InnovAction 2.0 will take place across three rounds of competition: Eligibility, Semi-Finals, and Finals.

Eligibility Round

During the Eligibility Round, YABT will review all Team Profiles and Competition Materials for compliance with the eligibility criteria laid out in the Rules. Teams meeting all eligibility requirements will be assigned to judges and move to the Semi-Finals round. YABT, at its sole discretion, reserves the right to eliminate a Category or Categories if Teams and Competition Materials in that Category fail to reach an adequate level of quality. 

Semi-Finals Round

During the Semi-Finals round, each Team’s Competition Materials will receive an evaluation and scoring from Judges according to the Evaluation Criteria (see D. Evaluation Criteria). All Teams participating in the Semi-Finals Round will receive written feedback and recommendations from the Judges who evaluated their Competition Materials. 

Each Team will receive a score, obtained from a summation of the judges’ individual scores. YABT will also take into consideration geographical, sectorial, and gender representation to make sure Teams with the top scores are equally represented.  The five Teams in each Category with the highest score are considered finalists (“Finalists”) and proceed to the Finals Round; Finalists will be notified at the e-mail address provided at the time of registration. The list of Finalists will also be published on the Website.

Prior to the Finals Round, Finalists may revise, update, and resubmit Competition Materials.

Finals Round

The Finals Round will take place online. YABT will establish a panel of five judges (“Judges Panel”) for each Category. Finalists will each provide an oral presentation to the Judges Panel assigned to their Category, structured as follows: 

• 5 mins – Setup and preparation.
• 20 mins – Oral Presentation of Competition Materials, including multimedia presentations, promotional material, and/or elevator pitches.
• 15 min – Question and answer period with the Judges Panel.
• 20 mins – Feedback and Comments

Each Judges Panel will independently evaluate and score Finalists in their assigned Category according to the Evaluation Criteria (see D. Evaluation Criteria). All Finalists will receive written feedback and recommendations from the Judges who evaluated their Competition Materials.

The decisions of the Judges Panels will be final and not subject to appeal. YABT reserves the right to resolve any discrepancy in the Rules, Terms, and Conditions at its sole discretion and convey the determination to the Judges Panels for application. 

Selection and Awarding of Winners

YABT and IAF will establish a “Winner Selection Committee” to select the Overall Competition Winner. The Final decision reached by the committee is final. The team selected will be named the Competition Overall Winner (“Competition Winner”), and will receive an awards package (“Award”) valued at $20,000 USD, including: 

• $10,000 Seed Capital cash award. 
• Six months of follow-on business training support; 
• Promotional opportunities in high-level events, such as the OAS General Assemblies, the Summits of the Americas, and other similar spaces.

The best two teams per category (“Category Winners”) will each receive an awards package (“Award”) valued at $15,000 USD, including: 

• $5,000 USD cash award to serve as seed capital; 
• Six months of follow-on business training support; 
• Promotional opportunities in high-level events, such as the OAS General Assemblies, the Summits of the Americas, and other similar spaces.

The second best two teams per category (“Runner-up Category Winners”) will each receive an awards package (“Award”) valued at $12,500 USD, including: 

• $2,500 USD cash award to serve as seed capital; 
• Six months of follow-on business training support; 
• Promotional opportunities in high-level events, such as the OAS General Assemblies, the Summits of the Americas, and other similar spaces.

In order to receive the cash award, Winners must: 

• Formally register their business in their country of operation, if they have not already done so;
• Submit to YABT financial information and a proposal for the seed capital investment.

The Organizer and Co-Organizer may announce additional awards or special recognitions at their sole discretion.