Call for entries: Lufthansa’s first Changemaker Challenge seeks ideas for sustainable innovation in Travel and Mobility

• Lufthansa Innovation Hub, Lufthansa Group, Expedia Group, Google, and Uber seek digital and tech solutions to make travel and mobility more sustainable 
• Ideas can be submitted online until October 30, 2019. Early-stage startups, students, and young professionals worldwide are welcome to participate
• Finalists will pitch their ideas on stage at the “Lufthansa Group Innovation Forum” in front of an expert jury and can win prizes worth 30,000 euros. 

With the launch of the Changemaker Challenge, the Lufthansa Group and its new digital business unit Lufthansa Innovation Hub are aiming to explore the full potential of digitalization in the context of sustainable travel and mobility, focusing not only on aviation, but the entire travel chain. Lufthansa has therefore partnered with three category leaders from the Travel & Mobility Tech ecosystem: Expedia Group, Google, and Uber.

Submitted ideas can range from solutions that make the individual’s ecological impact transparent throughout their journey to those that support sustainable decisions during the booking process and innovative transportation technologies. Early-stage startups, students, and young professionals worldwide are welcome to participate. Starting today, ideas can be submitted online until October 30, 2019.

“Digital innovations can play a pivotal role in the creation of a more sustainable future for transportation. As the field is far from having been explored in all its facets, we are joining forces with three strong industry leaders whose expertise and global reach cover all segments of the travel and mobility chain. Combined with the aviation expertise of Lufthansa Group, our common goal is to understand the field’s overall potential through the specific ideas of creative minds from all over the world,” says Gleb Tritus, Managing Director of the Lufthansa Innovation Hub and one of the judges of the Changemaker Challenge.

Applicants can compete in four different categories:

1.  “Upgrade to Sustainability”
   Platforms consolidating various travel products (flights, hotels, etc.) that currently often lack sustainable options. Travelers need tools, add-ons, and services that present sustainable alternatives in the planning and booking process.
2. “Disrupt Urban Mobility”
   Urban mobility should be accessible to all citizens and enable them to be mobile, connected and efficient while acting sustainably. Ideas are therefore needed that shape the urban mobility landscape with a focus on sustainability.
3. “The Good Traveler”
   Travel can have negative effects on local communities and the environment. In this category we seek digital solutions that contribute to an improved social and ecological footprint at the travel destination.
4. “Beyond Booking”
   Passengers are usually presented with a carbon-offsetting option during the booking process, but lack such an alternative later. In this category, solutions are sought that support sustainable behaviorand decision-making throughout the travel journey.

Expertise along the entire travel chain

The partners of the Changemaker Challenge – Lufthansa Group, Expedia Group, Google, and Uber – have industry knowledge across all areas of the travel journey on a global scale: from planning and booking, through travel and mobility operations, to the experiences and engagement of travelers.

The finalists of the Changemaker Challenge will benefit from this comprehensive expertise during the final pitches in December. During the finals, they will be judged by an expert jury consisting of high-level executives from each company on December 4 at the Lufthansa Group headquarters in Frankfurt (Main), Germany. The event will be part of the “Innovation Forum”, Lufthansa Group’s main global innovation event. Winners will receive prizes worth 30,000 euros.

Applications can be submitted via www.changemaker-challenge.com until October 30, 2019. The finalists will be announced by November 15, 2019. Additional information can be found on the Changemaker Challenge website.