DURHAM, N.H.—Registration is open for the 2019 New Hampshire Social Venture Innovation Challenge (SVIC) at the University of New Hampshire. Launched in 2011, the competition showcases, and helps bring vital resources to support, the idealism and ingenuity of students and community entrepreneurs across New Hampshire who are motivated to design solutions to help contribute to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Submissions are due Monday, October 28, 2019, by 9 a.m.

The SDGs focus on peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future, and recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality and spur economic growth—all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.

Designed to be an innovation accelerator, the SVIC is an idea competition where big ideas are rewarded. No detailed plans or prototypes are required, but rather proposals in the form of a three-minute video and two-page proposal. Entries can be for a new (pre-launch stage) initiative, an existing social venture in the formative stages of development (i.e. less than a year old) or a major new social entrepreneurial initiative for an established venture.

There are two tracks, one for community members (New Hampshire residents and any UNH alumni) and another for students enrolled at any college or university in the state. Submissions can be by individuals or teams. Full details on registration, deadlines and eligibility can be found at http://www.unh.edu/svic.

Challenge winners receive awards that are intended to provide investment to a social venture to help fund its establishment and/or growth. Cash prizes are: first prize, $5,000; second, $3,000; third, $2,000. Additional in-kind prizes including pro bono legal services, generously provided by Nixon Peabody, are available to help bring needed resources to advance these promising models.

The preliminary round will be judged online by a panel of social venture leaders, funders and other experts. Eight teams in each track will be selected to advance to the final round, which will take place Thursday, Nov. 21, 2019, in Durham. Members of the community are encouraged to attend as audience members.

The awards and competition are made possible by the generous support of lead sponsors Impax Asset Management, Kennebunk Savings Bank, Nixon Peabody and Timberland, as well as AMI Graphics, CCA Global Partners, Cirtronics, Clean Energy NH, Cole Haan, Lonza, MegaFood, New Hampshire Business Review, New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, Prime Buchholz, ReVision Energy and W.S. Badger.

The SVIC is organized by the Center for Social Innovation & Enterprise, a partnership at the University of New Hampshire between the Sustainability Institute, the Peter T. Paul College of Business & Economics, and the Carsey School of Public Policy.

The University of New Hampshire inspires innovation and transforms lives in our state, nation and world. More than 16,000 students from all 50 states and 71 countries engage with an award-winning faculty in top-ranked programs in business, engineering, law, health and human services, liberal arts and the sciences across more than 200 programs of study. As one of the nation’s highest-performing research universities, UNH partners with NASA, NOAA, NSF and NIH, and receives more than $110 million in competitive external funding every year to further explore and define the frontiers of land, sea and space.