The European Social Innovation Competition is a challenge prize run by the European Commission and supported by a consortium led by Nesta, now in its fifth year. Organised in memory of Diogo Vasconcelos, the competition calls all Europeans to come up with solutions to the problems affecting our society. The topic of last year's competition was the successful integration of refugees and migrants in Europe. Learn about the 2016 Competition: Integrated Futures and take a look at the journey on the video below.

The 2017 competition was launched at the Benaki Museum in Athens by Rania Antonopoulou, Deputy Minister in the Government of Greece and Panos Carvounis, Head of Representation in Greece from the European Commission. We were joined in the morning by the Vice Mayor for Civil Society and Innovation, Amalia Zepou, who welcomed us to Athens. Impact Hub Athens then led a panel on the 'Misfits Economy', or the social innovation ecosystem, with engaged Athenians discussing their work.

The afternoon panel, on spreading the benefits of technological change, showcased innovators who have put their ideas for reducing inequality into action.

The competition is looking for innovations in tools, services and models to equip all members of society with the appropriate skills and opportunities they need to be able to compete in a changing economy.