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Space-inspired Xprize offers R165m prize money for software to improve education in rural areas

Basic reading and writing skills is one of the biggest problems plaguing developing nations, next to preventable diseases. But some illnesses could be prevented if people in affected regions could read about them. It’s for this reason, and many others, that the Global Learning XPrize is so important.

The first XPrize managed to launch humans into space in 2004, but this time around the sights have been set on illiteracy on a global scale. The aim is for teams from across the world to work on open-source software that can be used by anybody to teach themselves basic reading, writing and arithmetic – especially children in developing countries. Oh, and there is R165 million ($15 million) in prize money.

“An estimated 250 million children around the world cannot read, write, or demonstrate basic arithmetic skills. Many of these children are in developing countries without regular access to quality schools or teachers,” XPrize explains on its website.

It believes the problem of illiteracy can be solved by turning to a crowdfunded model which has the ability to generate ideas and solutions at a stunning rate – by opening it up for the entire world to tackle. But not only will the winner of the XPrize’s solution be used, but all the finalists as well.

“The learning solutions developed by this prize will enable a child to learn autonomously. And, those created by the finalists will be open-sourced for all to access, iterate and share. This technology could be deployed around the world, bringing learning experiences to children otherwise thought unreachable, who do not have access to quality education, and supplementing the learning experiences of children who do.”

A judging panel will determine the five finalist who will be walking away with $1 million each, while the Grand Prize winner of $10 million will be awarded to the entrant whose solution performed the best in field testing.

“We are thrilled to launch our next world-changing competition to revolutionize global literacy. We will never build enough schools or train enough teachers to meet demand, which brings us to a pivotal moment where an alternative, radical approach is needed. This open source solution can be iterated upon, scaled and deployed around the world, bringing quality learning experiences to children no matter where they live,” said XPrize Chairman and CEO Dr. Peter H. Diamandis.

Registration opened in September and if you think you have want it takes, especially from an African perspective, you have to hurry, as registration will close in March next year. The completion will go through various stages over the next couple of years, with it culminating in in 2019 with an awards ceremony.

Head on over to Global Learning XPrize’s website for more information on how to enter, what the rules are, and how to join a team.

[Image – Global Learning XPrize]

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