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AWARDED CHALLENGES

A SeaFreight Labs challenge can be run completely anonymously, in a completely public fashion or in a manner between these two extremes.  This page contains information about our challenges where the Seekers wanted to publicize the solutions and Solvers from their challenges. 

1. Safe and Desirable Female Toilets in Refugee Camps

Seven winners of this challenge were announced on 11 January 2024 by the International Rescue Committee ("IRC").  Read the press release HERE.  The challenge offered a US$30,000 prize for new ideas on three different categories of problems with current latrines:  improved lighting, locking and alerting when in need of maintenance.  The cost for all three innovations could not exceed US$20 per latrine.   Click HERE to learn about the winners and their winning submissions.  

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1. Affordable Rural Single Family Sanitation Solutions

Three winners of this challenge were announced on 29 June 2021 by World Vision.  The challenge offered a US$15,000 prize for ideas on how to improve sanitation for families and communities in rural areas of developing countries at a cost of less than US$45.   Click HERE to learn about the winners and their winning submissions.

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2. Affordable Water-Quality Monitoring in Africa

The winner of this challenge was announced on 31 January 2022 by World Vision.  The challenge offered a US$20,000 prize for a system that could continuously monitor levels of free chlorine in rural piped water systems for a bill-of-materials cost of less than US$500.   Click HERE to learn about the winner and his winning design.

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1. Affordable Retrofit of Homes with No Foundations for Improved Earthquake & Typhoon Resilience

The winner of this challenge was announced on 29 September 2021 by Habitat for Humanity at a virtual awards ceremony.  The challenge offered a US$25,000 prize for solutions that could be used to retrofit existing homes in the Philippines without foundations for less than US$300.  After an extensive review process including the construction of partial homes and the simulation of earthquake and typhoon forces, the winners were a team from Civil Engineering Department at the University of the Philippines. 

 

  • Read Habitat for Humanity Philippines' press releases HERE and HERE

  • Read an article from BusinessWorld HERE

  • Read the front-page article in Business Mirror HERE.  

  • Watch a 6:37 video about the challenge HERE.  In this video, our Founder announces the challenge winner at 5:17.

The virtual awards ceremony was attended by over 200 people from all over the world (see the agenda here).  It is an excellent example of how a humanitarian organization can use a challenge to solve important problems AND to generate awareness of their work.  You can watch the full event on the video below (1 hour, 5 minutes long).  In this video, our Founder announces the winning solver at 39:46 of the video.

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2. Improved Construction and Demolition Waste Management

The winner of this challenge was announced on 27 August 2021 by Habitat for Humanity's Terwilliger Center via Twitter (see below).  The challenge offered a US$15,000 prize for ideas on how India and/or other parts of the world could dramatically reduce the amount of construction and demolition waste generated.  The challenge attracted 277 registered solvers from 59 different countries.  There were 59 different solutions submitted from 18 different countries.

 

The challenge had four winners.  Read the complete problem statement and the winning submissions HERE.

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3. Affordable Water Harvesting for Low-Income Households in Urban Areas

The winner of this challenge was announced on 20 January 2022 by Habitat for Humanity's Terwillieger Center for Innovation in Shelter at a virtual awards ceremony.  The challenge offered a US$25,000 prize for solutions that could be used to harvest rainwater for family use in an urban setting for less than US$210 of materials cost and less than US$420 for installation.  The challenge attracted 278 registered solvers from 54 different countries.  There were 55 different solutions submitted from 26 different countries.  Read the full challenge definition HERE.

 

The winner of the challenge was Jesús Chico Fernández, from Spain.  His submission was titled "Project SABUC:  Solar Air Bubbles + Ultraviolet Light + Carbon Filter".  Read his submission HERE.  The solution collects, cleans and stores rainwater for human consumption.  It best met the challenge objectives of 1) using low-cost technology; 2) being simple to install; 3) providing easy access to clean water; and, 4) offering adequate storage capacity for an urban Mexican family.

The virtual awards ceremony was conducted entirely in Spanish.  A link to a recording of the event is below.  It is 26:13 long.  Our Founder and President, Harry Sangree, announces the winner at 6:47 of the video.  The Solver explains his solution beginning at 9:56 of the video.  The follow-up newsletter celebrating the winning solver is available HERE.

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4. Malaria Prevention through Innovations in Home Design or Home Life

The winner of this challenge was announced on 16 September 2022 by Habitat for Humanity's Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter via Twitter and LinkedIn.  Read the full announcement HERE

 

The challenge offered a US$20,000 prize for solutions that could dramatically reduce the interior population of mosquitos in a typical Kenyan home for a retrofitting cost of less than US$200 for a 36 square meter house with three rooms.  The challenge attracted 264 registered solvers from 57 different countries.  There were 75 different solutions submitted from 28 different countries.

 

The winner of the challenge was Jayesh Vani, from India.  His submission was titled "Malaria-Mosquito Free Homes".  Read his submission HERE.

 

The solution was tested by the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI).  Their tests found that the solution cut mosquito entry into homes by 89%, compared to a typical home without the retrofitting.  Read their evaluation report HERE.

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SeaFreight Labs is a consultancy delivering crowd-solving services to businesses and non-profits.  We serve as "Project Advisor" on global challenges to cost effectively deliver breakthrough innovation to intractable problems.
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