Deadline: October 9, 2015
Applications are now open for the 2015 Connection Challenge. Are you an aspiring social entrepreneur? Unpack your idea and take it to reality with the DO School Connection Challenge.
The Challenge
Messe Berlin, one of the world’s leading trade exhibition companies, challenges you to create an information architecture for gathering and preserving the collective knowledge present at its trade exhibitions in order to share it with the world.
The task is to capture, preserve and publish the expertise of the exhibitors and trade visitors present in new and exciting formats, e.g. by using new technologies or forms of storytelling.
The aim of the challenge is:
- to find a solution that extends the impact of a trade exhibition from a few days to the whole year
- to gather knowledge that so far goes untapped and make it accessible to more people
- to distil it so that it can be published in different formats later on and
- to connect new people worldwide to the Messe Berlin community
Tuition Fee and Financial Aid
- Admission is based on merit alone with a tuition fee of EUR 1,000. If you cannot cover the program cost, you are eligible to receive financial aid.
- Financial aid is available for both the tuition fee and the personal costs during the Incubation Phase of the One-Year Program.
If you need financial aid, there is a separate form in the application process that you can fill out. If you are accepted you will then automatically receive an individualized partial or full financial aid offer. The offer will be based on your personal needs, however, all candidates are expected to demonstrate entrepreneurial spirit and actively contribute to part of their own costs through their own fundraising activities.
Travel and Living Costs
You are responsible for organizing and paying for your own travel to and from the DO School Berlin campus in order to participate in the ten-week Incubation Phase. You are also responsible for arranging and paying for your visa (if needed) as well as travel, health and accident insurance for the ten-week duration.
During the 10-week Incubation Phase in Berlin, you will stay at subsidized accommodation and will be required to contribute EUR 900. During the entire program year you are responsible for your personal cost of living (food, insurance, transportation, personal needs, etc.). Download the PDF below and find out more about the living costs in Berlin
Seeds Award
The DO School Seeds Award is a chance for you to jump-start your venture. A total of EUR 5,000 are awarded to the three most convincing venture plans after Fellows have successfully finished the Incubation Phase. The Awardees are chosen by a jury comprising experts from the social entrepreneurship and start-up field as well as in an online voting competition.
Eligibility
- The DO School is seeking highly motivated and talented emerging social entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs between 21 and 31 years old.
- Applicants should be able to demonstrate a track record of being passionate about addressing social issues and creating and spreading innovative social change.
- Applications are welcomed from people with all educational and socioeconomic backgrounds. Successful applicants are determined and willing to use the program to start new, or grow existing ventures, or implement a new initiative within a larger organization.
- The DO School program is ideal for outstanding mission-driven people who are looking for the tools, skills, and mentoring to launch a social start-up.
- Successful candidates may come from, but are not restricted to the fields of storytelling technique such as writers, bloggers, videographers, journalists but also business analysts, educators, information architects, web and information designers
- Have a good working knowledge of the language
It is central to the DO School mission that we offer inclusive educational opportunities to talented young adults. They support you regardless of your socioeconomic or educational background and encourage you, no matter if you are a university student or graduate or don’t have a higher education.
For more information, visit The DO School Connection Challenge.
