Guidelines, Criteria and FAQs

Transcription

1 2015 Ideas Challenge Guidelines, Criteria and FAQs Who may enter an idea? We welcome ideas from individuals of all ages who reside within the 23-county region served by The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta. Entrants under the age of 18 must obtain consent from a guardian or parent prior to submitting an idea. If selected as a semi-finalist, you will be asked to provide a parent or guardian name and contact information for consent purposes. Ideas must be submitted by individuals. Submissions may indicate the preferred nonprofit to implement the idea; however, the Ideas Challenge Judges may ultimately pair winners with an alternative organization that could best carry out the idea. When can I enter my idea? You may submit your ideas starting on Tuesday, April 1, 2015 at 12:00 a.m. EST and ending on Tuesday, April 22, 2015 at 11:59 p.m. EST. How do I enter my idea? Submit your ideas online at Click the Submit Now icon and fill out the form provided. ALL submitted ideas will be reviewed according to our eligibility criteria and posted online at and at Submissions must include the following information: Your name, either a phone number, address or both, and city and county of residence. Contact us at [email protected] for assistance. What information should I include in my entry? You will need to answer the following question in 150 words: How would you use $10,000 to improve education in your community? Also be sure to include a brief title for your idea. The title helps others find your idea on Facebook. We also require the following information: Your name, either a phone number, address or both, and your city and county of residence. If you do not provide us with all of the requested information, and we are not able to reach you to gather it, your idea will not be entered into the Ideas Challenge. How many ideas can I submit throughout the Challenge? 1

2 You may submit as many different ideas as you wish via the Ideas Challenge Facebook page. Is there a word limit for my idea? Yes. Your idea must be no more than 150 words. If your entry exceeds this maximum, we may make an effort to contact you and invite you to revise your idea within the stated limits. The Ideas Challenge staff will not revise your entry on your behalf. If we cannot reach you, or we do not receive your revised idea by April 22, 2014, your idea will not be entered into the Ideas Challenge. Do idea entries need to be in English? Yes, we only accept entries submitted in English. What types of ideas qualify? We welcome all ideas! You do not need to write a formal proposal. Keep it simple yet clear and concise. Have fun and be creative! How are ideas reviewed? Reviewers evaluate all ideas based on one primary criterion: Innovation: We are looking for creative ideas. Your idea can be new, or it can offer a fresh twist on a past or present project to improve education in your community. Be imaginative! Challenge reviewers narrow the full list of entries to a shorter list based on the single criterion of innovation. From the narrowed list of entrants, the Ideas Challenge Judges will then select semi-finalists to participate in the Ideas Workshop. The Ideas Workshop will help semi-finalists revise their ideas based on three criteria: Innovation: We are looking for creative ideas. Your idea can be new, or it can offer a fresh twist on a past or present project to improve education. Be imaginative! Impact: We are looking for ideas that will make a difference for the better, creating or improving on something valued by your community. Sustainability: We are looking for ideas with staying power - that will stick - or have the potential to be replicated or expanded in your community or other communities. At the end of the Ideas Workshop, semi-finalists will present their ideas to the Judges Panel. Judges will then select six (6) finalists from the pool of semi-finalists. The six (6) finalists will create a one (1) minute video to present their idea on Facebook for a public vote. Public vote will determine the three (3) Challenge Finalists. What if ideas are the same? We recognize that some ideas may be similar. If the judges determine two or more ideas are identical, then only the entry submitted first will be considered. If the judges determine the ideas are 2

3 similar but not identical, they will judge each idea on its merits against the criteria. The judges' decision is final. The spirit of the Ideas Challenge is one of openness and trust. We ask all participants to uphold this spirit, and respect one another s ideas and give proper credit. How do I know if you received my entry? Your entry will be posted to the Ideas Challenge Facebook page within 48 hours of submission, unless deemed inappropriate or discriminatory. What is the Challenge process? 2015 Timeline: April 1: The Ideas Challenge begins accepting entries April 22: Submissions close *May 30: Ideas Workshop June 25: Finalists announced and public voting begins July 9: Public voting ends *July 31: Three winning ideas are celebrated at the awards ceremony *Dates not final Who owns my idea? As a participant in the Ideas Challenge, your idea becomes public and you allow the Ideas Challenge to promote, share and implement your idea with or without your involvement. We hope you will be involved, of course, but if circumstances prevent your participation, we reserve the right to use your idea for the aforementioned purposes. Your idea is viewable by the public online. Other community members may comment on your idea, make suggestions and share it with others. Who is eligible to vote? Georgia residents of all ages may vote via the Ideas Challenge Facebook page. Online participants under the age of 18 must obtain parental or guardian consent prior to voting. How many times may I vote? You may vote once per address. How many entries are voted on? Six (6) ideas will be selected as finalists and made eligible for public voting. What happens in the event of a tie? 3

4 The three (3) ideas that receive the highest number of votes will become the Ideas Challenge winners. In the event of a tie between the top three (3) finalists, first, second and third place will be determined by the idea that reached the highest number of votes first, as indicated by the voting timestamp. How are the finalists selected? The Ideas Challenge Judges evaluate all idea entries and ultimately narrow all submissions to a group of semi-finalists based on the above criteria. Judges will also attend the Ideas Workshop and determine the finalists. What is expected of me if I am a finalist? Finalists are encouraged to participate in the implementation of their ideas; however, your participation is not required. Your video submission will be used via social media and other digital outlets. You will be invited to participate in an awards ceremony as well as other potential public appearances. Finalists may also be asked to participate in a basic criminal background check conducted by an independent, qualified firm. This does NOT include a credit check. Finalists submit their personal information directly to the firm conducting the check. The Ideas Challenge staff and or judges do not have access to your personal information, and results of the checks are kept strictly confidential and used only to determine further eligibility for the Ideas Challenge. Finalists under the age of 18 must obtain a parent or guardian's consent to participate and may be required to provide written consent to continue in the process. Finalists must be available during the judging process. If you cannot be reached, you may be disqualified as a finalist. How will my idea be implemented? The three ideas that receive the most votes are eligible to receive a grant award up to $10,000 for implementation. If you are a Challenge Finalist, you may be as involved as you want to be in your idea s implementation. Your involvement is not required and credit for your idea will be attributed to you. The $10,000 grants will go to a verified nonprofit organization that agrees to act as the fiscal agent for the project. Individuals are not eligible to receive the grant. If you do not indicate a preferred organization to receive the grant, we will select the fiscal agent. We also reserve the right to choose a fiscal agent different from your preference if we determine that another organization is a better fit for implementation. Our goal is to ensure that your idea is a success. When will my idea be implemented? We expect a timeframe of up to 12 months from the date the grant is issued. 4

5 If I receive a cash award as a Challenge Finalist or runner-up, is that award taxable? Please consult with your tax advisor to determine any potential tax implications. How is my personal information used? Any personal information and addresses used to submit an idea or vote will be used for Ideas Challenge purposes only. You may unsubscribe from the list at any time. When you submit an idea, your name and county are made public with your idea on Facebook, Twitter, website and other digital media outlets. Your name and county also are used with your idea for the public voting phase. All other identifying information such as age and contact information is confidential and does not appear on the public website. Finalists may be asked to participate in a basic criminal background check conducted by an independent, qualified firm. This does NOT include a credit check. Finalists submit their personal information directly to the firm conducting the check. The Ideas Challenge does not have access to your personal information, and results of the checks are kept strictly confidential and used only to determine further eligibility for the Ideas Challenge. How are negative comments handled? In keeping with the spirit of the Ideas Challenge, we ask participants to keep discussion positive. The Ideas Challenge is about encouraging participation and brainstorming new ideas not tearing down any idea, individual or organization. If we feel that any ideas or comments are disparaging of any individual, group or organization, it will not be posted. How do I get help? If you need help with your entry or have questions that are not answered here, please contact us [email protected]. 5