Visualizing impact to accelerate change

We are running a data visualization storytelling contest focused on data and the power it holds to accelerate sustainable development.

As we mark the halfway point of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the world is dangerously off-track. Along with new financing, better data is critical to drive progress, and the two are closely linked. Good data is crucial to the effective and efficient use of limited resources to tackle complex and interconnected challenges, and is essential for understanding the impact of different financing tools and approaches, in order to improve impact. 

We are looking for dataviz experts who can show and tell how data can help set policy priorities, advance progress on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), or visualize work needs to be done to tackle some of the major and intertwined global challenges of our time.

The winner will be announced by the judges at Festival de Datos in Uruguay in November 2023, and will be invited to present their idea to the data for development community at one of the three plenaries. The shortlisted submissions will also be showcased in an exhibition at the Festival.

The challenge

Tell a data visualization story that shows the interconnectedness of sustainable development goals and reveals how the mobilization of different resources could be linked to impact.

As we enter an era of ‘global boiling’, development and economic growth cannot be pursued at the expense of the planet. We are particularly interested in ideas that contribute to the vision for a world free of poverty on a livable planet, and how all the SDGs are linked to climate change (SDG 13).

Explore how climate change is interconnected to other development issues such as: poverty reduction, job creation, human capital, health and education, gender and youth, food security, access to clean air, water and affordable energy, fiscal and debt management, as well as conflict and fragility.

How to enter

Note that the deadline has passed and the contest is now closed.

  • To enter, you must submit your idea by October 1 2023, 11.59pm US Eastern Time using the Google form. If you can't access Google forms, please contact us on info@data4sdgs.org
  • Your submission can use any suitable platform to show the visualization. See more in the criteria section.
  • We encourage submissions highlighting the effect of climate change on marginalized communities, either in one location or across locations as a collective group with shared challenges, and how effective action can be taken on a large scale. 
  • Diverse insights and ideas are crucial to create a sustainable and equitable future. We strongly encourage submissions from historically marginalized communities including Black, Indigenous, people of color, gender non-binary, women, youth, and other underrepresented groups.

Submit your entry here. If you are unable to submit your entry through the Google form, please email us on info@data4sdgs.org

Criteria

Participant criteria

  • The winner must be able to travel to Uruguay November 7-9 or appear on video link on any of these dates at a time to be decided.
  • If more than one person is behind a submission, one individual must be chosen to represent the team in Uruguay and receive a cash prize from the Global Partnership.
  • Participants must be aged 18 or over.

Submission criteria

  • The submission should be designed in a way that provides a narrative to your idea. It must include the problem statement, what the work aims to solve and provide context. 
  • It should be submitted as a link where the work is ready and viewable. The work should be embeddable through an iframe and, if possible, responsive.
  • Participants are encouraged to use World Bank data sets listed here. If there is other data also being used, the datasets must be public.
  • All data used must be clearly linked to so judges can easily see the source.
  • Submissions may be made in English and/or Spanish. If in Spanish, the submission will be translated by the Global Partnership team for judging and showcase purposes.
  • The judging criteria is relevance of problem statement (25%), clarity (25%), creativity (25%) and scale of potential impact (25%).

Meet the judges

Global Partnership - Dr. Claire Melamed, Chief Executive Officer

World Bank - Divyanshi Wadhwa, Data Scientist, Development Data Group, and Florina Pirlea, Statistician

Viz for Social Good - Vanitha Lucas, Executive Director

The Guardian - Pamela Duncan, Data Projects Editor

La Iniciativa Latinoamericana por los Datos Abiertos/ ILDA - Gloria Guerrero, Executive Director

FAQ

What data can I use?

Participants are encouraged to use World Bank data sets listed here. If there is other data also being used, the datasets must be public.

How will the shortlist and winner be chosen?

Screening to create a long list will be completed by the planning team. The judges will then go through a single-stage process to evaluate long list entries by the following criteria: relevance of problem statement (25%), clarity (25%), creativity (25%) and scale of potential impact (25%).

When will the shortlist and winner be chosen?

The selection process will take place at the beginning of October.

Can I focus on a small, specific community?

Yes. We are interested in ideas that can create a positive impact and be scaled, replicated and/or adapted, be it in small communities or bigger instances.

Can I use other media to tell the story such as imagery, slides and audio?

Yes. Feel free to use any media that will help to compellingly tell your data story.

Does it have to be in English?

Submissions may also be made in Spanish. Please note that for judging and display purposes, shortlisted Spanish submissions will be translated into English, and English submissions to Spanish.

I can’t travel at that time. Can I still enter?

Yes. We would love for the winner to present their work to the data for development community, but if it's not possible we will accommodate presenting via video link.

Contest terms         Privacy policy

Ready to enter?

Use our Google form to submit your entry.

If you are unable to access Google, please contact us on info@data4sdgs.org
Go to the Google form and submit your entry

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