Competition News
Join our search for the most innovative examples of geotourism around the globe. Enter by the extended deadline May 25, 2009.
This 2009 Geotourism Challenge, sponsored by National Geographic and Ashoka Changemakers, attracted 610 innovative geotourism entries. Check out these destinations from 81 countries that promote natural and cultural heritage while improving the well-being of the local people.
This competition was capped by the second annual Geotourism Change Summit at National Geographic headquarters, showcasing the 10 Geotourism Challenge top finalists. They provide outstanding examples of geotourism, as defined as tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place — its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage and the well-being of its residents.
Watch for the next Changemakers-National Geographic geotourism competition launching in the summer of 2010.
Welcome Letter
Welcome to the 2009 Geotourism Challenge!
In recent decades tourism has exploded into one of the largest, most all-pervasive industries on Earth. Even in difficult times, hundreds of millions of us now travel. When done well, tourism can alleviate poverty, educate the public, and motivate preservation and conservation of unique cultural, natural, and historic resources. This beneficial type of responsible tourism is most attracted to destinations that are well taken care of.
But when done poorly, tourism may destroy environmental and cultural distinctiveness, perpetuate great disparities in wealth, and educate few. Careless or greedy local leaders may encourage the trend, seeking short-term profits rather than sustainability, and excessive quantity instead of high quality.
National Geographic is committed to protecting the world’s distinctive places. To further our mission, we welcome you to the second annual global Geotourism Challenge: Power of Place—Sustaining the Future of our Destinations, the second of three annual collaborative competitions in partnership with Ashoka’s Changemakers.
The goal of the Geotourism Challenge is to identify and showcase innovators—individuals and organizations—that directly or indirectly support good destination stewardship and the approach known as geotourism: “tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place—its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents.” Innovators who improve or protect that character of place are as important as geotourism practitioners.
We invite you to participate in Ashoka’s Changemakers collaborative competition through several actions:
- nominate candidates for the 2009 Geotourism Challenge through May 20, 2009;
- enter the competition itself and encourage others to do so, starting February 18, 2009;
- comment on entries in the online discussion throughout the competition, to help innovators refine and improve their ideas;
- vote for three Geotourism Challenge winners from a slate of finalists chosen by expert judges between July 15 and August 12, 2009.
There is a dynamic relation between tourists and the places that host them. Help us identify innovative ways for that interaction to do the most good and the least harm. We seek information on innovators from around the world and from every kind of business, government, or organization–large and small– who are helping destinations benefit from tourism while protecting the assets that make their places special.
Who are the best Geotourism Challenge candidates? People and organizations that build community pride, increase knowledge about a place, help to protect or enrich the character of a place, and improve residents’ well-being.
Please share your knowledge with us and with the world. Even if you do not nominate a candidate or enter the competition, visit Ashoka’s Changemakers community discussion and comment online. Whether you are a traveler, tourism professional, or resident, you may already be working to improve a particular destination, to make that locale more attractive for both visitors and the local population. Your insights will be valuable and help shape the growing field of geotourism. Together, we can move tourism toward a model that protects and enhances the world.
Including your own favorite places.
Sincerely,
Jonathan B. Tourtellot
Director, Center for Sustainable Destinations
National Geographic
Guidelines and Criteria
Guidelines
Welcome to the "Geotourism Challenge 2009: Power of Place
– Sustaining the Future of Destinations" Collaborative Competition.
The goal of the Geotourism Challenge is to identify and showcase innovators – individuals and organizations – that directly or indirectly support good destination stewardship and the approach known as geotourism. Geotourism is defined by National Geographic as tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place: its environment, heritage, culture, aesthetics, and the well-being of its residents.
Eligibility Criteria
The competition will be open to all types of organizations (charitable organizations, private companies, or public entities) from all countries. We consider all entries that:
- Reflect the theme of the competition: geotourism.
- Entries are invited from organizations in all countries.
- We are looking for innovations that are beyond the idea stage.
- Entries must be submitted in English or in Spanish and be complete in order to be eligible.
Assessment Criteria
The winners of this Changemakers Collaborative Competition will be those entries that best meet the following criteria:
- Innovation: Your entry must describe how your program or activity is new and different. Please be clear and explicit: How is your innovation directly or indirectly advancing tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place, its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents? This criterion is mandatory for inclusion in the Geotourism Challenge.
- Social Impact: Your innovation must already be showing results. Your demonstrable success may be local, regional, or global. Regardless of extent, the innovation should show potential to affect the world and not just one place. Describe clearly and precisely how your innovation can be replicated and scaled up.
- Sustainability/Viability: Your innovation must be self-sustaining to be effective. Explain your plan for financial and other bases of support for the long-term. Include not only current financing, but the business plan for the future. Describe as much as you are comfortable disclosing.
Competition Deadlines, Procedures, and Rules
The phases in the competition are:
- Entry Stage – February 18, 2009 to May 25, 2009: Entries can be submitted until 11:59 pm EST time on May 25, 2009. Online review and discussion can go on during this entire entry period. Entrants are strongly encouraged to consider feedback and edit and revise their blueprint throughout the entry period.
- Online Review and Judging - May 26, 2009 - July 15, 2009: Online idea review discussion continues. In parallel, a panel of judges well-versed in the topic and Ashoka staff select the competition finalists.
- Voting - July 15, 2009 - August 12, 2009: The Changemakers community votes online to select the three award winners from the field of finalists.
- Winners Announced - September 9, 2009:
The Changemakers Collaborative Competition winners, the three finalists that receive the most votes, will each receive a cash prize of US$5,000.
Participating in the competition provides the chance to receive feedback on your innovation from fellow entrants, Changemakers staff, judges and the Changemakers community. Showcasing your work and the challenges involved in creating social impact advises potential investors about how best to change funding/investing patterns for the sector and to maximize the strategic impact and effectiveness of their future investments.
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.
This contest is open only to those aged thirteen or over, and for whom entry is allowed under the laws of their jurisdiction. Entrants under age 18 affirm that they have their parent's consent to provide personally-identifiable information and to enter the contest.
For more information, contact geotourismchallenge@ashoka.org.
