This week, Verizon announced 36 finalists from a pool of over 1,400 candidates from around the world for the 2015 Powerful Answers Award program — a competition that challenges innovators, developers and entrepreneurs to provide innovative solutions that deliver social good.
Now in its third year, Verizon’s Powerful Answers Award offers a total of $6 million in cash prizes, plus the opportunity for winners to participate in an Accelerator program designed to help develop their ideas and bring solutions to market faster.

Ohio’s only finalist: Smart Barn – Smart Agriculture (Kettering, OH – www.smart-barn.net)

Their project: To assist farmers with the operation of their farms and monitoring of livestock, the company has developed a series of wirelessly connected equipment to monitor and control the environment condition of their facilities.

Smart Barn uses technology to put you in control of your farm. Manage your barns from your smartphone. What’s the temperature in your barn? Is your dairy bulk tank still cooling? Is your grain dryer still running? Never wonder again. Wireless sensors make Smart Barn easy to install, and a free smartphone app makes it easy to know what’s going on 24/7.

All the Verizon program finalists — who come from diverse backgrounds and represent 10 different countries — are set to present their ideas before judges next week, competing for a prize of $1 million in three categories: Transportation, Emergency Response and the Internet of Things. The winners will be announced Dec. 9.