to help communities thrive and inspire the best placed, most diverse groups of people around the world to take action. We support the boldest and bravest ideas to become real, and seed long term change to advance society and build a better future for everyone. We are part of the innovation foundation, Nesta.
What is Amazon Longitude Explorer?
The Amazon Longitude Explorer Prize is a unique opportunity for young people to learn about innovation, entrepreneurship and tech for good. It presents a new way for young people to engage as technology inventors and not just as consumers of technology. The Amazon Longitude Explorer Prize supports young people in developing not only technical/STEM skills but also soft skills such as problem-solving, presentation, communication, teamwork, as well as entrepreneurship skills.
Amazon Longitude Explorer is unique in that it runs across the academic year, giving students an extended amount of time to engage with the activities, and importantly gives them the time to take their idea to a reality and to develop the skills needed for this. Amazon Longitude Explorer also provides all the resources to take part, from activity session plans to encourage initial ideation to the kit and mentors to help develop finalist team’s prototypes.
Challenge Structure and Timeline
Who are the Team Champions?
Each team that enters the Prize must be led by an adult that works for the school or organization entering the team. This person is called the Team Champion, and will be responsible for their team as well as being the main point of contact for the Prize.
What are the key dates of the Prize?
How many teams will be selected as finalists?
There will be 40 teams selected as finalists.
Is the competition divided into age categories?
No, there won’t be any division of ages.
What are the prizes and who will win them?
£20,000 will be awarded to the winning school or group, which the judges deem to have the best solution. There will be three runner up prizes of £15,000, and a people’s choice award of £5,000. All prizes will be awarded to the group or school of the winning team, not individuals, and will be subject to signing a grant agreement with Nesta.
When will the winner be announced?
The winner will be announced at the Award Event in July 2021.
What can the Prize be used for?
The Prize must be used by schools or groups on activities to encourage entrepreneurialism or the uptake of STEM subjects, or on equipment that can be used in learning about entrepreneurship, STEM or technology.
Is the prize money taxable?
Yes – those receiving funding are responsible for the payment of taxes where applicable when using the prize money.
How will teams receive updates and communication around the Prize?
We will be regularly updating our website with resources, news and updates so keep an eye on longitudeexplorer.challenges.org. We will also keep in touch regularly by email – make sure you’re on our mailing list by visiting the contact us page and signing up for our newsletter. You can also follow us on Twitter (@NestaChallenges), instagram too (nestachallenges), Facebook, Linkedin and Youtube. You can email the team with questions at [email protected] (please note the inbox is monitored 9-5 Monday-Friday).
Will the entire Prize be delivered online?
We usually love to deliver events as part of the programme. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all events will be delivered online for the foreseeable future. If possible, we aim to deliver an in-person awards ceremony in July 2021, but this will be subject to public health recommendations. Don’t worry, we will be working hard to make sure the Prize is just as interactive and fun online as it is in person. If events are run, travel and accommodation will be reimbursed for teams invited to attend.
What happens if we go into lockdown again?
We can’t plan for everything, but we endeavour to continue running the Prize even if restrictions get tougher. We managed to do this successfully last year by adapting our materials for online delivery and providing support to Team Champions, so we have a track record of making it work.
What information do we collect and what do we do with it?
Please make sure to read our privacy and cookie policies for a full description of what data we collect and what we do with it.
The Prize and COVID-19
Can the programme be delivered within school year bubbles, or remotely if we go into lockdown?
Yes, we will endeavour to continue running the Prize even if restrictions get tougher. We managed to do this successfully last year by adapting our materials for online delivery and providing support to Team Champions, so we have a track record of making it work.
What types of ideas are we looking for?
What ideas are you hoping to see come through?
That’s one of the great things about Challenge Prizes, we don’t try to be too prescriptive, which in our experience encourages a huge range of creative solutions to come through.
We are looking for innovative ideas that use technology to create an app, product, or service that will make the world a better place by enabling people to Live Better, Live Longer, Live Greener, and Live Together. You can find out more on our website.
Does my idea need to relate to a theme?
Your idea needs to be about using technology to make the world a better place. Within this there are four key themes that have been identified, and your project must be related to one of them. These are listed below:
Where can I find guidance or help on how to develop my idea?
There is both guidance and resources on the Amazon Longitude Explorer website to help you develop your ideas. You can access lesson plans, information sheets, free informal webinars and more on our website.
Who can enter the Prize?
I don’t know much about technology – can I still enter?
Yes! The Amazon Longitude Explorer Prize is all about exposing young people to new forms of technology, so we’re not looking for experts. See our website to access useful resources. All you need to enter is a basic understanding of IF your product uses technology – we’ll help you figure out HOW it does.
What are the team requirements?
2 – 5 young people should be involved in the development of the idea at all times throughout the challenge prize. We encourage mixed gender teams where possible. An adult must be responsible for the team at all times. This adult will submit the entry form on behalf of the group.
What age range of young people can take part?
Young people should be 11-16 years old at point of entry on 12 February 2021.
Am I eligible to enter?
You are eligible to enter as long as the team is aged 11-16 years old by the entry period deadline (12 February 2021). Two to five young people can enter as a team. An adult needs to represent as a guardian throughout the challenge prize as a member of staff of a UK secondary school or constituted youth group. See more about eligibility by reading our terms and conditions.
Can teachers or group leaders submit their ideas?
The Prize is specifically looking for ideas from young people. Entries written by teachers or other adults will not be accepted, however, an adult should supervise the young people’s submissions and submit their application on the teams behalf.
Can more than one team from the same school or youth group enter the Prize?
Yes, we encourage this! This is a great activity for a whole class or group to get involved in. Our resources page provides lesson plans and learning resources that will help large or small groups start thinking of ideas, and they can then split into teams. In previous prizes we have had plenty of teams from the same class.
Please note that each team will require their own entry to be made by their Team Champion (the adult guardian of the team).
Can a team enter more than one idea?
Yes. There is no limit to your creativity! However, we strongly recommend focusing on quality rather than quantity.
What do you mean by constituted school or group?
Basically we mean that your group or school must have a constitution and a bank account. You can find more information here.
How do I enter the Prize?
How do I enter?
You can enter your idea via the apply page on our website. Please make sure you have read the eligibility criteria on the Longitude Explorer website, judging criteria and terms and conditions. You may want to plan your answers by downloading the Word or PDF entry form from our apply page. Only entries submitted electronically will be accepted and these should be submitted by an adult on behalf of a team.
Is there a registration fee?
No. The prize is free to enter.
Who can we contact if we have questions about our entry or prize process?
You can send an email to [email protected]
When is the deadline for online entries?
The deadline for entries is at 5pm (17:00) GMT on the 12 February 2021.
My computer crashed or the form timed out before I finished my online entry. What do I do?
We recommend that you plan your answers using the Word version of the entry form, which you can find on our apply page (making sure you save the document regularly). Once you are happy with your answers, copy and paste the text into the entry form fields and submit.
Can I edit my entry once it’s been submitted?
If you need to edit an entry once it’s been submitted please email [email protected]
Can I remove my entry once it’s been submitted?
Yes, you can remove your entry after it has been submitted by emailing [email protected]
How will my idea be judged?
What will the judges be looking for in my project?
The judges will review the entries against the judging criteria. In the early stages, judges will be more interested in the concept of the idea. Later, the Challenge judges will be looking at how well the team can demonstrate their understanding of the criteria by developing their idea.
How will you judge the best from all of the entries?
A knowledgeable group of assessors and a judging panel with relevant experience to the Amazon Longitude Explorer Prize will assess each entry fairly at each assessment point of the prize.
Who are the judges?
The panel will be made up of our partners including individuals from Nesta with technical and/or business backgrounds. Full list of the judges will be announced in on our website.
What does being a Team Champion (team adult guardian) involve?
How much time will I need to dedicate to the challenge if I enter with a team?
The activity sessions to help your group are designed to take 40-60 minutes to come up with an idea, and the application form is designed to be as simple to fill in as possible.
Once selected, finalists will be required to attend online webinars, as well as working on their final submission.
Finalists will be supported to develop their ideas into prototypes. We encourage teams to think about their own time availability and how they will work together but recommend spending an hour a fortnight on the development.
How will this competition fit into my teaching plans?
It can relate to any subject matter if you think about it creatively, and is therefore relevant to all topics, from PE (Theme 2: Living Better) to geography (Theme 3: Living Greener), to name but a few. This is obviously a great opportunity for STEM and business subjects, but the prize is not only relevant to science, technology, engineering and maths. See our resources page for activity plans that outline which areas of the syllabus each area relates to or refer to our curriculum guide (found in our Team Champion Pack).
As my students create their projects, what can I do to ensure that they only include media they have permission to use?
Apart from ensuring their idea is unique, students shouldn’t need to use any media in their initial application as this is a written form. In the Finalist stage we advise students to state if the media they are using is royalty free or check the source to make sure that they can use it in a public manner. Websites that can provide free stock images include:
My students have submitted their projects for judging. What happens now?
An assessment takes place after each stage of submission. All participating teams will be informed of the outcome at each stage and next steps will be clearly outlined. When submitting your project you will automatically receive an email outlining the next steps and timelines.
Once the prize has ended, then what?
Hopefully, this will just be the start! Participants should be in a position to continue to develop their solutions and potentially even get them to market.
These FAQs will be updated should any additional questions arise. Any new responses will be marked with the date they have been added. You can also download the full FAQs.
If you have questions about the Amazon Longitude Explorer Prize which are not answered in the FAQs or elsewhere on this website, please contact us by emailing [email protected]
Please also ensure you have read our full terms and conditions.
