NSF.WINS.application.guide
NSF.WINS.application.guide
NSF.WINS.application.guide
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NSF WINS Application
Submission Guide
v1.3 February 2018
Overview
The following guide is meant to walk you through the process of submitting a project to the
Mozilla/NSF Wireless Innovation for a Networked Society (WINS) Challenges. Before using this
guide, please make sure that you have carefully read through the Challenge rules and criteria
posted on the WINS website as well as the formal rules and regulations governing the
Challenges.
How to submit a project to the WINS Challenges
Before you submit
Before beginning the application process, you will need to be able to answer the following
questions:
●Who will act as your Team Leader (e.g. the person who will be submitting the application
and will sign award agreements and other official documents for the organization, team
or individual)?
●Are you applying as an individual, a team of individuals or as an organization? If you’re
applying as an organization, what type of organization is it (e.g. for-profit, 501c3 public
charity, 501c3 private foundation or governmental unit)?
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●Will you submit your project to the Off-the-Grid Internet Challenge, the Smart
Community Networks Challenge, or both?
Once you know the answers to these questions, you can begin the application process, even if
your solution is not yet ready to submit.
Intent to Apply Form
The first step to submitting your project is to fill out and submit the Intent to Apply Form, which
is linked to on the NSF WINS website. You may fill out and submit this form even before you
have finalized all of the details of your submission. All entrants must submit an Intent to Apply
form by 11:59:59pm PT on October 15, 2017. Once your Intent to Apply Form has been
reviewed by Mozilla staff, you will receive instructions via email, no later than October 31, 2017,
on how to submit the next stage of your application. The Intent to Apply Form should only be
submitted once per team, organization or individual.
Application Step 1 (Design Concept)
You will be invited to submit a full application via Mozilla’s Fluxx portal once your Intent to Apply
Form has been reviewed and approved by Mozilla. Once you have received this invitation, please
visit Mozilla’s Fluxx portal and log in using the information provided in the registration email.
The questions that you will have to answer as part of the Step 1 Application are provided in the
sample application at the end of this guide. All Step 1 Applications must be received by
11:59:59pm PT on November 15, 2017.
Application Step 2 (Working Prototype)
Based on the judges’ selections, entrants will be notified via email whether they have been
selected to move on to Stage 2 of the competition, as well as if they have been selected for an
award recognizing an outstanding Design Concept. Entrants will receive this notification no later
than January 31, 2018. Entrants who are selected to move on to the second stage of the
competition will receive instructions on how to submit their Step 2 application for their working
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prototype using Fluxx. The questions that you will have to answer as part of the Step 2
Application are provided in the sample application at the end of this guide. All Step 2
Applications must be received by 11:59:59pm PT on June 22, 2018. Finalists at this stage may
be required to provide a live demo of their projects for judges and/or a public audience (travel
and accommodations will be provided for any finalists who are required to travel, see the rules
and regulations for more information).
Announcement of Final Awards
Final award winners for the Challenges will be notified via email and phone and will be publicly
announced on or around August 2018.
Things to note before using Fluxx to submit your application
You will be submitting and managing your application at Stages 1 and 2 using Mozilla’s Fluxx
portal. Please keep in mind the following guidelines when using the Fluxx software to submit
your project:
●The information you enter into Fluxx will not auto-save. Therefore, always save your draft
using the ‘Save’ button at the top of the screen, before returning to the main page or
exiting Fluxx. This will ensure that you can return to continue editing.
●Only click the ‘Submit’ button once all the fields on the page are complete. Once you
have clicked ‘Submit,’ you will no longer be able to edit.
●The contact information included in your application is showing as it appears in our
database. If the information is not accurate, you can update it by following the
instructions in the next section of this guide. It’s important that we have your correct
contact information, so that we can notify you of the status of your application.
●Fluxx is not mobile-friendly. Plan to complete your application using a laptop or desktop
computer, not a smartphone or tablet.
●If you have questions or need assistance using Fluxx, please email
grants@mozillafoundation.org.
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Submitting your application using Fluxx
1.) Before you submit
If you submitted your information via the Intent to Apply form before the deadline (October 15,
2017), you will receive an email containing your Fluxx username and password, as well as
another email containing an invitation to submit to the NSF WINS Challenges. You should
receive both of these emails by October 31, 2017. If you filled out the Intent to Apply form and
did not receive these emails, first check your spam filter and search your email inbox for
“fluxx.io”. If you still are unable to locate your Fluxx invites, please email
wirelesschallenge@mozillafoundation.org and be sure to include both the name and the email
address that you used to fill out the Intent to Apply form.
2.) Logging into Fluxx
To log into Fluxx for the first time, visit https://mozilla.fluxx.io using a desktop web browser, not
a mobile phone or tablet. To log in, enter in the username and password that you received via
email.
3.) Change your password
For security purposes, it’s best to change your default password before entering in any data.
Upon logging in, you’ll see a navigation panel on the left hand side of the screen. At the bottom
of the panel, you’ll see a gear (see screenshot below). Click on the gear and select “Change
Password” to change your password. You may also use this menu to logout of your session
once you’re done.
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4.) Fill in and/or update your information
In the side panel, click the “Organizations” and “People” buttons to view your information. Please
fill in any information that is not complete and update any information that is incorrect or out of
date by pressing the “Edit” button and filling in the correct information.
●If you need to add a new person as a primary contact or signatory, you should do so via
the “Add new” button on the application form, not the “People” button in the side panel.
5.) Locating your draft application(s)
In the side panel, click on the “Drafts” button under “Requests” in order to view your open
applications. This will open any unsubmitted WINS applications that are associated with your
account in a second panel. You may see two separate WINS applications if you have indicated
that you wish to submit to both Challenges (each Challenge requires a separate application).
●Note: do not submit your application using the “Apply for Funding ” button in the side
panel. In order to apply for the WINS Challenges, you must use the WINS-specific
application form, which should be located in your “Drafts”. If you do not see a WINS
application in your Drafts of if you cannot edit it, please email
grants@mozillafoundation.org.
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6.) Edit your application
Select an application in the second panel from the left. This will open that application in a third
panel. In order to edit the application, click on the “Edit” button, which appears in the upper
right-hand corner of the application (see screenshot below). Note: Fluxx does not auto-save. In
order to save your work, you must press the “Save” button at the bottom of the application. Your
application will remain in the “Drafts” section and can be edited and saved as many times as
you wish.
7.) Fill out your application
Fill out your application, providing the most complete answers you can to all required questions.
A few things to note:
●Each question has a character limit--the number of characters remaining appears below
that question.
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●Make sure you select the Challenge you wish to respond to (either “Challenge 1: The
Off-The-Grid Internet Challenge” or “Challenge 2: The Smart Community Networks
Challenge”). You will be required to answer a different set of questions depending on
which of the two Challenges your application is responding to.
●If you would like to submit your project to both Challenges, you will need to fill out two
separate applications. If you do not have two draft applications available in your Fluxx
account but wish to submit to both Challenges, please email
grants@mozillafoundation.org in order to have a second application added.
●If you need to change your applicant type from an organization to an individual applicant
or group of individuals, simply check the “Individual Applicant” box on the application
form (see below). If you need to change your applicant type from an individual to an
organization, please email grants@mozillafoundation.org.
●After indicating the applicant type, you will see a dropdown menu asking if “[T]his grant
include[s] a fiscal sponsor?” (see below). Select “Yes” if you have arranged to receive
fiscal sponsorship from a 501c3 organization (if so, you will then need to fill out
information relating to that organization). If not, select “No”.
8.) Submit your application
Once you are ready to submit your application, be sure to hit “Save” one last time, then press the
“Submit” button at the bottom of the application. In order to submit your application, you will
need to agree to both the NSF WINS rules, as well as the Mozilla privacy policy. Note: once your
application has been submitted, it cannot be edited or changed.
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9.) Viewing your application after it has been submitted
If you wish to view your submitted application(s), you may do so by clicking on the “Submitted
Requests” button, under “Requests” in the left sidebar. You may return to the Fluxx portal at any
time to view your submitted applications or to update your organizational or contact information
as needed.
Other submission guidelines
In order to qualify for awards, you must follow the guidelines below; see the rules and
regulations for a full list of eligibility and legal requirements.
●Your project must address all of the criteria required for the Challenge that you are
entering; partial solutions will not be considered.
●All entries must be submitted by either a U.S.-based organization or a team leader who is
a legal resident of the U.S. and who is at least 18 years of age.
●For teams of individuals, all individuals on the team must be at least 13 years of age.
●All submissions must be in English.
●All sections of the registration and submission forms must be completed for the
submission to be considered (except for those marked as optional).
●All submissions are final upon submission to the Fluxx portal.
●No responsibility is assumed for lost, late, incomplete, invalid, illegible, incorrect,
inaccurate or misdirected registrations or submissions; or for any error, human, technical
or otherwise, that may occur in the processing of submissions.
●All submissions must be received by the required deadline in order to be considered for
that stage of the competition.
●If you wish to submit confidential materials that you believe are important to your
application, please email wirelesschallenge@mozillafoundation.org with a.) a
description of the confidential materials you wish to submit; b.) an explanation of why
these materials are confidential.
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Sample application
STEP 1 (Design Concept)
All entrants will fill out Step 1 of the application using Fluxx, after they have submitted an
Intent to Apply form and have been invited to sign up for a Fluxx account.
General Information
Which Challenge does your solution address? Note: if you are applying to more than one of the
Challenges, you will need to complete a separate application for each Challenge. (Applicant can select
either “Challenge 1: Off-The-Grid Internet Challenge” or “Challenge 2: Smart Community Networks
Challenge”)
If you were invited to apply by a Mozilla staff member, please provide their name.
Individual Applicant: If you are an individual applicant, please check the individual applicant box.
Organization: This field will be prefilled with information you provided in your Intent to Apply
form. If you need to add or make changes to this information, you may do so in the
“Organizations” section of the portal.
Location: This field will be prefilled with information you provided in your Intent to Apply. The
address for your primary location is referred to in Fluxx as your “headquarters.” You may change
the address in the “Organizations” section of the portal.
Primary Contact: This field will be prefilled with information you provided in your Intent to Apply
form. If you need to add or make changes to this information, you may do so in the “People”
section of the portal.
Primary Signatory: This field will be prefilled with information you provided in your Intent to
Apply form.
Does this grant include a fiscal sponsor?
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Design Concept
Solution Name: What is the name of your solution? (100 characters or fewer)
Team members: For each member of your team, please list the following:
●Full name
●Email address
●A brief bio, which includes their role on the team (i.e. “designer”)
●Links to any additional background information (optional)
(5000 characters or fewer)
Problem Statement: Describe the issue/problem you are trying to address. (500 characters or
fewer)
Solution Statement: Describe your solution and how it will connect the unconnected. (500
characters or fewer)
Users: Who will the users of your solution be? How does the design of your solution address
those users’ needs? How will it benefit those users? Did you conduct any user research that
shaped the design of your solution? (1250 characters or fewer)
Community/Location: Describe the communities, geographic location(s) and/or types of
environments in which this solution could be most useful. (1250 characters or fewer)
Technical Feasibility: Explain the technical design of your solution. What technical capabilities do
you envision a working prototype will have? Are there any technical hurdles or problems that will
need to be solved in order to build a working prototype? At what stage of development is your
solution currently? (5000 characters or fewer)
Differentiation: How does the proposed solution differ from or improve upon existing solutions?
What is innovative or novel about the proposed concept or technology? (1250 characters or
fewer)
Affordability: How affordably do you envision the solution could be implemented in a real
community? (1250 characters or fewer)
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Social Impact: How well-tailored is the solution to the needs of the community and users for
which it is designed? How will the design of the solution help engage community members in
order to maximize utilization? (1250 characters or fewer)
Scalability: How will the solution be adaptable to a broader set of communities or areas? How
scalable is the solution? How will you provide tools and documentation to anyone who might wish
to build upon your work or launch a similar effort? (1250 characters or fewer)
Openness: Mozilla works in the open. How will you document and share your project progress
with the community? What documentation and resources have you created to help others
understand and leverage your design in their own work? (1250 characters or fewer)
Previous awards: Have you previously been awarded a prize for this solution in any competition?
If so, please explain. (1250 characters or fewer)
Internet Health: On which Internet health issue(s) does your solution focus? (To learn more
about each of these areas, visit internethealthreport.org)
Open Innovation
Digital Inclusion
Decentralization
Privacy and Security
Web Literacy
Links to public documentation: Please provide publicly-accessible links to information on your
solution, using the categories provided below. You may only provide one link per category and do
not need to provide links for all four categories:
Public website/Documentation
Code repository (e.g., public GitHub page)
Design/technical documents or schematics
Video content (e.g., link to YouTube video)
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Off-The-Grid Internet Challenge (Challenge 1 Applicants Only)
Portability: How portable is your proposed solution? Could your solution be easily carried by
hand? Please explain. (1250 characters or fewer)
Power: Could your solution be powered, for hours or days, by a portable power source? Please
explain. (1250 characters or fewer)
Applications: What information, apps, services, software, etc. will your solution provide access to?
Are these designed in a way that maximizes usability for the intended users? (1250 characters or
fewer)
Smart Community Networks Challenge (Challenge 2 Applicants Only)
Network Footprint: How will your solution make efficient use of existing infrastructure? (1250
characters or fewer)
Security and Privacy: What steps are you taking to protect privacy and security for users of your
solution? (1250 characters or fewer)
By clicking ‘Submit’ I agree to the WINS Challenge Rules and the Mozilla Privacy Policy.
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STEP 2 (Working Prototype)
This stage of the application will only be filled out by entrants who are selected to move on
to the second stage of the competition and will be completed in Fluxx.
Your Solution
Links to public documentation: Please provide publicly-accessible links to information on your
working prototype, using the categories provided below. You may only provide one link per
category. You MUST provide links for at least two of the four categories.
Public website
Code repository (e.g., public GitHub page)
Design/technical documents and test data
Video content (e.g. a link to a publicly-hosted
video of your working prototype being
demoed, 5 minutes or less)
Solution Statement: Describe your working prototype and how it connects the unconnected.
(500 characters or fewer)
Community/Location: Describe the communities, geographic location(s) and/or types of
environments in which this solution could be most useful. Have these communities and
environments changed since you submitted your Design Concept? (1250 characters or fewer)
Live Demo: If invited to do so, would you be able to provide a live demo of your working
prototype? If no, please explain why below. (500 characters or fewer)
Technical Feasibility: Explain the technical design of your solution. How does your prototype
work? What are its capabilities? What are its limitations? Are there any technical hurdles or
problems that would need to be solved in order to build a real network or device based on your
prototype? (5000 characters or fewer)
Differentiation: How does your prototype differ from or improve upon existing solutions? What
is innovative or novel about the concept or technology? Has this changed since you submitted
your Design Concept? (1250 characters or fewer)
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Affordability: How affordably do you envision the solution could be implemented in a real
community? Has this changed since you submitted your Design Concept? (1250 characters or
fewer)
Social Impact: How well-tailored is the prototype to the needs of the community and users for
which it is designed? How will the design of the solution help engage community members in
order to maximize utilization? Has this changed since you submitted your Design Concept? Have
you tested your prototype in any communities? (1250 characters or fewer)
Sustainability and scalability: How would your solution be financially sustainable in a real
community? How could it be adaptable to other communities or areas? What tools and
documentation have you provided to anyone who might wish to build upon it or launch a similar
effort? (1250 characters or fewer)
Speed: At what download and upload speeds does your solution provide access to users? (500
characters or fewer)
Openness: Mozilla works in the open. How have you documented and shared your solution with
the community? (1250 characters or fewer)
Off-The-Grid Internet Challenge (Challenge 1 Applicants Only)
Portability: How portable is your working prototype? Can your working prototype be easily
carried by hand? Please explain. (1250 characters or less)
Power: Can your working prototype be powered, for hours or days, by a portable power source?
Please explain. (1250 characters or less)
Density and range: How many users can your working prototype support and at what distances?
(1250 characters or fewer)
Applications: What information, apps, services, software, etc. does your prototype provide access
to? How are these designed in a way that maximizes usability for the intended users? (1250
characters or fewer)
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Smart Community Networks Challenge (Challenge 2 Applicants Only)
Network Footprint: How does your solution make efficient use of existing infrastructure? (1250
characters or fewer)
Privacy and Security: What steps are you taking to address the privacy and security expectations
of users of your solution? (1250 characters or fewer)
Density and range: How many simultaneous users can your working prototype support within an
area equivalent to one square city block (for urban projects) or 10 acres (for rural projects)? What
is the maximum distance at which your solution can provide network coverage? (1250 characters
or less)
Access: Does your working prototype provide access to the whole Internet (if ‘no,’ please explain)?
(1250 characters or fewer)
