Parity Project Innovation Challenge 2023

Do you have an idea for how a certain science or technology can help achieve economic parity for Black America? If so, this is the challenge for you! 

Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity (The Boulé) and Base 11 have launched The Parity Project Innovation Challenge to showcase the talents of innovative and diverse innovators—and they want to hear about your vision for the future.

Submit your challenge entry for a chance to win both a cash prize and a once-in-a-lifetime invitation to the Base 11 Grand Prize Showcase—an opportunity to present your idea to executives and game changers from some of the most influential organizations across America, including visits to the challenge partners at J.P. Morgan Chase and The Executive Leadership Council.

Confirmed stops on the Base 11 showcase:

• The Executive Leadership Council (ELC) in Washington D.C. 
• The White House in Washington D.C. 
• JP Morgan Chase in New York City
• Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity’s 2024 Grand Boulé in San Diego, CA or the Regional Boulé meeting(s) in 2023, depending on itinerary logistics 
   

Ready to participate? Hit the “Solve This Challenge” button above, create your HeroX account, and go to the Guidelines Tab to learn how to participate.

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Learn more about the Challenge Sponsors: Sigma Pi Phi and Base 11.

Your Mission

Identify a major form of inequity within Black America—then investigate what science or tech-based solutions can address the disparity. How can your passion for science or technology provide a perfect solution?

You are encouraged to think boldly and to be creative with your proposal. If you need some inspiration, here are a couple of examples:

• Could a tool like Artificial Intelligence help fight the statistical discrimination Black Americans face when seeking a mortgage by removing human bias from the loan application review process?
• Could we leverage Blockchain to help Black Americans have more ownership over their medical data and reduce skepticism around medical research?  

Who Can Participate?

• Age: We welcome participants from junior year of high school (grade 11) up to 34 years of age. If you are under 18 years old, your parent/legal guardian must create a HeroX account to submit the idea on your behalf and communicate with the Challenge Sponsors. You should still be the primary creator of the submission and should describe yourself in any ‘about me’ sections.
   
• Geography: To participate, you must also be a legal resident or citizen of the United States, the United Kingdom, or the Bahamas.
   
• Individual Entries: You may only submit one entry as an individual, not as a team. But you are encouraged to draw upon the knowledge and guidance of others while developing your idea!

How to participate

1. For your chance to win, submit your challenge entry before the final submission deadline. And if you are ambitious, submit your concept before the feedback deadline of January 19, 2023. If you make this earlier deadline, a representative from Base 11 or Sigma Pi Phi will provide you with high level feedback to help you improve your concept before the final deadline.
2. Once the final submission deadline passes, all eligible submissions will be scored against the judging criteria listed below to help determine up to nine challenge finalists. 
3. All selected finalists will be asked to develop a 3-5 minute pitch presentation for their proposal that they will present on a virtual call with the challenge’s judging panel, followed by a brief Q&A opportunity. 
4. After each competitor has presented their pitch and responded to the judges’ Q&A, the final prize rankings will then be determined.

Prizes

This challenge was created so that innovators like you could be bold and ambitious. You will have the chance to develop your ideas with personalized feedback from Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity (The Boulè) and Base 11 representatives. Furthermore, you will be invited to connect with a network of influential leaders, executives, and STEM professionals that could help push your project to the next level. 

As part of your challenge participation, all finalists will present their ideas to the influential men and women of the judging panel, who have been known to open doors and make connections beyond the scope of the challenge.

In short, we want to see both you and your vision thrive, so the prizes are designed to do just that!

Participants will have the chance to win a substantial slice of the $10,000 prize purse—and our Grand Prize winners will earn a seat on a sponsored cross-country trip to meet powerful global leaders as part of the Base 11 Grand Prize Showcase.

In total, up to $10,000 will be awarded across the following competitor groups:^†

* up to age 34

† Final prize determinations and invitations to Base 11’s Grand Prize Showcase are subject to the discretion of the Challenge Sponsor. Additional invitations to the Grand Prize Showcase may be added to this challenge.

All Grand Prize Showcase attendees under the age of 18 years old will require a chaperone. Chaperones may either be provided by Base 11, the competitor’s family, or from the competitor's partner organization (e.g. a High School counselor approved by the competitor’s family). All costs associated with travel fees and boarding for the chaperone will be the financial responsibility of the chaperone/their organization. If a Base 11 chaperone is selected, those related costs will be covered by Base 11.

Furthermore, all Grand Prize Showcase attendees are allowed to invite one member of their family to travel with them, such as a spouse. However, this guest attendee is subject to approval by Base 11 and will be financially responsible for any additional expenses related to their trip, such as providing their own flights, insurance, transportation, room and board, etc. These guest attendees may not be invited to join certain activities and events, per the Challenge Sponsor’s discretion. Base 11 is not legally responsible for the invited guests and all invited guests’ permission to travel with during the Grand Prize Showcase may be revoked at any time at the Challenge Sponsor’s discretion.  

The Base 11 Grand Prize Showcase

Our top winners will receive the opportunity to travel, meet powerful global leaders, and present their ideas to investors, mentors, and industry experts. This year’s Grand Prize Showcase includes all-expenses-paid travel to: 

• The Executive Leadership Council (ELC) in Washington D.C. 
• The White House in Washington D.C. 
• JP Morgan Chase in New York City
• Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity’s 2024 Grand Boulé in San Diego, CA or the Regional Boulé meeting(s) in 2023, depending on itinerary logistics

On this trip, you will bond with your fellow Grand Prize winners, learn from the Base 11 and Boulé members traveling with you, and make memories as you visit these historically important cities.

For example, last year’s winners stayed at luxury hotels like The Moxy, The Darcy, and The Atlantis, Bahamas. They visited major sites like the national Museum of African American History & Culture and they shared meals at exceptional restaurants like TAO Downtown, Farmers and Distillers, and Busboys and Poets. 

Best of all, winners will have the opportunity to present their proposals to leaders from the ELC, JP Morgan Chase, the Boulé, and more! Past winners have received insightful feedback, discovered recruitment opportunities, and even found partners and sponsors for their projects. This is an incredible opportunity to network with industry leaders who are eager to meet and connect with innovative young people.   

“It was such a thrill to be able to share my passion and vision on stage in front of such a prestigious organization as the Boulé. After presenting, I received an astonishing amount of support from potential investors, mentors, and other advocates for what our team is building. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity!” - Kiante Bush, Parity Project Innovation Challenge 2022 Winner

Timeline

*If you would like to receive constructive feedback on your submission from members of Base 11 or the Boulé, submit your entry before midnight ET the night of January 19, 2023.

Judging Criteria

Judges will evaluate submissions based on the following criteria to determine which entries will be named as finalists and invited to the pitching round of the challenge. As you create your submission, aim to meet these criteria to maximize your score.

Submission Form for Proposal for Parity

Your Proposal for Parity will be submitted as responses to the following Submission Form fields. Feel free to conduct your research and plan out your responses in any way you choose, so long as you transfer your responses to the form located at this website.

Challenge Rules

Participation Eligibility:

The Challenge (The Parity Project Innovation Challenge) is open to individuals from their Junior year of high school to students, professionals, and entrepreneurs up to 34 years of age. Participation in the challenge is limited to qualified legal residents and citizens of the United States, the United Kingdom, or the Bahamas. Submissions must be made in English. All challenge-related communication will be in English. 

This challenge is only accepting submissions by individuals, not by teams.

If the competitor is under 18, their parent/legal guardian must create a HeroX account to submit their idea on their behalf. The competitor should still be the primary creator of the submission content. 

The Challenge Sponsor reserves the right to determine the eligibility of any Competitor. This potentially includes admitting younger competitors into the High School category of the challenge.

No specific qualifications or expertise in the targeted fields of STEM or the Social Sciences is required. Prize organizers encourage all individuals to compete and propose new solutions. 

To be eligible to compete, you must comply with all the terms of the challenge as defined in the Challenge-Specific Agreement.

Registration and Submissions:

Submissions must be made online (only), via upload to the HeroX.com website, at or before 5:00 pm ET on March 7, 2023 in order to be eligible for this Parity Project Innovation Challenge. All entries must be completed through the submission form and all uploads to the form must be in the requested format(s). No late submissions will be accepted.

Intellectual Property Rights:

As detailed in the Challenge-Specific Agreement, each participant will retain all intellectual property rights to their technology.

Selection of Winners:

Prizes will be awarded based on the Judging Criteria section above and the quality of the pitch session. In the case of a tie, the winner(s) will be selected at the discretion of the Judging Panel.

The Challenge Sponsor reserves the right to redistribute any unawarded prizes or pitch opportunities to members of other competitor groups should any competitor group not receive enough eligible submissions to award the maximum number of prizes. Furthermore, the Judges’ Choice and Honorable Mention prize(s) will be awarded at the discretion of the Judging Panel and Challenge Sponsor in consultation with the Judging Criteria. The Challenge Sponsor reserves the final right to determine how many and which winners will be invited to participate in the Base 11 Grand Prize Showcase.

In the event that none of the submissions meet the Judging Criteria, the sponsor will award the following consolation prize(s) to the eligible competitor(s) that score the highest (up to one consolation prize per competitor group):

• Consolation Prize: $200

Awarding of the Prize:

The Individual Submitter is automatically designated as the Recipient of the prize monies. The Individual’s name must also match the Authorized Person on the receiving Bank Account information provided. No changes are permitted to the prize Recipient after the Submission Deadline date. If you wish to change who would receive the prize monies, those changes must be completed prior to the Submission Deadline.

Up to 9 eligible finalists may be chosen to participate in the Pitch Sessions in order to compete for the final prizes.

If a 1st place winner is selected who is also younger than 18 years of age, their participation in the sponsored Base 11 trip(s) will be subject to agreement between their legal parent/guardian and the Challenge Sponsor.

The timing and format of the 1st place sponsored Base 11 Grand Prize Showcase is subject to change due to the state of public health restrictions or other unforeseen restrictions. Furthermore, the Challenge Sponsor reserves the right to determine all final trip itineraries.

Judging Panel:

The determination of the winners will be made by a group of judges and technical experts selected by Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity and Base 11.

Additional Information:

• By participating in the challenge, each competitor agrees to adhere to the HeroX Intellectual Integrity Policy and promises to submit only their original idea. Any indication of "copying" amongst competitors is grounds for disqualification.
• All applications will go through a process of due diligence; any application found to be misrepresentative, plagiarized, or sharing an idea that is not their own will be automatically disqualified.
• All ineligible applicants will be automatically removed from the competition with no recourse or reimbursement.
• No purchase or payment of any kind is necessary to enter or win the competition.
• Void wherever restricted or prohibited by law.