The Prevention of Wildlife Poaching and Trafficking competition seeks solutions addressing illegal trade of wild freshwater turtles and a centralized reporting data aggregation system.
Donor Name: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
State: All States
County: All Counties
U.S. Territories: American Samoa, Guam, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands
Type of Grant: Competition
Deadline: 06/27/2023
Size of the Grant: Up to $100,000
Details:
The Theodore Roosevelt Genius Prize for the Prevention of Wildlife Poaching and Trafficking was established to encourage technological innovation with the potential to advance the mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with respect to the preventing of wildlife poaching and trafficking and to award one or more prizes annually for a technological advancement that preventions wildlife poaching and trafficking.
To win the Theodore Roosevelt Genius Prize Competition for Prevention of Wildlife Poaching and Trafficking, participants must submit their solution that addresses the issue through one of these high-priority focal areas:
- The overexploitation and illegal global trade of wild freshwater turtles for pets, meat, medicinal markets, and cultural uses, which limit efforts to gain control over unsustainable and illegal trade.
- A lack of standardized regulations and centralized reporting and data aggregation system precluding downstream communication, data integration, and knowledge sharing for appropriate law enforcement authorities.
Challenge Types
- Scientific;
- Ideas;
- Technology demonstration and hardware;
- Innovation
Funding Information
The total prize purse from the Theodore Roosevelt Genius Prize Competition for Prevention of Wildlife Poaching and Trafficking is up to $100,000 for winning technology innovation(s). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may recognize additional participants with non-monetary, honorable mention awards.
Eligibility Criteria
Any individuals, legal entities, or their family members involved with the design, production, execution, distribution or evaluation of any of the Theodore Roosevelt Genius Prize Competitions, or individuals determined to have a conflict of interest, are not eligible to submit as potential solvers in these Prize Competitions. A potential or actual conflict of interest exists when commitments and obligations are likely to be compromised by other material interests, or relationships (especially economic), particularly if those interests or commitments are not disclosed.
- To be able to win a cash prize purse, a solver must:
- Agree to the rules of the Prize Competition
- In the case of a private entity, be incorporated in and maintain a primary place of business in the United States or its Territories, or in the case of an individual, be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States;
- Not be a Federal entity or Federal employee acting within the scope of their employment; and
- Not use Federal facilities or consult with Federal employees during the Prize Competition unless the facilities and employees are made available to all individuals and entities participating in the competition on an equitable basis.
- Meritorious, non-cash prizes may be awarded. To be eligible for non-cash, meritorious prizes a solver must:
- Agree to the rules of the Prize Competition; and
- Agree to be recognized in publications issued by the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announcing the results of the Prize Competition, such as press releases, website, social media, etc
- The following solvers are not eligible to win any prize regardless of whether they meet the cash prize purse or meritorious prize eligibility criteria set forth above:
- Federal entities or Federal employees acting within the scope of their employment are not eligible to win a prize.
- An individual or entity that is determined to be on the GSA Excluded Parties List is ineligible to participate, receive a monetary or non-monetary prize and will not be selected as a Prize Competition winner.
- If you/entity/team/organization are a resident or entity designated by the United States Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, you are not eligible.
- Employees of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, current or past members of the Theodore Roosevelt Genius Advisory Council or Boards, and any of their subsidiaries and affiliates, and immediate family members (spouse, parent, child, sibling, and their respective spouses, regardless of where they live) or persons living in the same households of such employees, are not eligible
- Any solver that employs an evaluator (e.g., Judge) on the Judging Panel or otherwise has a material business relationship or affiliation with any Judge.
- Any solver who is a member of any Judge’s immediate family or household.
- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, participating organizations, and any advertising agency, contractor, or other individual or organization involved with the design, production, promotion, execution, or distribution of the Prize Competition, and all employees, and all members of the immediate family or household of any such individual or organization.
- Any solver that uses Federal funds to develop the written proposed solution for the Prize Competition (“Proposed Solution”) now or anytime in the past, unless such use is consistent with the grant award, or other applicable Federal funds awarding document. Solvers that have been funded by the Federal Government in the past to work within the technical domain of the Prize Competition are eligible, provided that they did not develop their specific submission with Federal funds. Submissions that propose to improve or adapt existing federally-funded technologies for the solution sought in this Prize Competition are also eligible. Solvers are also encouraged to consult with their employer’s Ethics Officer for additional guidance and considerations
- Winning technology innovations are not eligible to be submitted nor to compete in any future Theodore Roosevelt Genius Prize Competitions. This includes any innovations that builds upon a previous winning technology innovation.
Judging Criteria
The critical criteria include:
- Conservation Impact: How well does the innovation clearly state a positive conservation impact that results in transformational change for a species/taxa or has broad implications across taxa? This also includes a plan for implementation, including potential barriers to conservation impact and how they might be overcome.
- Feasibility: The innovation includes a component that addresses feasibility. The innovation is economically feasible, if applicable. If applicable, it demonstrates a good understanding of the regulatory framework under which the innovation would operate and is consistent with the rule of law for relevant jurisdictions (e.g., State, Federal, Tribal, and corporate). If applicable, it demonstrates a good understanding of implementation context.
- Evaluation: The solution includes a clear understanding of and plan for evaluating outcome(s) and impact(s) of the innovation, where appropriate. Evaluation measures are defined and relate to a larger logical framework or theory of change.
The supplemental criteria include:
- Native Species: How well does the proposed innovation benefit U.S species, particularly freshwater turtles?
- Current Knowledge: The innovation is either consistent with current knowledge or appropriately addresses gaps in knowledge.
For more information, visit U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
