Apr 26, 2023
A look back at World Summit Awards: Estonian entries shine in global competition
Dec 18, 2020
WSA (World Summit Awards) has reached its conclusion and we are thrilled to report, that among the 40 winners was the Estonian startup Navicup.
WSA was truly a multinational competition, as nominations came in from around 180 UN member states. As each national expert considers a large number of projects before nominating, the size of the application pool is around 8000.
Startup Estonia startup community development manager Liisi Org was involved in the competition as a member of the grand jury as well as a national expert, meaning she was in charge of finding and managing Estonian entries for the contest. "World Summit Awards is a globally renowned startup competition. Success there will open new doors, such as participation in their mentorship programme and collaboration with international experts," she stresses the event's significance.
The winners of 2020 demonstrate how content driven digital solutions decisively support societal challenges and assist to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The winning projects demonstrate the diversity and richness of digital content solutions globally.
WSA jury shortlisted these projects from Estonia - CovidHelp by Zelos (in Government & Citizen Engagement category), Lumebot (Smart Settlements & Urbanization), OrginalMy (Business & Commerce) and Navicup (Culture & Tourism).
Even though Estonia had not participated in WSA since 2016, our past representatives have gone on to see great success. Transferwise and Testlio are among those to have victoriously represented Estonia in the past.
Before the aforementioned competition, WSA Young Innovators program took place for a younger audience. There, Estonian initiative Future Heroes won the WSA European Young Innovators award. They run programs for 15-19-year old girls to unlock their entrepreneurship and leadership potential.
Great job all around and best of luck for the future!
Startup Estonia startup community development manager Liisi Org was involved in the competition as a member of the grand jury as well as a national expert, meaning she was in charge of finding and managing Estonian entries for the contest. "World Summit Awards is a globally renowned startup competition. Success there will open new doors, such as participation in their mentorship programme and collaboration with international experts," she stresses the event's significance.
The winners of 2020 demonstrate how content driven digital solutions decisively support societal challenges and assist to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The winning projects demonstrate the diversity and richness of digital content solutions globally.
WSA jury shortlisted these projects from Estonia - CovidHelp by Zelos (in Government & Citizen Engagement category), Lumebot (Smart Settlements & Urbanization), OrginalMy (Business & Commerce) and Navicup (Culture & Tourism).
The victorious Navicup has created a smart map application, enabling for interactive audio guides for visitors to find out about areas and sights independently. “Navicup's contactless solution allows for a convenient and safe way to discover and promote cultural heritage. The demand for such a service is likely to increase over time, as traditional group tourism is already gradually overtaken by independent travel. We are very happy for the recognition and it is flattering to see, that an innovative solution from Estonia managed to catch the attention of the jury,” states Asko Berens, CEO and co-founder of Navicup.
The winning projects will be invited to the WSA 2020 Global Congress, taking place as virtual event from March 22-24, 2021. There, they will be able to present their awarded solutions, compete for the WSA 2021 global champion (best presentation and team in their category) and receive their award in the WSA Winners Gala and award ceremony.Even though Estonia had not participated in WSA since 2016, our past representatives have gone on to see great success. Transferwise and Testlio are among those to have victoriously represented Estonia in the past.
Before the aforementioned competition, WSA Young Innovators program took place for a younger audience. There, Estonian initiative Future Heroes won the WSA European Young Innovators award. They run programs for 15-19-year old girls to unlock their entrepreneurship and leadership potential.
Great job all around and best of luck for the future!