Verizon on Thursday launched its Powerful Answers Award, shared the official rules and began accepting entries in three core focus areas of healthcare, education and sustainability. Winners will be chosen in each core focus area, with the top prize being $1 million and additional prizes of $850,000, $700,000, $500,000 and $285,000. Full details can be found on www.powerfulanswersaward.com.
The award is intended to spark innovative thinking and problem solving across industries and to generate ideas, solutions and answers for some of the world’s biggest challenges, Verizon said. Entries will be judged by panels of experts, and $10 million total in prizes will be awarded to the winners, who will be announced at 2014 CES. The deadline for the first phase is June 30.
"South Florida is such a dynamic and diverse area, especially in education, healthcare, sustainability and general entrepreneurial innovation, that we would expect a big response with big ideas here," said Chuck Hamby, Florida public relations manager for Verizon Wireless. "While the impact and participation in this effort will be global, the Florida Verizon team would love to see some of the glory and the related funding stay local."