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Eligibility, Criteria & Awards

Eligibility  

Participants must meet the following eligibility criteria:  

• Participants must be individuals between the ages of 14 - 18 when applying and not older than 18 by the end of the entry period (November 2, 2023). Groups and partners are not eligible.  

• Participants must be legal residents of the United States or Puerto Rico. 

• Participants must have started their project on or before June 1, 2023.  

• Winners must bring one chaperone to the in-person event on April 20-23, 2024.

• One application per person.  

• Applications must be submitted in English.

• Prudential Emerging Visionaries and Prudential Spirit of Community National Honorees and State Honorees are NOT eligible to apply. 

• Employees and their children and grandchildren of Prudential, Ashoka, Financial Health Network, or its affiliates and participating advertising and promotion agencies are NOT eligible to apply. 

Evaluation Criteria 

The selection committee will be looking for changemakers who provide strong answers to a range of questions about what your initiative does, how it runs, and your changemaking story.  

Entries will be evaluated on the following criteria: 

• Innovation – Are you thinking innovatively to build financial health and resiliency or to solve social issues within your community?   

• Potential to Scale – Do you have a vision for the future? Will this innovation create meaningful impact, and does it have the ability to scale even beyond your own community? 

• Connection – Do you show a deep understanding of a problem or barrier you are trying to solve, and do you have a deep connection to the community you are bringing your solution to? 

• Changemaker Quality – Are you passionate about making a change for the good of all, ready to show leadership or take action to solve a problem, and looking to activate others? 

In addition to our evaluation criteria described above, winners will be selected to represent the diversity of applications received. Diversity can be showcased in the target audience of a project, its partners, or the individual or team representing it. Diversity will refer to: gender, accessibility, ethnicity, race, age, and geography. 

Awards

All eligible participants will receive: 

• Peer feedback via the program's online platform, including the opportunity to view, review, and connect with other Prudential Emerging Visionaries applicants and their submissions.  

• Access on-demand trainings to support you in your changemaking journey. 

• A digital certificate of participation. 

• The chance to be selected for one of two (2) Early Entry Awards ($1,000 each) if your application is submitted by Thursday, September 28, 2023, at 11:59 PM ET. 

Winners will receive: 

• A cash award of up to $15,000, awarded as follows:

  • 25 winners will receive $5,000 each — 20 of these winners will be selected from the Societal Solutions category and five winners from the Financial Solutions category. 

  • The five winners from the Financial Solutions category will be invited to join a pitch-off at the Prudential Emerging Visionaries Awards Summit at Prudential's headquarters. From there, one Financial Solutions Grand Prize Winner will receive an additional $10,000 award, for a total of $15,000.  

  • One winner from either category will also receive the Prudential Employees' Choice Award—an additional $5,000, to be awarded at the Prudential Emerging Visionaries Awards Summit at Prudential's headquarters. Note: The Financial Solutions Grand Prize Winner is not eligible to win the Prudential Employees’ Choice Award. 

• All 25 winners will receive an all-expenses-paid trip with a parent or guardian to Prudential’s headquarters in Newark, New Jersey from April 20-23, 2024, for the Prudential Emerging Visionaries Awards Summit. This will be an engaging experience during which awardees will receive coaching, skills development, and an opportunity to meet with senior leaders from Prudential to help take their solution to the next level. 

*Please note that if circumstances necessitate canceling the in-person event (as determined by Prudential at its sole discretion), a virtual ceremony will be conducted, and no trip will be provided. 

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