FAQ

What is the Wipro earthian program?

The primary concept (in the first phase) of the program is – Writing a paper, essay, narrative story, play-script etc. leading to an award. Participants will be expected to write their insights, views and possible ways to resolve or mitigate the issue highlighted in any of  the given sixteen Scenarios  of sustainability, participants can define new relevant scenarios on their own as well. The objective of the program is to encourage rigor and critical thinking, to develop an inter-disciplinary view of the problem.

What is a scenario? Can it be anything?

These are few environmental and social scenarios facing us all - we call it scenarios as some of us may not see these as issues unless we ourselves understand or experience it in our daily lives.  These are indicative, participants can choose from amongst these or define their own scenarios.

I have questions..Who can help ?

You can take help from your teacher or professor. Or contact us at earthian.contact@wipro.com
Or contact us on our Facebook page  http://www.facebook.com/earthian.wipro.

Why only paper format? Can I use other mediums?

Yes.  You can submit your entry as a story, essay, play-script etc. On the top of this, your enhance your entry with a supplementary video or ppt (optional).

Why is Wipro instituting the 'earthian' awards?

It is a fact that a path based only on economic progress is ecologically unsustainable. There is always a environmental cost to all development activities. As a future policy makers, administrators, educationists and technocrats, Today’s youth needs to be at vanguard and need to act as a role model to demonstrate how it is possible to achieve economic prosperity without compromising on ecological sustainability and social inclusiveness. For this to happen, our future generation needs to be adequately schooled in ecological issues and the sensibilities around these issues. It is with the above in mind that Wipro has created a program that is designed to act as a catalyst for fostering excellence in sustainability thinking and doing amongst our young -both, at the high school level and at the college / university level.

Who can participate in this competition?

The awards are open to any educational Institution (school or college) registered in any country across the world.

Are there any specific eligibility requirements for the institutions / students?

In the school category: Students of Standard/ Grade/class 9,10,11,12 (freshman to Senior Grades in USA) of any recognized school in respective country.

In the "College" category: Under Graduate (post-secondary classes) students and above of any recognized institution in respective country are eligible to participate.

Can an institute send multiple entries?

Each institution can send any number of entries.

Can a student be part of many teams?

Yes, one student can be part of multiple teams.

Is there any limit on team size?

A team can consist of up to 4 students and should have 1 teacher or faculty member.

In what languages can we submit our entry?

Entries are to be in English language for the year 2012.

What is the word limit for the paper?

The total size of the write-up should be within 5000 words.

What is the limit for number of attachments in the entry?

For the main submission, only one attachment is allowed for each entry. Entry can be supplemented with a video or a presentation. (any one)  and the file size limit is 2 MB for each attachment.

What is the mode for entry submission? Can I send my entry through courier?

We encourage and prefer online submissions, as it saves paper and energy. In case of technical limitations, we will accept hardcopy submissions. Hardcopy submissions can be sent to
 "earthian - The program for schools and colleges, C/O Wipro Ltd, Doddakannelli, Sarjapur Road, Bangalore – 560035"

Is use of images, diagrams or graphics allowed?

Images and diagram can be embedded in the document as long as it is within the total size limit.

In what format should I submit my entry?

For the main submission -  The format of the attachment can be in one of the following formats: .doc, .docx, .pdf.

What is the benefit for the participating institutes? Why should my institute be a part of this program?

A visible platform: (phase-I) The winning institutions get an opportunity to present their papers at a international forum hosted by us and to interact with sustainability experts –a great platform for further engagement. Connect to the ecosystem: As part of the continuous engagement, the institutions will get access to the larger sustainability ecosystem – research groups, other academic partners, funding groups etc.

Continuous engagement: (phase-II) Continuous process of engagement with the winning institutions on multiple fronts of sustainability for three years. Wipro will work with the institutes in setting up a sustainability resource / program which will act as an experimentation and innovation hub within the school / college for activities around sustainability.

What does the final award constitute?

For high schools there are Ten awards of Rs 1 lakh ($2000) each, a Trophy for institution and Certificates for winning members. For colleges and above there are Ten awards of Rs 1.5Lakh ($3000) each, a Trophy for institution and Certificates and prizes for winning members.

Awards function will be help in India and winners will be invited by Wipro. Winners will get opportunity to present their submission and meet leaders in the field of sustainability.

How many winners will be declared at the end of it?

Ten winners will be chosen for each of the two categories.

On what basis will be the entries evaluated and the winners selected?

During the evaluation process the papers will be scored primarily on the following 4 aspects:

Who will decide the winners / who are the jury members?

There will be a 2 stage assessment process. The stage 1 evaluation and shortlist will be done by an internal Wipro panel of experts. The Stage 2 assessment will be done by an external jury of sustainability and education experts. The entire assessment results will be audited by an independent auditor.

Will "earthian" ask for more details on submitted entries ?

Yes, "earthian" might seek more information from entries.

Who can we contact in case we need any further clarifications on the process?

You can call the toll free number 1800 103 0353 for any further question during any stage of the competition or email  earthian.contact@wipro.com.

Who are the program mentors?

A selected team from Wipro and partners will act as mentors and can be approached for any support. The region wise details of these mentors will be published shortly on the website.

Who are Student Ambassadors?

Student Ambassador are students who are helping earthian reach out to their community through a
Three week  internship with earthian.  For more details, please visit http://wipro.org/earthian2012/.

What is the mentor’s role in the competition?

The mentor can offer support in case the teams need to discuss and bounce of their ideas/scenarios or check on how to present ideas effectively in their papers.

Can the institution withdraw the entry once it has been submitted?

In case of erroneous submission, you can go online and re-submit your paper. In case you would like to withdraw from the awards, this can be done by sending an email to earthian.contact@wipro.com.

In what forums will the selected entries be used?

The entries will be the property of Wipro and will be used responsibly at our discretion. The likely forums are our corporate website, corporate collaterals etc.

What is the process for submission of entries?

Please visit our website http://wipro.org/earthian2012/ for details regarding online submissions.

Can one participate in the contest individually even though the institute is not participating?

The award is addressed at the institutional (school/college) level and not at the individual contribution level. This is to encourage the building of institutional capability in sustainability on a long term basis.

What are the Scenarios for the paper?

Scenarios are indicative. We have listed a total of 16 scenarios. Students can choose out of these Sixteen or can define their own scenarios.
For more details, please visit the website http://wipro.org/earthian2012/.

Can we choose any other Scenario over and above what has been provided?

Yes.  Listed sixteen scenarios are just indicative. Students are welcome to explore beyond these.

Can you provide some references for researching the themes?

Please visit the "Scenarios" section of our website for more details.

When will you announce the winners of this award?

The results will be announced by Dec 31st.

Where will the award ceremonies be held?

The award ceremony will be held in India and all winners will be invited to the ceremony.