The Ministry of Education, the Central Council of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan and the Central Council of the Magtymguly Youth Organization of Turkmenistan have announced an information technology startup competition, "Turkmenistan — A Country of Opportunities." The event is dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the country's permanent neutrality.

High school students, university students, teachers, entrepreneurs, independent innovators, and specialists in the IT and creative sectors are invited to participate.

Applications are being accepted until Oct. 22 at the Ashgabat City Committee of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan (S. Turkmenbashi Ave., 81, 3rd floor). Each participant may submit only one project.

During the preliminary stage, projects will undergo expert evaluation. Authors of the top projects will be invited to a boot camp with training on startup management, investment attraction and presentation skills.

The final will take place on Nov. 25. Participants will present their projects to a jury, investors and experts. Projects will be evaluated on six criteria: innovation, socio-economic significance, implementation, business model, teamwork and presentation quality.

Six winners will be chosen: one first-prize winner, two second-prize winners and three third-prize winners. Winners will receive certificates of honor and valuable prizes from the organizers and the main sponsor, "TMT Consulting Group" Economic Society. Consolation prizes will be awarded to other notable projects.

The Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan will assist in finding investors for promising projects.

Contact phone numbers for inquiries are 22-71-93, 22-74-07, and 22-70-38.