NEW YORK, Sept. 17, 2013 (ANTARA/PRNewswire) -- On September 23, 2013, global leaders will converge at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers. Joining them for the first time is the next generation of social entrepreneurs: the Hult Prize finalists of 2013.
The 26 contestants are competing in six teams and have already beaten over 10,000 college and university students from over 150 countries. The challenge? To create a social enterprise that will secure food for undernourished communities and particularly for those 200 million people that live in urban slums.
"This is our chance to empower the next generation and solve some of the world's most pressing issues," said Ahmad Ashkar, Founder and CEO of the Hult Prize."Almost a billion people go hungry every day and without new solutions, food security issues are likely to get worse."
Solutions developed by the Hult Prize finalists will be presented during a final pitch-off at the Hult Prize Global Finals. The event will take place on the first day of CGI's four-day meeting.
Teams will be scored and evaluated by an executive jury that includes (in alphabetical order):
• Desh Deshpande, President and Chairman, Sparta Group
• Ertharin Cousin, Executive Director, World Food Programme
• Kathy Calvin, President and CEO, United Nations Foundation
• Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize Winner and Founder, Grameen Bank
• Peter Sands, Group CEO, Standard Chartered Bank
• Premal Shah, Co-founder and President, Kiva
• Steve Andrews, CEO, SolarAid
The winning team stands to receive USD1 million in seed capital and an award, which will be presented by former President Bill Clinton.
For more information, please go to www.hultprize.org.
The Hult Prize is made possible through the support of the Hult family and its benefactor, Swedish entrepreneur BertilHult, founder of EF, Education First.
About the Hult Prize
Over the last four years, the Hult Prize has brought together over 24,000 college and university students to solve some of the world's most pressing issues. The annual initiative is the world's largest student competition for social good and was founded by Ahmad Ashkar, a Hult International Business School alumnus. This year's challenge: the global food crisis, was personally selected by key partner President Clinton. The Hult Prize has been funded by the Hult family since its inception in 2009. To learn more, visit www.hultprize.org and follow us on Twitter @hultprize.
About the Clinton Global Initiative
Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), an initiative of Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, convenes global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the world's most pressing challenges. CGI Annual Meetings have brought together more than 150 heads of state, 20 Nobel Prize laureates, and hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations and NGOs, major philanthropists, and members of the media. To date CGI members have made more than 2,300 commitments, which are already improving the lives of more than 400 million people in over 180 countries. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments will be valued at $73.5 billion. For more information, visit www.clintonglobalinitiative.org.
Media Contact:
Jenny Harler
Director of Communications
jenny.harler@hult.edu
+44-790-848-0166
SOURCE Hult Prize
Editor: PR Wire
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