December 2, 2008 | Read Time: 1 minute
A nonprofit group is helping the U.S. Agency for International Development select the winners of its Development 2.0 Challenge. The government is turning for help to NetSquared, a project of TechSoup, a technology organization in San Francisco, that looks at how charities can use Web 2.0 technologies in their work.
The competition is looking for innovative ideas on how cell phones can be used for international development in areas such as agriculture, banking, education, health, or trade.
Submissions will be accepted until Friday, and then December 8-12, visitors to the NetSquared site will vote for 15 finalists. A panel of judges selected by USAID will select the winners, who will be announced January 15.
The winner will receive a $10,000 grant, and two runners-up will each receive $5,000 grants. All three will get the opportunity to present their ideas to senior USAID officials and other development experts in Washington.
