The Milken Institute and the Motsepe Foundation announced the winners of the inaugural Milken-Motsepe Prize in AgriTech, a multiyear, multimillion-dollar innovation competition to advance technological progress aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The award ceremony occurred at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles, California.
The second-place prize of $300,000 was awarded to Karpolax, a company based in Uganda. Karpolax was recognized for its innovative nanotechnology solution that allows fruits and vegetables to remain fresh for extended periods without losing nutritional value.
Third place, along with a prize of $150,000, was given to IRRI-AfricaRice for their biotech innovation designed to help rice farmers safeguard crops against flooding, a significant climate change impact.
In addition to the main prizes, bonus awards of $100,000 each were also announced. The People’s Choice bonus prize for the most transformative idea, as voted by the public, was awarded to an undisclosed recipient with a solution powered by renewable energy.
The organizers emphasized the importance of progress toward achieving the SDGs. They admired the ideas presented by participants and thanked them for their commitment to identifying practical and scalable solutions.
Since the competition’s launch in April 2021, the Milken-Motsepe Prize in AgriTech gathered over 3,300 individuals from 105 countries across six continents registered to participate. A panel of independent expert judges chose 25 finalist teams to receive $10,000 each to develop and test their innovative solutions focused on improving the economic value of small and medium-sized farms in Africa.
The Milken-Motsepe Innovation Prize Program is growing and will launch its second competition, the Milken-Motsepe Prize in Green Energy, in November 2022. This $2 million innovation competition aims to recognize and support entrepreneurs and innovators who contribute to improving access to reliable, affordable, and sustainable electricity in Africa.
Photo by Maria Zardoya on Unsplash
