There will be four phases to the selection process:

  1. Eligibility review to ensure all applicants meet the basic prize criteria
  2. Selection of country finalists
  3. Selection of the two finalists who will compete in a head-to-head pitch competition at an ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Science, Technology & Innovation (AMMSTI)
  4. Winner and honorable mention selection

Please note that applicants will only be notified if they make it to the country-finalist phase.

Selection of the two finalists who will compete in a head-to-head pitch competition at an ASEAN-US Consultation on S&T and

A. Selection of Country Finalists

A committee of members from all the partner organizations will review all eligible applications. Prize administrators anticipate narrowing down the pool of applicants to one finalist per country for each of the ten ASEAN member states (the selection process will be conducted by each AMS). Selection will be based on the evaluation criteria below. The decision of the committee is final. Prize administrators will notify each country finalist of her status by 19 July 2019. Upon receiving word of her selection, each finalist will be asked to submit a short video to aid in the final judging committee’s decision. Finalists will have two weeks from the time of notice to submit videos. These videos will also be utilized in a social media campaign to highlight the work of each of the anticipated ten finalists. Finalists will receive further detail of what should be included in their video upon notice of finalist status.

Evaluation Criteria

The criteria presented below has been tailored to the requirements of this Prize. A total of 100 points are possible with the completion of the application.

Scientific Excellence (50 pts)

  1. Applicant clearly demonstrates not only a strong understanding of what sustainable development is all about, but specifically how her research, technology or business model relates to the prize topic of circular economy. Applicant demonstrates how their work targets one or more of the following goals:
  • Improve efficiency of organizations/companies
  • Demonstrate lower use of resources
  • Create sustainability and improve environmental standards
  • Show the benefits of circular economy on the overall economy

Applicant provides concrete examples of her work. (20 pts)

2. Applicant provides examples of relevant and impactful awards or merits for her work. Higher scores will be reserved for well-established awards. (10 pts)

3. Applicant’s work appears to be highly esteemed. Think about: Has she been featured in media placements, policy briefs, or academic journals? Does her work suggest that she is an influencer in the space? (10 pts)

4. Applicant outlines clear areas for growth potential in her career. Applicant demonstrates excitement, passion, and motivation for her field of work. Higher scores will be reserved for applicants who specifically demonstrate how they’d like to continue to improve in the field of circular economy. (10 pts)

Mentoring, inspiring, and supporting women and up-and-coming female members of the STEM community (25 pts)

  1. Applicant shows clear level of involvement in mentoring, supporting and/or empowering female students, colleagues or other women in STEM. Applicant provides specific examples when possible and demonstrates passion and drive to create a gender-inclusive STEM environment. (10 pts)
  2. Applicant clearly demonstrates how her work accounts for gender in the practice of circular economy strategies. She explains how work specifically targets or thinks about women have been able to become a change agent in this area. (9pts)
  3. Applicant provides examples of how she strives to improve opportunities for women in STEM. Applicant should note any involvement or membership in/with organizations focused on gender inclusivity. Applicant provides details about the organization and her unique role/contribution. (6 pts)

Global Citizen (25 pts)

  1. Applicant shows a strong connection between her work and improving the implementation of circular economy methods in ASEAN as a region. Applicant demonstrates how she uses science, technology and innovation to achieve these goals. (10 pts)
  2. Applicant demonstrates an active role in scientific collaboration with scientists/scientific communities of practice across ASEAN to improve the regional value chain as a whole. Higher points will be awarded to applicants who provide concrete examples of collaboration. (9 pts)
  3. Applicant shows how her work impacts her local community, country and the greater ASEAN region. Applicant provides examples where possible. Applicant sees a larger role for her work across the greater ASEAN region and the world. (6 pts)

B. Selection of Final Two

A committee of members from all the partner organizations will determine the top two finalists who are eligible to travel to the pitch competition in Singapore in October 2019 based on the candidates’ original applications, as well as their video submissions. The committee’s decision will be final. The two finalists will be notified of their selection and aided in their travel arrangements by mid- August 2019.

C. Selection of Winner — Pitch Competition

The top two finalists will be invited to attend an ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Science, Technology & Innovation (AMMSTI) on 10 October 2019. They will compete in a head-to-head pitch competition, which will determine the winner and honourable mention of the prize. Finalists will be required to give no more than a three-minute presentation of their work and answer questions from the Judging Committee.

D. Transfer of Award 

The transfer of the Prize funds will come directly from UL. The winner will receive $20,000 and the honorable mention will receive $5,000.