WFP wins 4 in Inaugural Anthem Awards
The UN World Food Programme and its Innovation Accelerator earn four prestigious accolades in the Webby’s newest awards, established to recognize social impact work worldwide
By Vida Gabe
Now in its sixth year, the WFP Innovation Accelerator has been recognized as a recipient of four Anthem Awards. Established by The Webby Awards, the Anthem Awards “honors the purpose and mission-driven work of people, companies, and organizations worldwide.”
Competing under the Humanitarian Action & Services Cause, the UN World Food Programme and its WFP Innovation Accelerator was recognised in four different categories:
Community Engagement Categories — Community Space
Under this category, the UN World Food Programme (WFP)’s Innovation Accelerator was recognized with a gold award for making the connection between human-centred design and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, WFP needed to adapt in-person bootcamps into fully online formats in 1 week, creating engaging virtual work environments for global SDG focused teams to collaborate: virtual plenary space, breakout rooms for teamwork and discussion, and an online whiteboard space for ideating and collaboration. Since March 2020, WFP has hosted 12 virtual bootcamps with 8–10 impact teams from around the world in each program. Each bootcamp culminates in a virtual Pitch Event with a global audience, which has collectively attracted over 3,600 viewers to date.
Product, Innovation, or Service Categories — Innovation
WFP’s microsite, The Great Enablers: A tradition of innovation and technology at WFP, was recognized with another gold distinction under this category. The website was jointly developed by WFP’s Innovation Accelerator and its Technology Division, shortly after WFP was awarded the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize. It showcases the role of innovation and technology in this game-changing achievement in the service of the 811 million people facing hunger worldwide. Through video storytelling, the site shows WFP’s use of technology and innovation in humanitarian assistance.
Community Engagement Categories — Most Impactful Corporate Initiative
The WFP Innovation Accelerator is the recipient of this silver award for its work in establishing innovative spaces for testing, iterating and scaling humanitarian projects. This work is achieved by establishing innovation hubs in WFP’s operational field locations, running global Innovation Challenges and Bootcamps to engage innovators to submit their ideas, and most recently by building the worldwide Innovation Champions Community of WFP “intrapreneurs.”
Product, Innovation, or Service Categories — Best Brand Campaign
As part of the 2021 International Women’s Day and International Girls in ICT Day, the WFP Innovation Accelerator launched the #SheInnovates campaign, earning the Accelerator another silver award. The campaign was intended to raise awareness of female innovators and the importance of the female voice as WFP strives to innovate within the organization and with impact actors, in the 90 countries where WFP operates. In addition, the campaign showcased innovations that improve the lives of women.
Fellow Anthem Award winners include: The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, CNN, HBO Max, National Geographic, Netflix, and Disney’s Lion King “Protect the Pride” campaign.
The WFP Innovation Accelerator sources, supports and scales high-potential solutions to end hunger worldwide. We provide WFP staff, entrepreneurs, start-ups, companies and non-governmental organizations with access to funding, mentorship, hands-on support and WFP operations.
Find out more about us: innovation.wfp.org. Subscribe to our e-newsletter. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn and watch our videos on YouTube.
