Beginning tomorrow, the global community has the chance to vote online for the best technology solutions to enrich the lives of girls and women. Three winners will be selected from a field of 292 entrants from 56 countries. With support from the Intel Foundation, “She Will Innovate: Technology Solutions Enriching the Lives of Girls,” was launched earlier this summer to source technology solutions that accelerate digital literacy, promote economic resilience and improve women's health and well-being. The competition open-sourced solutions from around the world, with special consideration for innovations developed for women by women aged 18 to 34.

Finalists were selected by a panel of expert judges, and Ashoka staff  who nominated the best and most innovative entries. The competition will generate innovative ideas that help both girls and women fulfill their potential and succeed in today's markets.

In addition to voting, Ashoka invites social activists, technology experts and other changemakers to participate in a Twitter-based discussion about the best solutions that are improving the lives of girls and women. The chat happens tomorrow, October 11, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. EDT. Participating is easy: simply follow the #SocEntChat hashtag. Finalists, women's rights innovators and emerging technology professionals will be joining the conversation.

The #SocEntChat is part of the 12-hour “Day of the Girl” tweet-a-thon, which focuses on the roles that girls and women, especially those in developing countries, must play to improve our interconnected systems. To join the tweet-a-thon, follow the hashtag #IDG2012.

She Will Innovate winners will be announced on November 14, 2012. The three competition winners will each receive a cash prize of US $10,000.  “We're excited to announce the finalists in the She Will Innovate competition,” said Shelly Esque, president of Intel Foundation. “The 10 finalists represent some of the world's most promising ideas to encourage millions of girls worldwide to participate, prosper and lead in the global economy. These top solutions do more than close the gender-technology divide; they open new doors and create new opportunities.”

Intel employees worldwide will be actively involved in the competition by voting on a special fourth-place winner who will receive the “She Will Innovate Idea Award,” a US $5,000 prize awarded to the most innovative early-stage initiative that shows great potential for social impact and sustainability.

Ashoka: Innovators for the Public

Ashoka: Innovators for the Public

Ashoka is the global association of the world's leading social entrepreneurs - men and women with system changing solutions for the world's most urgent social problems. Since 1981, Ashoka has elected over 3000 leading social entrepreneurs as Ashoka Fellows, providing them with living stipends, professional support, and access to a global network of peers in more than 70 countries. Working with these social entrepreneurs, Ashoka builds communities of innovators who work collectively to transform society and design new ways for the citizen sector to become more productive, entrepreneurial and globally integrated. For more information, please visit www.ashoka.org.

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