Frequently Asked Questions
KeY Questions
WHAT IS THE T CHALLENGE ALL ABOUT?
The T-Challenge is our stage for awarding digital innovators with the opportunity to turn their ideas into reality together with Telekom and T-Mobile USA, leveraging our network of experts and an attractive prize money. To grow and develop ideas, we strive to create long-term collaborations. For this year’s challenge, we are looking for the best possible ways to use AI for telecommunications.
WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?
12 nominees will be invited to pitch their solutions at the award ceremony in Bonn (Germany) and get the opportunity to meet with high-level executives and decision-makers of Deutsche Telekom/T-Mobile US and explore various cooperation opportunities with one of the world’s largest telecommunication companies.
Additional benefits for the nominees:
- Access to top management, experts and mentorship from Deutsche Telekom and T-Mobile USA
- Travel expenses to the award ceremony
Prize money for the best teams in the following top award categories:
- 1st prize: € 150,000
- 2nd prize: € 75,000
- 3rd prize: € 35,000
Additional prize money for the best teams in the following special award categories:
- Most engaging presentation: € 25,000
- Most integration potential: € 25,000
- Most visionary solution: € 25,000
WHO CAN APPLY?
T Challenge is a worldwide invitation for developers, experts, creatives and researchers from academia, R&D institutes, startups, agencies, and from the industry to provide innovative solutions for specific challenge fields.
Employees of Deutsche Telekom, T-Mobile USA and their affiliated companies are not allowed to apply for the T Challenge.
For detailed information please have a look on our “Rules” document.
HOW DO I APPLY?
You can submit your applications online by filling out our submission page (apply.t-challenge.com) until January 26, 2024 at 23:59 CEST.
Make us curious about your idea and describe what you will achieve during the following development phase. The contest language is English. Only ideas submitted in English will be considered. Those selected will then be notified via email by end of February 2024.
EXPECTATIONS FOR WINNERS
CAN I MAKE CHANGES TO MY APPLICATION BEFORE THE SUBMISSION DEADLINE?
Yes, it will be possible to save your application, edit and delete it until the end of the respective submission phase. Once the submission deadline arrives, your application will be automatically submitted, and it will be locked from editing. Please note that we will only consider applications that include all required information before January 26, 2024, 23:59 CEST.
WHAT DO WE EXPECT FOR THE “SPECIAL AWARDS”?
The “special awards” honor the best contributions in the following categories:
- Most engaging presentation: This award goes out to the team which delivers an outstanding presentation (pitch and exhibition) during the demo days at Deutsche Telekom headquarters in Bonn, Germany.
- Most integration potential: This award is designed to reward a solution in the field of AI for telecommunications that shows the highest potential for integration into our existing systems, platforms, or processes. It recognizes a solution that, while innovative, has been designed with a clear understanding of the practical realities of the telecommunications industry and can be seamlessly and effectively incorporated into current operations.
- Most visionary solution: This award is designed to reward ambitious, forward-thinking ideas in the field of AI for telecommunications. It recognizes a solution that, while still in its early stages, shows immense potential to revolutionize the industry or significantly enhance some aspect of it.
WHAT DO WE EXPECT FROM THE NOMINEES IN THE DEVELOPMENT PHASE?
We want to give each member of the nominees the greatest possible flexibility to work on their final solution.
Nevertheless, the final results should meet the following core guideline:
AI for telecommunication – re-imagine networks and services: deliver a tangible prototype or solution (at least an MVP) customized to “Telekom”/T-Mobile USA during the “development phase”.
At the end of the development phase, you will pitch your ideas in front of a grand jury in Bonn (Germany). You will need to prepare a pitch deck in the preparation phase (template will be provided). You will also need to demonstrate your tangible solution.
AI for telecommunication – re-imagine networks and services: deliver a tangible prototype or solution (at least an MVP) customized to “Telekom”/T-Mobile USA during the “development phase”.
At the end of the development phase, you will pitch your ideas in front of a grand jury in Bonn (Germany). You will need to prepare a pitch deck in the preparation phase (template will be provided). You will also need to demonstrate your tangible solution.
WHAT DOES THE SELECTION PROCESS LOOK LIKE?
The evaluation and selection process of the T Challenge is designed to create an open, accountable, multi-step selection process based solely on the merit of the submitted ideas. All submissions shall receive the same opportunity.
Each eligible submitted idea shall be evaluated by expert evaluators from DTAG, TMUS or selected partners. The main selection criteria are a clearly expressed concept, which in the view of the evaluators holds the most promise to have significant impact on the customer experience and has the best fit with Deutsche Telekom’s and T-Mobile USA’s strategic goals.
After the idea submission phase, a qualification jury will nominate up to 12 teams for the “Top awards”. During the development phase, each team should focus on further developing/adapting the idea to be able to present a tangible solution during the final pitch- and demo day. A grand jury will select the three winners for the “top awards”. Additionally, we would like to honor the best performing teams with our three “special awards”.
All nominees in the development phase (up to 12 teams) are eligible to be (additionally) awarded with any of these special awards. This means that you could win in all special award categories in addition to your top award nomination.
Each eligible submitted idea shall be evaluated by expert evaluators from DTAG, TMUS or selected partners. The main selection criteria are a clearly expressed concept, which in the view of the evaluators holds the most promise to have significant impact on the customer experience and has the best fit with Deutsche Telekom’s and T-Mobile USA’s strategic goals.
After the idea submission phase, a qualification jury will nominate up to 12 teams for the “Top awards”. During the development phase, each team should focus on further developing/adapting the idea to be able to present a tangible solution during the final pitch- and demo day. A grand jury will select the three winners for the “top awards”. Additionally, we would like to honor the best performing teams with our three “special awards”.
All nominees in the development phase (up to 12 teams) are eligible to be (additionally) awarded with any of these special awards. This means that you could win in all special award categories in addition to your top award nomination.
IS MY DATA SAFE?
To submit your idea, you have to register with a password. The provided information will be used for challenge purposes only. Your personal data will be deleted 6 months after the award ceremony in Bonn. The implementation partner Schaltzeit GmbH will support Deutsche Telekom AG for administration of the submitted material according to German law. The Personal Data is stored in a datacenter in Germany; the transmission path will be secured by TLS/SSL-coding. By submitting your idea within this challenge, you consent that T-Mobile USA, Deutsche Telekom AG, and its subcontractors Schaltzeit GmbH will collect, process, and store your data according to the T Challenge Rules.
SUBMISSION & SELECTION
CAN I MAKE CHANGES TO MY APPLICATION BEFORE THE SUBMISSION DEADLINE?
Yes, it will be possible to save your application, edit and delete it until the end of the respective submission phase. Once the submission deadline arrives, your application will be automatically submitted, and it will be locked from editing. Please note that we will only consider applications that include all required information before January 26, 2024, 23:59 CEST.
CAN I HAND IN MORE THAN ONE IDEA IN THE SUBMISSION PHASE?
All innovative ideas are welcome. If you have more than one innovative idea, you can submit these under the same login online at our submission page – either in the same category or in another category.
WHAT DOES THE TIMELINE LOOK LIKE?
The challenge application will take place in two phases. In the submission phase you should make us curious about your idea and describe what you will achieve in the development phase. The applications will be accepted from November 2, 2023 until January 26, 2024, 23:59 CEST. The selected ideas will be notified via email by end of February 2024 and admitted to the development phase.
In the development phase from March until May 2024, we are expecting you to work on the development of a prototype or solution.
The pitch session and award ceremony will be held on June 10-11, 2024 in Bonn, Germany. Please mark in your calendar the dates from June 07, 2024 until June 12, 2024. These are the dates you should plan to be in Bonn for organizational reasons (e.g., installing your solution, technical readiness, dry run of the pitch session).
In the development phase from March until May 2024, we are expecting you to work on the development of a prototype or solution.
The pitch session and award ceremony will be held on June 10-11, 2024 in Bonn, Germany. Please mark in your calendar the dates from June 07, 2024 until June 12, 2024. These are the dates you should plan to be in Bonn for organizational reasons (e.g., installing your solution, technical readiness, dry run of the pitch session).
WHAT DOES THE SELECTION PROCESS LOOK LIKE?
The evaluation and selection process of the T Challenge is designed to create an open, accountable, multi-step selection process based solely on the merit of the submitted ideas. All submissions shall receive the same opportunity.
Each eligible submitted idea shall be evaluated by expert evaluators from DTAG, TMUS or selected partners. The main selection criteria are a clearly expressed concept, which in the view of the evaluators holds the most promise to have significant impact on the customer experience and has the best fit with Deutsche Telekom’s and T-Mobile USA’s strategic goals.
After the idea submission phase, a qualification jury will nominate up to 12 teams to enter the “development phase”. During the development phase, each team should focus on further developing/adapting the idea to be able to present a tangible solution during the final pitch- and demo day. A grand jury will select one winner for each “top award category”. Additionally, we would like to honor the best performing teams with our three “special awards”.
All nominees in the development phase (up to 12 teams) are eligible to be (additionally) awarded with any of these special awards. This means that you could win in all special award categories in addition to your nomination.
Each eligible submitted idea shall be evaluated by expert evaluators from DTAG, TMUS or selected partners. The main selection criteria are a clearly expressed concept, which in the view of the evaluators holds the most promise to have significant impact on the customer experience and has the best fit with Deutsche Telekom’s and T-Mobile USA’s strategic goals.
After the idea submission phase, a qualification jury will nominate up to 12 teams to enter the “development phase”. During the development phase, each team should focus on further developing/adapting the idea to be able to present a tangible solution during the final pitch- and demo day. A grand jury will select one winner for each “top award category”. Additionally, we would like to honor the best performing teams with our three “special awards”.
All nominees in the development phase (up to 12 teams) are eligible to be (additionally) awarded with any of these special awards. This means that you could win in all special award categories in addition to your nomination.
IS MY DATA SAFE?
To submit your idea, you have to register with a password. The provided information will be used for challenge purposes only. Your personal data will be deleted 6 months after the award ceremony in Bonn. The implementation partner Schaltzeit GmbH will support Deutsche Telekom AG for administration of the submitted material according to German law. The Personal Data is stored in a datacenter in Germany; the transmission path will be secured by TLS/SSL-coding. By submitting your idea within this challenge, you consent that T-Mobile USA, Deutsche Telekom AG, and its subcontractors Schaltzeit GmbH will collect, process, and store your data according to the T Challenge Rules.
This list is not limited. If you have questions, write us at challenge@telekom.de.
