Research shows that human networks can produce the most innovative ideas imaginable.
We want to build yours on stage with OpenAI on April 16.
$500 USD will be awarded to the winning submission.
$25 USD will be awarded to the first 25 submissions.
How it works:
1
Think of an idea that falls into the theme and guidelines outlined below.
2
Submit your idea to the form at the bottom of this page.
3
Keep an eye on in the Andela Community, in case we have any questions.
The winning idea will be announced on April 15 via the Andela Community
The theme:
Working in Africa has challenges that many developers in America don’t understand. Andelans in the Talent Network may experience issues like power outages, unreliable internet, and more. Our goal is to build a tool that helps make your life easier.
We want to show OpenAI how the world’s leading AI tools can be used for good.
Example idea: Waze for internet speeds
This concept would allow the public to report and find when and where the best internet is right then and there.
Example idea: Community grid & outage tracker
A crowd-sourced power outage map where network members can report when their electricity goes out or comes back on, tag their location, and see real-time outage patterns across their city or neighborhood.
Rules:
You must submit your idea by April 14 at 7 PM EST.
You CAN submit multiple ideas; however, you will only receive $25 for your first idea.
Include as much information as you can so we can fully understand your brilliance.
Ideas should be software-related, i.e., we can’t build a rocket ship in 5 hours.
Think of something unique to a real problem you face.
How we’ll pick the winning idea:
Each idea gets scored 1–5 on each dimension and then totaled:
Impact: How much does it help?
A score of 5 means it meaningfully improves productivity or quality of life for Andelans across the globe, a 1 means it's a nice-to-have.
Feasibility: Can we build it in time?
Is it realistic to produce a working prototype within the 5-hour hackathon timeframe? Ideas that require complex infrastructure or third-party dependencies that are hard to mock will be scored lower.
Originality: Is it fresh?
Does the idea bring a new angle or creative spin to the problem? It doesn't have to be completely novel, but it should feel purpose-built for the African remote work context rather than a generic tool.
Idea Submission
Regardless of the outcome of your submission, I’m deeply grateful to you for taking the time to share your idea. It’s the people in the Andela Network that brought me here, and I’m excited to learn more from you!
Cory Hymel, Head of Research