Last Friday saw the deadline for entries to the GSMA Design Challenge, sponsored by Qtel and in partnership with USAID and AusAID. We were absolutely thrilled with your response! Thank you to all who submitted.

Thanks also to all those who supported us by sharing news of the Challenge to their networks. Special mention goes to Developer Tech, Fierce Wireless, Mobile Entertainment and WIP Connector.

The next wave of the mobile revolution will be powered by smartphones. Key to ensuring that resource-poor women won’t be left behind as this happens is considering their unique mobile needs at the design stage. We’re delighted that so many of you agree and hope that this Design Challenge is just a step on the way to a greater focus on resource-poor women’s mobile user experience.

We’ll be back in the New Year to share updates from the selection panel, as they get to work on the difficult task of deciding the winners, to be announced at Mobile World Congress in February 2013. In the meantime, wishing you all the best from the GSMA mWomen Design Challenge team!