IMPORTANT: ALL TEAMS SHOULD FILL OUT THIS FORM
THE PROCESS
Eligible teams must be citizens and/or residents of APEC economies. Teams must consist of two to four individuals of the same economy. Two members of each finalist team are invited to participate in a finals event in Seattle, Washington, USA, in August 2023 (dates to be confirmed). The Asia Foundation will cover travel and hospitality expenses. The organizer will facilitate the visa process for those who need it.
Finalists will retain full ownership of the products they create during the App Challenge. However, under the terms of the challenge, APEC will have specified usage and branding rights.
Submitted applications will be evaluated based on their relevance and added value, technical competence, understanding of the target users and general problem areas, willingness and ability to take a product to market, and willingness to conduct independent user research and analysis.
Detailed rules and requirements are posted here:
- Registration deadline (19 May). Individuals interested in participating in this challenge should register here. In case you don’t have a teammate, former participants of previous editions of the App Challenge will help you to form a team with someone in your economy.
- Start the challenge (20 May). Registered teams will receive more detailed challenge statements as well as other informational resources to help them refine and implement their ideas.
- Submit final products (29 May). Teams will submit their final apps for judging on 29 May. In addition to sharing a link to a working web app or downloadable application file, teams must create a short (one to two minute) video demonstrating their newly completed products. The apps and videos will be reviewed by a panel of judges, who will select up to five teams to proceed to the selection and award session in June.
- Selection of finalists (9 June). Judges will announce the five finalist teams that will be entitled to participate in the pitching competition in August. Two members of the finalist teams will go to Seattle, Washington, USA, with all the travel costs covered.
- Pitching and prize ceremony (August, date to be announced). Finalist teams will demonstrate their newly completed products for a panel of judges and an audience that will include APEC policymakers up to the ministerial level, as well as entrepreneurs and development actors from around the region. Pitches will be made at the finals event in August 2023 in Seattle, with the winner to be announced at the APEC SME Ministerial Meeting in mid-late August.
2023 APEC APP CHALLENGE RULES & REQUIREMENTS
Eligibility – Eligible teams must be citizens and/or residents of APEC economies. Teams must consist of two to four individuals, and team members may not be replaced following the registration deadline. Teams must be composed entirely of citizens and/or residents of the APEC economy that they are representing in the challenge. Teams will be eligible to qualify for the finals if they follow these conditions:
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At least two team members should have their passports by the end of May 2023, with an expiration date of at least by March 1, 2024 (six months after August 2023).
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The two team members traveling to the finals in Seattle, Washington, should have an acceptable level of spoken English language, so they can pitch their project.
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In specific cases, the organizers will ask participants to modify their public profile in DevPost to fulfill the APEC accepted nomenclatures.
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Teams should fill out the following form
Selection – Only the teams who register and meet the eligibility criteria, as laid out and interpreted by The Asia Foundation, may participate in the 2023 APEC App Challenge.
Intellectual Property – Products and prototypes submitted by participants in the 2023 APEC App Challenge must be the participants’ own work, and may not infringe on the intellectual property rights of any third parties, nor be subject to claims of ownership by the participant’s employer or learning institution. Participants submitting ideas and solutions to the 2023 APEC App Challenge must also agree to allow their ideas and solutions to be incorporated into a final demonstration product for APEC events.
The code must be fully original and previously unpublished, with exceptions allowed for public APIs and open source code, provided such code is released under an open and non-restrictive license. Products that are built on top of an existing proprietary platform, including those built or owned by the participant, should still exist as original and independently operable products.
Promotional Rights – Products, prototypes, and mockups created by participants for this App Challenge may be used by APEC 2023 United States, the APEC Secretariat, The Asia Foundation, or Google for promotional purposes before, during, and after the event. The participant’s name, likeness, photograph, voice, video, hometown, and biography may be used in promotional materials, press releases, and other publicity related to the APEC 2023 App Challenge event. Should the organizers request branding and recognition for the finalists, the finalists agree to place branding within the winning app that acknowledges APEC’s support – e.g. “This app was developed during the 2023 APEC App Challenge.”
Code of Conduct – All participants will be asked to adhere to a code of conduct that will require that submissions:
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must be entirely the original work of the entrants;
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must not contain anything that is or may be construed as: (i) threatening, harassing, degrading or hateful; (ii) defamatory; (iii) fraudulent or tortious; (iv) obscene or otherwise objectionable; or (v) protected by copyright, trademark or other proprietary right without the express prior consent of the owner of such right; and
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must not contain any material that would give rise to criminal or civil liability or that encourages conduct that constitutes a criminal offense.
Rights and Trademarks – Participants will retain full ownership of the products they create during the App Challenge. However, under the terms of the challenge, APEC will have specified usage and branding rights.
Personal Opinions – Any statements, writing or materials developed by participants in connection with this program shall clearly state that the opinions expressed are those of the writer only and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of The Asia Foundation.