Africa Connected entries close this month

Google hopes to find the most inspiring stories in Africa about how the web has transformed the lives and business ventures of its users.

Prizes

Five successful entrants will win R250,000 each, and will also have the opportunity to work with a Google sponsor over a six-month period to further their business success.

Categories include Education; Entertainment/Arts/Sports; Technology; Community and NGOs; and Small Businesses.

"From Madagascar to Morocco, from big metropoles to rural villages, from photographers to community activists, we've already received hundreds of submissions about how people are using the web and technology to do cool and extraordinary things to overcome hurdles and be successful. There's less than a month to go before the competition closes, so if you have a great story that you haven't yet told us about, we definitely want to hear from you," says Affiong Osuchukwu, Google Lead for the Africa Connected initiative.

Diversity of submissions

Luke Mckend, country director, Google South Africa, says, "We're hoping to see strong South African representation in the competition entries. We already know about many inspiring success stories, like those of Mabunda Royals, SixPackFactory, and The Soil, but we know there are lots more out there. The judges are looking forward to seeing a diversity of submissions, including from technology, agriculture, energy, fashion, education and entertainment."

A great example of Africa's talent is South African born Mdu Ntuli, an online animator. Ntuli grew up loving comics and trained himself in animation using Google and YouTube tutorials. Now his successful YouTube Channel, Mdu Comics, showcases his animated films to viewers across the globe. Ntuli is also currently working with an international broadcaster on an upcoming project.

"My inspiration has always come from South African people," says Ntuli. "After I began uploading to YouTube, people started to notice my artwork and wanted to work with me - YouTube gave me a platform to be seen, and therefore created opportunities for me. Once I've taught more people, I'll be able to expand the business even further. If there was no internet, I can't imagine what things would be like!"

Showcasing what Kenya has to offer is the music group, Just a Band. After battling to get their unique Kenyan style "electro" songs heard, the group started using the internet and YouTube to upload their videos. Almost instantaneously they found a huge fan base and success. "The internet enabled us to take back the power into our own hands - once we uploaded our content we were surprised as to who connected with us," says the group. "With the internet, it's like colour, lights, success, and a bit of chaos."

20 semi-finalists will be interviewed and will have the opportunity to create a short promo video. Judges will then narrow it down to ten finalists, from which five winners will be chosen, based on public online voting. Winners will be announced in March 2014.

For more, go to www.africaconnected.com.