National Geographic And Sprint Launch "CHASING GENIUS: Unlimited Innovation" To Fuel The Game-Changing Technologies Of Tomorrow

WASHINGTON and OVERLAND PARK, Kan., Jan. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Because transformative ideas can come from anywhere, and anyone, National Geographic, in partnership with Sprint, is announcing "CHASING GENIUS: Unlimited Innovation." This new CHASING GENIUS challenge is aimed at inspiring innovative ideas focused on wireless connectivity and the network of the future.

Advancements in wireless technology enable people to connect around the globe, sharing new ideas, information, and solutions that can change the world. Through the "CHASING GENIUS: Unlimited Innovation" challenge, National Geographic and Sprint will inspire innovative ideas for using wireless connectivity to make positive change, and award the winning idea $25,000 for further development.

The CHASING GENIUS platform, launched by National Geographic last spring, brings together a community of active, aspirational, socially conscious consumers who want to make a difference in the world. Through the platform, challenges are presented to the community in an effort to foster and grow innovative ideas around some of the most pressing issues facing the planet. Through the "CHASING GENIUS: Unlimited Innovation" challenge, Sprint and National Geographic will tap into this community and ask them to share ideas to create a better world.  

"We were so impressed by the response to our first CHASING GENIUS challenge announced last fall, that we wanted to continue to use this platform to connect with our audiences and help them drive change in the world," said Brendan Ripp, Executive Vice President, Brand Partnerships, National Geographic. "Sprint is an ideal partner in the effort to find the next big idea that will help bring the power of wireless connectivity to all corners of the world and we can't wait to see the innovative ideas that come from the CHASING GENIUS community."

"Imagine a world where everyone, no matter their background or where they live, has access to high-speed, affordable connectivity," said Dr. John Saw, Chief Technology Officer, Sprint. "That's what this is all about. We're thrilled to work with National Geographic to support this platform and provide people with a reason to explore their curiosities, share their ideas, and work to make the world a better place."

Interested participants can learn more and apply at www.natgeochasinggenius.com. To enter, consumers are asked to create and submit one-minute videos describing their "CHASING GENIUS" idea and the solution it provides. The submissions will be evaluated based on the following criteria: innovation, creativity, viability and inspiration. Members of the CHASING GENIUS Council will determine the finalists and the CHASING GENIUS community will cast their votes to choose the winning idea. The winner will receive $25,000 to take their idea further.

The CHASING GENIUS Council represents a mix of expertise and influence. Members include top scientists, entrepreneurs, storytellers, visionaries, explorers and creators who know what it means to think outside the box, and are driven by a passion and a purpose to make the world a better place. The Council includes:

ERIC BERKENPAS
ENGINEER
As the Sr. Director of Exploration Technology at Nat Geo, Eric leads a team of engineers that develop specialized equipment to help media groups, researchers, and explorers meet their technology needs in the field. Eric has helped develop a camera that can film from the deepest locations in the ocean; a camera system for collecting video, audio, and other data from wild animals; and some of the first aerial photographic drones used by Nat Geo.

VICTORIA JAGGARD
EDITOR, JOURNALIST
Victoria Jaggard serves as the lead editor for science and innovation news for National Geographic online, primarily covering astronomy, paleontology, and technology. A graduate of Lehigh University, Jaggard has also worked as a reporter and editor for Smithsonian and New Scientist magazines. During her career, she has chased tornadoes in Colorado, witnessed the last space shuttle launch in Florida, and dug up fossils in Wyoming.

TAN LE
INNOVATOR, ENTREPRENEUR
Tan Le creates innovations that extend and improve the way our brains are studied and understood. She is founder & CEO of EMOTIV which aims to advance neurotechnology, broaden participation in brain research, and create a new worldwide platform for sharing brain data. An emerging National Geographic Explorer, Tan's work is dramatically accelerating the pace of brain research, and her mission entails giving everyday citizens the tools to better understand how their own brains function.

Dr. JOHN SAW
CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER
John Saw, Ph.D., is the Chief Technology Officer at Sprint, responsible for technology development, network planning, engineering, deployment, and service assurance of the Sprint network, as well as device development and engineering.  Dr. Saw has more than 20 years of wireless industry experience and in 2017 was appointed to the Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee by Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman, Ajit Pai.

ALBERT YU-MIN LIN
RESEARCH SCIENTIST, ENTREPRENEUR, EXPLORER
Albert Yu-Min Lin is a research scientist and engineer focused on technology-enabled exploration and what he calls the human frontier. A National Geographic Emerging Explorer based at the University of California, San Diego, he develops methods that combine satellite imagery, crowdsourcing engines, machine learning, VR, drones, ground-penetrating radar, and other tools to push the boundaries of conventional science and take him into some of the most remote and unexplored places in the world.

Each step of the journey can be experienced through www.natgeochasinggenius.com and across National Geographic's social platforms. The deadline for the "CHASING GENIUS: Unlimited Innovation" challenge submissions is March 5, 2018. The winner will be announced on March 21, 2018.

CHASING GENIUS is inspired by National Geographic's Emmy-nominated series, Genius which will once again be supported across National Geographic platforms including the May cover of National Geographic magazine, travel, social, digital, and other platforms.  Season two, premiering April 24^th, will chronicle the life of another renowned mastermind and tell the untold narrative of the person behind the genius -- this time, focusing on Pablo Picasso.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. The Challenge begins on January 23, 2018 at 10:00am ET and ends on March 21, 2018 at 5:00pm ET. Open to legal U.S. residents and D.C. who are 18 years or older. Void where prohibited by law. See Official Rules for complete prize description and full details.

About National Geographic Partners LLC
National Geographic Partners LLC (NGP), a joint venture between National Geographic and 21st Century Fox, is committed to bringing the world premium science, adventure and exploration content across an unrivaled portfolio of media assets. NGP combines the global National Geographic television channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo MUNDO, Nat Geo PEOPLE) with National Geographic's media and consumer-oriented assets, including National Geographic magazines; National Geographic studios; related digital and social media platforms; books; maps; children's media; and ancillary activities that include travel, global experiences and events, archival sales, licensing and e-commerce businesses. Furthering knowledge and understanding of our world has been the core purpose of National Geographic for 130 years, and now we are committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going further for our consumers...and reaching millions of people around the world in 172 countries and 43 languages every month as we do it. NGP returns 27 percent of our proceeds to the nonprofit National Geographic Society to fund work in the areas of science, exploration, conservation and education. For more information visit natgeotv.com or nationalgeographic.com, or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest.

About Sprint
Sprint (NYSE: S) is a communications services company that creates more and better ways to connect its customers to the things they care about most. Sprint served 54 million connections as of Sept. 30, 2017 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; leading no-contract brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

SOURCE National Geographic

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