THE UNLIMITED HUMAN POTENTIAL CHALLENGE DEADLINE EXTENDED!

The Unlimited Human Potential Challenge is in full swing. We’ve got so many exciting Stories and Hacks in the pipeline—and such exciting rewards for those who contribute—that we’re extending the deadline. The updated timing for the Challenge is as follows:

First round deadline: March 31, 2014
Finalists announced: Week of April 14th
Final round deadline:    May 12, 2014

With this M-Prize, we are seeking the most progressive practices and innovative ideas when it comes to:

  • unleashing human capacity—designing environments and systems for work that inspire individuals to contribute their full imagination, initiative, and passion every day; and/or
  • aggregating human capability—leveraging new social, mobile, and digital technologies to activate, enlist, and organize talent across boundaries.

How can we tap into emerging digital technologies and the principles that undergird them (such as transparency, collaboration, meritocracy, open­ness, commu­nity and self-determination) to produce radically new approaches to organizing and creating value?

Do you have a real-world case study or a bold new idea about unleashing and organizing human potential across boundaries? By sharing your STORY or HACK in the Unlimited Human Potential Challengeyou can help us make a dent in a big problem—and earn the chance to win a powerful collection of prizes.

Winners of the Unlimited Human Potential Challenge will receive significant recognition on the MIX, by SAP, and on Fortune.com. Winners will also earn the chance to be recognized at SAP’s annual SAPPHIRE NOW event (June 3-5, 2014) and at the MIX Mashup (November 18-20, 2014; NYC).

For the first time ever, these winners will be eligible for an additional suite of prizes, which we’re calling the “Idea Accelerator.” Based on their potential to make a genuine impact—specifically, the potential to produce a viable app, product, company, or even a movement—up to three winners will win:

  • A design thinking workshop with experts from SAP Labs to further develop, prototype, and possibly scale the idea
  • A mentoring session with executives from SAP Ventures, including introductions to business incubators and/or angel investors
  • Additionally, depending on the results of interviews conducted by the SAP Ventures team and the market potential of the winning entry, one of these entrants could also win up to USD $50,000 in funding from SAP Ventures, to go towards the formation of a new start-up company or venture. (Special consideration for this optional award will be given to entries with the potential to leverage SAP HANA.)

We’re tremendously excited to be able to offer such a powerful collection of rewards for contributors to the M-Prize. Please note: while the prize purse will focus on contributions with the potential to leverage SAP’s HANA technology, the MIX and the judging team will consider all contributions equally. Any Story or Hack that meets the Challenge Brief has the potential to make it to the winner’s circle.

Finally, if you’re in need of a little inspiration or a push to contribute, check out our series of Maverick Hangouts exploring the themes of the Unlimited Human Potential Challenge. You can watch a riveting conversation between our own Gary Hamel and SAP CMO Jonathan Becher on the future of work and what it means to lead, design work, and manage organizations in the creative economy below.

And don’t miss my conversation with the inimitable Bob Sutton on his nearly decade-long journey into the challenge of spreading success. We unpack the profound wisdom and powerfully practical approaches to scaling successfully in his new book, Scaling Up Excellence. You can find that video here.