Teams can submit entries until June 6, 2025
The Inter-American Development Bank Group has launched the eighth edition of Superheroes of Development to recognize clients and executing agencies that have overcome significant challenges while implementing development projects. The contest showcases transformative experiences that yield lessons that can improve people’s lives and realities in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Superheroes of Development, a BIDAcademy initiative, highlights projects with relevant and replicable experiences. The winning teams will show how they turned lessons from project implementation into effective tools for overcoming challenges and maximizing development impact.
“The Superheroes of Development contest underscores our commitment to operational excellence and collective learning. By celebrating these teams, we amplify what’s working and allow others to learn from what they already know, strengthening our capacity as a region,” said Lorena Rodríguez Bu, Chief of the IDB Knowledge and Learning Division.
The contest honors our executing partners and clients in two categories:
Category 1: IDB and IDB Lab projects that are currently in progress (with at least an initial disbursement) or have ended since January 2016. IDB projects must have a Project Completion Report (PCR).
Category 2: IDB Invest Projects with an Expanded Supervision Report (XSR) that is completed or currently being drafted. This report contains IDB Invest’s internal final evaluation of the project, which is validated by the IDB Office of Evaluation and Oversight.
Teams interested in participating must fill out the online form on the contest’s homepage, where the rules and regulations are also posted. The IDB will share the winning stories throughout the region. The six finalist projects will be invited to an awards ceremony at the IDB headquarters in Washington DC. The 2024 contest received 149 submissions from 26 countries in the region, and the winning teams were from Colombia and Honduras.
For more information, please visit https://cloud.mail.iadb.org/superheroes-of-development.
About the IDB
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is devoted to improving lives across Latin America and the Caribbean. Founded in 1959, the IDB works with the region’s public sector to design and enable impactful, innovative solutions for sustainable and inclusive development. Leveraging financing, technical expertise and knowledge, it promotes growth and well-being in 26 countries.
About IDB Invest
IDB Invest is a multilateral development bank committed to promoting the economic development of its member countries in Latin America and the Caribbean through the private sector. IDB Invest finances sustainable companies and projects to achieve financial results and maximize economic, social, and environmental development in the region. With a portfolio of $21 billion in assets under management and over 394 clients in 25 countries, IDB Invest provides innovative financial solutions and advisory services that meet the needs of its clients in a variety of industries. Visit our website www.idbinvest.org/en.
About IDB Lab
IDB Lab is the innovation and venture arm of the Inter-American Development Bank Group. We discover new ways to drive social inclusion, environmental action, and productivity in Latin America and the Caribbean. IDB Lab leverages financing, knowledge, and connections to support early-stage entrepreneurship, foster the development of new technologies, activate innovative markets, and catalyze existing sectors. www.bidlab.org/en