Third annual NTRC Ideas and Innovations/I2 Competition launched

Students from various educational institutions throughout St Vincent and the Grenadines have taken to the drawing board in preparation for the 2015 edition of the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC) Ideas and Innovations/I2 Competition.

The third annual I2 Competition was launched on September 18, at the St Vincent and the Grenadines Community College in Glen,{{more}} and according to project co-coordinator and Universal Service Fund (USF) operations officer (NTRC) Keisha Gurley,the ideas and applications presented by students are expected to lead to cost savings or result in the faster delivery of existing or new services to citizens.

Speaking about the competition and what it entails, Gurley said that the I2 Competition challenges students to develop and present projects in the form of ideas and mobile applications that can implement new systems or improve existing systems within the Public Service.

“The competition will give students the opportunity to improve existing systems within our Public Service or create new systems based on the modern tools available to us via ICTs that can be implemented via mobile applications,” explained Gurley.

The competition caters for two components, based on the skill levels of the students. There is the idea category, while the other category is the mobile application category, which takes an idea and develops it into a mobile app concept or working prototype.

The competition is open to all secondary schools, technical institutes and all divisions of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Community College, and will be judged in separate categories for both secondary and tertiary level institutions.

The competition runs in different stages; stage one was Friday’s launch and that also signalled the opening of the registration period.

Registration forms are available at the at the NTRC’s Office and on the website www.ntrc.vc. The deadline for submission of all registration forms is October 16, 2015.

Stage two is being called the ‘Good Tips Presentations’ and this will run from October 28 to November 4.

According to Gurley, the purpose of this is to thoroughly discuss the competition with participants and to clear up any misconceptions and answer any lingering questions they may have concerning the competition.

Presentations will be done according to zones and the sessions administered at a centrally located venue within each zone.

Stage three is the ‘Preliminary Round Judging’. This stage runs from November 16 to November 23 and during this stage, preliminary judging will take place in each zone for both the secondary level and the tertiary level. From each zone, two teams will be selected to participate in the finals. The finalists will be published in newspapers and on the NTRC’s website, Twitter and Facebook Page.

The last stage of the competition is the grand finale on January 14, 2016. During this stage, the final judging will take place for all finalists, for both the secondary and the tertiary level, in the idea category and the mobile application category. The winners from each level and category will then be presented with their prizes.

“Students are expected to present projects pertaining to the Public Services only and must be able to show how these entities will be able to benefit from the implementation of the mobile application or idea outlined,” explained Gurley, adding, “you have to enter the competition as a team, which should consist of at least two students, but no more than five students.”

There is no limit to the number of teams a school can enter into the competition. Students are also required to have an official mentor as part of their team, to provide guidance.

Meanwhile, students submitting projects in the mobile application category and who advance to the final rounds are expected to showcase a working prototype or model of their mobile application from the preliminary round.

The grand finale will see 24 teams, 12 from the secondary schools and technical centres and 12 from the tertiary level, vying for the coveted 1st, 2nd and 3rd placed positions.