Call for entrepreneurs to enter app awards
Ishani Chetty
Aspiring entrepreneurs and digital innovators have been urged to apply for the MTN Business App of the Year Awards; where the winner gets a trip valued at R200 000 to a tech-related destination.
The MTN Business App Academy will provide a six-week online coding programme; which feeds into a new category for the app awards, specifically for the developers who went through the academy.
MTN Business head of marketing Kholofelo Magagane says the awards eco-system continues to evolve and expand.
“It is now a year-long initiative focused on producing the highest calibre of cutting edge and market-ready solutions. We are building a future pipeline of digital brilliance to ensure communities can harness benefits of the digital economy and the fourth industrial revolution,” Magagane says.
Three of the top apps from the MTN Business App Academy will be provided mentorship to develop their apps into fully-fledged solutions.
In addition ‘a go-to-market strategy’ will be developed to implement the solutions, done by identifying a customer faced with problems the solutions can help solve.
“It is encouraging that we will be reaching new audiences and laying foundations for more people in South Africa to benefit. As a champion of app development talent, the awards will uncover and celebrate local impact-makers, and out-of-the-box tech thinking that drives change,” says Magagane.
Developers selected for the academy will participate in a six-week online coding programme. The objective will be to solve a common social challenge facing the country, such as access to education, safety and access to health.
In the second phase, selected app developers will take part in a 72-hour hackathon. Participants will have to use their skills to develop their solution with a team of tutors available to assist.
Solutions developed through the hackathon will be entered into the ‘Best Breakthrough Developer’ and ‘Best Youth App’ categories and will be part of the overall awards judging process.
The competition will be carried out through a virtual process with more than 1 000 leading app developments and key stakeholders taking part.
“I encourage all aspiring innovators to enter and showcase their talent as we develop the ICT industry,” adds Magagane.
The overall winner will win a trip to a tech-related destination valued at R200 000. The top three ‘Best Youth App’ entrants will receive a share of R100 000, first place wins R50 000, second place R30 000 and R20 000 for the third-place winner.
To enter, app developers can submit their entries before 29 September 2020 on www.appoftheyear.co.za.
