The themes for 2025 are Decarbonisation and Cool Earth. More details can be found on the Submissions page here.
The information you provide on your application is strictly confidential and will only be available to the following:
- The Liveability Challenge Organisers (to manage your application)
- The shortlisting committee (to evaluate your application)
- The judges (to score your project)
- Our selected partners (for potential collaborations)
Your project title and ideas may be announced in the public domain for the sole purpose of promoting The Liveability Challenge and its related events.
The teams with the most ground-breaking solutions will be mentored to refine their pitches and proposals, through an intensive month of coaching by leading experts. They will get to pitch their solutions at The Liveability Challenge Grand Finale at Ecosperity, for a chance to win S$2 million and more in funding and other exclusive opportunities. Finalists will also join the TLC alumni and ecosystem comprising investors, incubators, regulators, innovators and changemakers from across the globe.
Entrants who are shortlisted as finalists will:
a. Be required to submit videos of their presentation, including slides, which will be reviewed by TLC mentors in order for them to offer guidance. These slides will be screened at the grand finale.
b. Attend coaching and pitch preparation sessions in April 2025 to refine your business idea and presentation, with the help of our panel of coaches.
c. Take part in person at the grand finale of The Liveability Challenge in May 2025 at Ecosperity held in Singapore. You will present your idea and take part in a question and answer session with our judging panel at The Liveability Challenge.
d. For finalists based outside of Singapore, they will be provided with travel and accommodation to attend the finale, with certain terms and conditions.
Shortlisted entries will be notified in early March 2025. Our steering committees in each track will then further rigorously assess shortlisted applications to select the TLC 2025 finalists. Finalists will be notified thereafter.
For example, an engineering team develops a battery storage technology for homes that can hold 50% more energy by weight than others on the market. The team is able to prove with success in a laboratory environment with simulated real-world settings that the battery functions as they intended it to. They have therefore attained proof of concept.
Now they must attain proof-of-value, and they apply to The Liveability Challenge with a proposal to further test the battery storage technology in a real world environment in Singapore. Because they have proof of concept, they are eligible to apply to The Liveability Challenge for funding and other opportunities.
While there are varying definitions of Technology Readiness Levels, applications to The Liveability Challenge will be accepted as long as they demonstrate proof of concept.
Projects will be reviewed and shortlisted by Temasek Foundation, Eco-Business and a panel of industry experts.
For The Liveability Challenge Grand Finale, the profile of our 2025 judges will be announced and published online prior to the event.
Projects will be judged according to the following criteria:
Technology Readiness Level 6: Projects must have formulated its technology concept and application, undergone analytical and characteristic proof of concept. Components must be validated in a laboratory and relevant environment.
Innovation: The project must propose a solution that is based on a new technology, and must address a key sustainability issue.
Impact: The solution must deliver positive impact for sustainability and liveability, and must be better than competing technologies. The solution must also address all necessary safety, ethics or regulatory requirements.
Scalability: The solution should be commercially viable, with distribution channels for the solutions or end users or ‘receptacles’ to adopt them.
1. Once submissions are closed, the TLC team reviews all entries to shortlist the top 10 to 15 solutions per track. This number depends on the quality of submissions.
2. The TLC team will convene two steering committees comprising subject matter experts, one for each track, to evaluate the shortlisted entries, and pick three (3) per track to advance to the Grand Finale. Submissions are selected based on the quality of their application, proof-of-concept and applicability to cities.
3. Shortlisted finalists are required to accept the invitation to pitch at the Grand Finale within 3 working days. In the event they fail to do so, their spot will be given to the next best project.
We advise that you submit your solution to only one track and where your solution has the stronger competitive advantage. In the event the Shortlisting Committee believes your solution is a better fit in another theme, you will be informed and given the option for your solution to be evaluated in the alternative theme.
The Challenge is accepting submissions between 12 September 2024 and 9 February 2025, 2359h (GMT +8).
Please read the criteria for application here and then fill in this form.
All projects that do not meet requirements of i) having proof of concept and ii) being at least TRL 6 will be declined.
There is no cost to participating in The Liveability Challenge.
Please review the Terms & Conditions before submitting your projects to the Challenge.
You are eligible if you are:
18 years or older.
Not an employee of Temasek Foundation or Eco-Business
Not a close relative or connected otherwise with the organisation or the judging of the competition
TLC welcomes all projects or above Technology Readiness Level (TLR) 6 and has already achieved proof of concept. While teams may be based anywhere in the world, the proposed project must be applicable to Singapore and cities along the tropical belt.
We strongly suggest viewing our video guides and commonly asked questions if this is your first time applying.