MTN Zambia Appathon Launched: A Simplified Entry Procedure

In what seems to be a very aggressive drive towards fulfilling the vision of leading in the delivery of a bold new digital World, the MTN Zambia Appathon was launched yesterday. The appathon is aimed at exposing young gifted Zambian application developers and gives them an opportunity to sell their innovation. This is definitely fresh and highly welcome considering the number of talented app developers in Zambia failing to monetize their creations.

The point is that, unless you are tuned in with the tech hubs of Lusaka then you will not know that Zambian apps even exist. Hopefully, the MTN Zambia appathon competition will change the landscape by making things more competitive than they are right now and consequently bring Zambian app developers to the spotlight. Conceivably, this will propel the developers to continental and eventual global recognition.

Below are responses to some questions that I stumbled upon from the curious public on MTN Zambia’s Facebook page which I hope will simplify what the appathon is all about.

What is the MTN Zambia Appathon? The MTN Zambia Appathon is a search for talented developers who want to develop life-changing applications which are firstly relevant to Zambians and then globally relevant. The five categories available for entry are: Entertainment & Lifestyle, Productivity, Games, Education and Health & Wellness.

Who is eligible? Residents in Zambia who have a registered MTN SIM card are eligible to enter the MTN Zambia Appathon and must be below the age of 35 regardless of gender and race. Participants can enter the contest as individuals or teams (a team should not have more than six people).

What is the time-frame for the competition? The contest started on Friday, February 14th, 2014 and ends on Tuesday, July 1st, 2014.

What is the prize? The best applications in each of the 5 categories will get a percentage of revenue from the app, K5,000 prize money, Samsung Galaxy S4 and free promotion of the application on MTN Play.

How do I register to enter the appathon? Click —-> HERE

What else do I need to know? The Appathon will run in two phases. Phase one: which runs for two months from 22nd January to 22nd March, is the period for participants to develop and submit their apps to MTN.  Phase II, will be the public judging period of one month running from 22nd March to 22nd April where submitted apps will compete for downloads to qualify for the initial shortlist.

For your information (FYI):

App: refers to any mobile application (or mobile app). Mobile app is a software application designed to run on smartphones, tablet computers and other mobile devices.

Apps Challenge: refers to the contest to produce and submit the best mobile app as per criteria defined by MTN including uniqueness, relevance and user-friendliness to the Zambian market.

With this information, hopeful participants should be well equipped to submit their proposals seamlessly and get developing. Thus, go forth and multiply. All the best!