Afri-Plastics Challenge – 2022

Challenge Statement

We seek the creation of campaigns, schemes, tools and other creative interventions that will change both the behavior of individuals and communities around plastic waste in Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as contribute to the empowerment of women and girls.

Successful applicants will use innovative engagement strategies such as nudges, gamification, incentives, and storytelling, as well as insights on the roles that women and girls play across the value chain. By the end of the challenge, the best solutions will have generated evidence of change in individual and communities’ behavior around one or more of the following:

• Reducing littering
• Segregation of plastic waste
• Choosing reusable options
• Refusing single-use plastic

What you can win

Semi-Finalists

In April 2022, 30 Semi-Finalists will be selected and each receive a £5,000 grant.

Finalists

Of the Semi-Finalists, 15 will be selected to move forward to the finalist stage and will receive a grant of £50,000 to support in the development and validation of their solutions.

In June 2022, the 15 finalists will be required to submit a detailed report and plan outlining progress against their plans, together with a pitch video for evaluation by the judges against the criteria (see the Applicant Handbook for more details).

In March 2023, three winners will be selected to receive a prize of £250,000.

Eligibility criteria

• Applicants must have a new or early-stage idea.
• Ideas must be focused on Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Applicants can be formally constituted and operating in Sub-Saharan Africa as either a registered business or NGO, but applications from individuals and community groups will also be accepted.
• Applicants can be an individual, single entity (organization or community group), an African partnership or an international partnership. For partnership applications, the nominated lead applicant must be operating in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Applicants must own or be licensed to use relevant intellectual property included in their applications. If your application is proposing a new idea, then Nesta would expect that you would own all resulting intellectual property which may be able to be registered on a local basis if you become a successful participant in the Challenge. Nesta would not be able to give you specific legal advice on the protection or exploitation of intellectual property.

The process

The Afri-Plastics Challenge Strand 3 Promoting Change opens for entries on Wednesday, 08 December 2021 at 12 noon (GMT) and closes on Wednesday, 16 February 2022 at 12 noon (GMT).

Following the closing date on Wednesday, 16 February 2022 at 12 noon (GMT), entries for the will be screened for eligibility and assessed. A diverse portfolio of entries that best meet the relevant assessment criteria will be long-listed by a group of external assessors, then later shortlisted by a Judging Panel.

We strongly encourage all entrants to read the Applicant Handbook along with the full Terms and Conditions before entering the Challenge.