The Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge 2022 is a worldwide search for early-stage technology-enabled solutions and services that can enable economic development and/or benefit society and/or the environment. Want more information about the $1M USD Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge or tips on how to produce a winning pitch video? Watch our most recent webinar, where a team of experts share best practices and answer questions about the Challenge. Watch here.
Register to Participate
You can participate as an individual, as part of a team, or as a business entity. Teams may have a maximum of 5 members. If you are registering as part of a team, your team leader will need to register first and then can invite you to register as a member of the team, using your email address. For detailed eligibility requirements, please visit our Rules page. Once you are ready, click here to register.
Prepare your Submission
There will be two distinct submission rounds.
Round one opens November 30, 2021 and closes February 11, 2022 at 5:00 pm PST. To prepare your submission you will need to complete an online questionnaire, which will cover the following topics:
- Defining the problem you are solving
- Overview of your solution
- Benefits of your solution and how it uses digital technologies
- How your solution is unique and will be taken to market
- Risks associated with the solution
- 90-second pitch video explaining the solution
Once you are ready, click here to register (or log in) and prepare your submission.
Submit Your Solution
Once you’ve prepared and double-checked all your materials, have your team leader log onto the Challenge website here. You must upload all materials and submit them before February 11, 2022 at 5pm PT. Remember, you must click submit before the deadline in order for your entry to be considered.
Please check your entry for completeness and ensure your video does not exceed 90 seconds. Also, do not use unlicensed images, music, or video content in your submission.
Judges evaluate submissions and are looking for ideas that are especially innovative and clearly articulate the use of technology, feasibility, and scale of impact.
On April 26, 2022, Semi-Finalists will be invited via email to submit a more detailed proposal.
The round two application window opens April 26, 2022 and closes May 20, 2022 at 5pm PT. Finalists will be announced on July 5, 2022.
In addition to the information provided in round one, the online round two questionnaire for Semi-Finalists will include the following sections:
- Detailed technical overview of solution
- Dependencies
- Timeline for the next 12-24 months
- Addressable market
- Financial model
- Team bios
If you are selected as a Semi-Finalist, be sure that your team leader logs in to the Challenge website before the May 20, 2022 5pm PT deadline to double check all of the materials and click submit in order to be considered for the final round.
Be sure to check that your content meets the submission guidelines, or your entry may be disqualified. It's also important to check for completeness, appropriate content, video length, and unlicensed images, music, or video. If your round two application is not submitted by the deadline, it will not be considered.
Vote and Promote
If you are selected as a Finalist, we recommend that you share your participation in the Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge 2022 with your supporters and invite them to vote for their favorite entries. Voting for the People’s Choice Award takes place from July 5 - 29, 2022. The Finalist team with the most votes will receive the $10,000 USD People's Choice Award.
Celebrate the Winners
Once the submission period closes our judges will begin evaluating the submissions, looking for solutions that are especially innovative and which clearly articulate their use of technology, feasibility and scale of impact. Winners will be announced on August 23, 2022!