With over four billion mobile phone subscribers in the world, more than one in two people in the world have a mobile phone. This device is often the key to connecting and exchanging information with people in developing countries. The 2008 USAID Development 2.0 Challenge, implemented by the Global Development Commons, invited innovators and entrepreneurs from around the world to participate in a global competition seeking mobile phone applications to solve development challenges and empower people to access information and build new connections to the global community.

Crowdsourcing and Open Innovation have become increasingly important engines of innovation globally, leveraged by the commercial, non-profit, academic and government sectors to identify opportunities and solve problems. The Commons used this approach in the Development 2.0 Challenge, and of the 115 ideas submitted many utilize high impact, low-cost, open source solutions.

Thank you to those of you who came to the USAID Development 2.0 Challenge Awards to congratulate and learn from the winners at the Newseum on Thursday, January 8th! We were thrilled to meet and get to know the top three finalists: ClickDiagnostics, RapidSMS Child Malnutrition Surveillance, and Ushahidi. All three teams presented their projects before a crowd of at least 250 international development practitioners, private sector partners, potential investors, media, and students. RapidSMS Child Malnutrition Surveillance, a startup from six graduate students at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) working in partnership with UNICEF, was announced the as the winning project and received a $10,000 grant.

ClickDiagnostics and Ushahidi v.2., the two runners-up, were also commended and received grants of $5,000 each.

Couldn't make it to the Newseum?  You can watch the short videos of the event and read about each of the winners. Along with dynamic presentations from each of the winners, you'll see Charlie Brown, the Executive Director of Ashoka Changemakers,  explain the strategic significance of open source

challenges and encourage the audience to continue to cultivate innovation to address social and economic issues in developing countries.