Eligibility, Criteria and Prizes

The competition is open to all types of individuals and organizations that are operating in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island or New York. Individuals or organizations not from the region must have local operations or partners on the ground in these states.

We consider all entries that:

• Reflect the theme of the competition: Revelation to Action: Your Place. Your Idea. Your Change.
• Demonstrate groundbreaking solutions that inspire others to help make their community a better place to live.
• Indicate growth beyond the stage of idea, concept, or research. At a minimum, entries should be at the demonstration stage and indicate success. While we support new ideas at every stage and encourage their entry, the judges are better able to evaluate programs that are beyond the conceptual stage, and have demonstrated a proof of impact, even at small scale.
• Are submitted in English.

Please complete the entire entry form and submit before the deadline on April 21, 2010 at 5:00 pm EST. All decisions of the judges will be final.

Assessment Criteria

The winners of this Changemakers collaborative competition will be those entries that best meet the following criteria:

• Innovation: This is the knock-out test. The entrant must describe a groundbreaking innovation in community action. The innovation should be a unique model of change, demonstrating a substantial difference from other initiatives in the field with the possibility for large-scale expansion.
• Social Impact: It is important that the innovative idea provides a system-changing solution toward engaging and revitalizing communities. Some innovations will have proven success at a small level, while others will have potential to grow, engaging millions of people. Still others will achieve their impact quickly, while some will seed change for the long term. We look for breadth and depth, numbers and stories that make a substantive difference in local communities. Judges will consider the solution's potential for scale and replication, in addition to the entrant's ability to formulate a clear "road map" to reaching larger goals.
• Sustainability: For a solution to be truly effective it must have a long-term plan for securing financial backing and community support. Entries should describe not only how they are currently financing their work, but also how they plan to finance their work in the future. The most successful entrants go beyond discussing whether or not they will charge for services and describe a business plan. They should also demonstrate that they have strong partnerships and support networks to address an ongoing need, and to aid in scalability and the maintenance of a clear financial strategy.

Competition Deadlines, Procedures, and Rules

Online competition submissions are accepted until April 21, 2010 at 5PM US EST. Only submissions made online will be accepted. At any time before this deadline, competition participants are encouraged to revise their entries based on questions and insights that they receive in the Changemakers discussion. Participation in the discussion enhances an entrant's prospects in the competition by providing the judges and the community the opportunity to understand the entrant's project more completely.

There are four main phases in the competition:

• Entry Stage, February 10 - April 21, 2010: Entries can be submitted until 5PM US EST on April 21, 2010, and throughout this stage anyone can participate in an online review discussion with the entrants.
• Online Review and Judging, April 22 - June 9, 2010: Online review and discussion continues. Simultaneously, a panel of expert judges and a team of Ashoka staff select the competition finalists. All decisions of the judges and Ashoka staff will be final.
• Voting, June 9 - June 30, 2010: The Changemakers community votes online to select the award-winners from the field of finalists. Voting will close at 5p EST on June 30.
• Competition Winners Announced, July 14, 2010: The 3 Changemakers competition winners - the finalist individuals or organizations that receive the most votes - will each receive a cash prize of USD $5000.
• State Winners Announced, July 14, 2010: The 7 Changemakers state winners - the best entry from each of the following states: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New York - will receive a cash prize of USD $5000.

Early entries received by March 24th, will be eligible to win a prize.

Participation in the challenge provides the opportunity to receive feedback from fellow entrants, Changemakers staff, judges, and the Changemakers community. Showcasing initiatives and demonstrating social impact advise potential investors about how best to maximize the strategic impact of their investments.

Prizes

• 3 Competition Winners: ONLINE WINNERS - A panel of independent judges selected by Ashoka or Green Mountain Coffee will select between 10 and 15 finalists from the range of entries into the entire competition. All entries will be evaluated pursuant to the criteria as stated above. From among these 10-15 finalists, the Changemakers' online community will vote for 3 winners. In the event of a tie, the tie will be broken by a vote of the independent judges. Any person may sign into and register with Changemakers at: http://www.changemakers.com/en-us. The three winners selected by the Changemakers community will each win US $5000 each. This competition is open only to individuals who live in or organizations that are headquartered in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island or New York. All entries must be received by April 21, 2010 to be considered. Winners will be announced July 14, 2010.
• 7 State Winners: US $5000 will be awarded to one entry from each of the following states: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New York. None of the three winners from the ONLINE COMPETITION will be eligible. Representatives from Green Mountain Coffee will select one entry from each of the states according to the criteria as stated above. Winners will be announced July 14, 2010.
• 3 Early Entry Winners: 3 early entry winners will be drawn at random by Green Mountain Coffee from entries submitted by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, March 24, 2010. Each winner will receive a Keurig® B60 Single-Cup Brewer ($334.80 approximate retail value (ARV)) and a 12-month K-Cup® coffee tour ($129.95 ARV) from Green Mountain Coffee. Being an Early Entry Prize winner does not preclude you from winning the competition in any way, or guarantee finalist status - all entries will be equally evaluated per the Changemakers criteria at the completion of the entry period.
• Nominator Winners: Any person who has registered with Changemakers at http://www.changemakers.com may nominate (a "Nominator") an individual who lives in or an organization that is headquartered (either a "Nominee") in either Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island or New York to submit an entry into the competition. A Nominator must submit the name and email address of a Nominee to Changemakers at http://www.changemakers.com/en-us/node/add/nomination/69520. If the Nominator's Nominee enters the competition and is selected as either an Online Winner or a State Winner, then the Nominator will win the prizes below only if the Nominee did not enter the competition prior to the Nominator's submission of the Nominee"s contact information to Changemakers. Only one Nominator per winner is eligible for this prize. In the event of a tie, the Nominator with the earliest date and time of the nomination shall win. The prize for a winning Nominator is: a Keurig® B60 Single-Cup Brewer (Approximate Retail Value ("ARV"): $129.95) and a 6-month K-Cup® coffee tour from Green Mountain Coffee (ARV: $167.40). IF NO NOMINATOR MEETS THE FOREGOING CRITERIA, NO PRIZE WILL BE AWARDED.
• Re-Tweet Winners: Beginning February 19, 2010 through April 21, 2010, there will be a drawing on every Monday at approximately 9:00 am EST from all persons with a Twitter account (a "Tweeter") that re-tweets a specific message from Changemakers' Twitter account (twitter.com/changemakers) during the previous week. In order to win, the Tweeter must re-tweet the entire message with hashtag (#). The Tweeter must be a follower of both Changemakers’ Twitter account and Green Mountain Coffee's Twitter account (twitter.com/GreenMtnCoffee) and the Tweeter must be a US resident. Prizes include one bag of Green Mountain Coffee ($8.49 ARV) and competition paraphernalia ($10.00 ARV). Follow #Revelation2Action to participate. Void where prohibited by law.
• Celebration Event: All finalists in the ONLINE WINNER competition as well as the 7 State Winners will be invited to attend a celebration event where winners will be announced. Each finalist will receive round-trip transportation for 1 persons from any place in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island or New York, breakfast, lunch and dinner for 2 nights plus lodging for 2 nights will be provided if required. Transportation may be via airplane, train or bus, depending upon the originating location of the finalist, and at Changemakers’ sole discretion. ARV: $500.00, depending on location of each finalist and time of departure. This invitation is non-extendable, non-transferable and cannot be redeemed for cash value.

Winners:

• Must be 18 years or older.
• Must be a US resident.
• Will be required to execute an Affidavit of Eligibility and Release

Disclaimer - Compliance with Legal Restrictions

Ashoka complies fully with all U.S. laws and regulations, including Office of Foreign Assets Control regulations, export control, and anti-money laundering laws. All grants will be awarded subject to compliance with such laws. Ashoka will not make any grant if it finds that to do so would be unlawful. This may prohibit awards in certain countries and/or to certain individuals or entities. All recipients will comply with these laws to the extent they are applicable to such recipients. No recipient will take any action that would cause Ashoka to violate any laws. Additionally, Ashoka will not make any grant to a company involved in the promotion of tobacco use.