The European Commission announces the finalists of the 2018 European Social Innovation Competition. Congratulations to all of them!

BRUSSELS, Sept. 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The 10 finalists – representing 10 different countries, namely Austria, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Ukraine – are:

Career Bus brings career orientation to young people living in rural areas by combining innovative technologies and a face-to-face interaction. Traveling to remote places, Career Bus will boost the employability and knowledge of young residents.

ConnecTech offers modular coding courses, internships and mentoring from tech professionals to young people with physical impairments in order to expand employment opportunities and promote flexible working conditions.

es im-perfect has set up a network of hubs that are helping to save fresh produce that would be wasted in conventional processing settings by turning it into jams, patés and other delicious products. Simultaneously, they offer employment opportunities for young people.

GoFundEd is an online crowdfunding platform that enables students and teachers to move towards newer teaching and testing methods in order to equip young people with the relevant skills to find good employment or become successful entrepreneurs in their home country.

Heritage Lab teaches established innovation incubation methods to young people in small towns, supporting them in the launch of new businesses and services based on local cultural heritage that deserves appreciation.

imagiCase introduces teenage girls to the tech field by providing them with a platform to develop their programming skills by means of fun practical projects such as customising mobile phone cases.

MTOP goes digital combines smart offline and online solutions to prepare young qualified refugees to enter the Austrian labour market. Long-lasting working relationships are ensured through post-placement support.

REvive Greece combines traditional classroom and e-learning methods to re-skill young unemployed Greeks and refugees in computer programming. It then connects them with companies from the IT sector, so that they can secure internships as software developers.

ScOLARgeno empowers secondary school students to act against climate change by supporting them in establishing cooperatives to plan and operate their own school photovoltaic energy generating systems. It hence prepares them to contribute to a more ecological economy of the future.

Ulisse is the first ever European digital platform that creates, markets & promotes local travel experiences and full holiday bundles designed by deaf people for deaf people. By doing so, it also fosters international sign language education.

With the selection of the 10 strongest projects dedicated to the theme RE:THINK LOCAL, the Competition enters its final stage.

The finalists were selected by a jury of international experts, among 30 semi-finalists covering a wide range of sectors and activities. These, in turn, were selected from a pool of 729 eligible entries from 39 countries. All semi-finalists participated in an intensive training and coaching programme to develop their initiatives.

The three winners of this year's competition will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on 8 November 2018 in Brussels and will each receive a €50.000 prize to further develop their projects.

We would also like to thank all semi-finalists and encourage tllhem to keep up the good work. All semi-finalists are invited to a fundraising training and to meet international investors at the Funders Fair that will take place in Brussels on the day of the Awards Ceremony. They are also all entitled and encouraged to re-enter the Competition next year for a chance to win the Impact Prize.

More information about the Competition

The European Social Innovation Competition is an initiative of the European Commission that awards three €50.000 prizes per year to the most innovative ideas developed to address societal issues in EU Member States and Horizon 2020 Associated countries. This year's theme is RE:THINK LOCAL and calls for projects that turn local challenges into opportunities for young people.

The Competition takes place every year – each time with a different theme. It is held in memory of the Portuguese innovator Diogo Vasconcelos. Individuals, organisations and companies from all EU Member States and Horizon 2020 associated countries can participate. It is a great opportunity for inspired people to get their social innovation ideas off the ground.

The Competition is organised by the European Commission with support from Nesta, Kennisland, the European Network of Living Labs, Ashoka and Scholz & Friends.

For information on earlier editions and winning projects, visit http://eusic.challenges.org.
Questions about the Competition can be addressed to info@socialinnovationprize.eu
Follow the Competition on Twitter: @EUSocialInnov #diogochallenge
Subscribe to the Competition newsletter here: http://eusic.challenges.org/newsletter/

The Judging Panel

The Competition's international jury in 2018 is composed of:

• Mikkel Andersen, Danish Social Innovation Club (Denmark)
• Sabine Biesheuvel, BlueCity (The Netherlands)
• Tuija Hirvikoski, Laurea University of Applied Sciences (Finland)
• Mirna Karzen, Social Innovation Lab (Croatia)
• Norbert Kunz, Social Impact (Germany)
• Vincenzo Linarello, Goel (Italy)
• Carina Lopes, d-LAB (Spain)
• Klaus Schach, Centre for Social Innovation (Austria)
• Stavros Tsompanidis, Phee (Greece) 
• Taoufik Vallipuram, OuiShare (France)
• Magdalena Zawodny-Barabanow, Urbact Network BoostInno (Poland)

Social Innovation Toolkit released

As a way to further encourage social innovation throughout Europe, an inspiring and comprehensive toolkit on how to nurture good social innovation ideas and transform them into viable businesses is available on eusic.challgenes.org/toolkit. 

Press contact:
European Social Innovation Competition Team
Andrew Bennett
Phone +49-30-700186-371
info@socialinnovationprize.eu

SOURCE European Social Innovation Competition