Competition Guidelines

Changemakers Innovation Award - Meeting Disaster: Before, During and After

Before you share your comments on the entries in the discussion forum, please read the criteria below.

Eligibility Guidelines

This global competition was open to entrepreneurial innovation from all sectors.

All competition entries/participants must meet these threshold criteria:

• Applications reflect the theme of the competition: for how best to meet and thus mitigate natural or manmade disaster before, during, or after catastrophic events;

• Strategies submitted are either (1) policies or practices in design but not yet implemented; (2) plans or regulations in place ready for deployment; (3) programs already tested by disaster and proven successful;

• Contestants agree to participate in Changemakers online discussion by answering questions aimed to clarify various aspects of their entries.

There was no restriction on the type of disaster preparation or response plans, products, or services provided, but it helped to have projects, enterprises, or initiatives clearly identify the primary beneficiaries of the initiative, e.g., at-risk communities and populations for whom exposure to disaster poses even greater risks than it might for others; elderly populations; the disabled.

Assessment Criteria

The winners of this Changemakers Innovation Award are those entries that best addressed the following criteria:

Impact

The products or services provided clearly and significantly improve disaster preparation and response where disaster is defined as "a sudden calamitous event bringing great damage, loss, or destruction."

Innovation

Entries demonstrate ("show us, do not tell us") innovative ideas for disaster mitigation innovation, at least for a particular population, community, locality, or region.

Sustainability

Effective disaster preparedness or relief reinforces the self-reliance and capabilities of local communities and the health of the environment and natural resources.

Replicability

Your approach can be replicated, instituted, and spread quickly to other communities.

Competition Deadlines, Procedures, and Rules

The deadline to submit contest entries was December 14, 2005 at noon U.S. Eastern Time. Prior to this deadline, competition participants could submit revised versions of their first entry based on questions and insights that they receive in the Changemakers.net discussion. Participation in the discussion enhances one's prospects in the competition and gives the community an opportunity to understand one's project more completely.

Applications must be complete and be submitted in English to be eligible.

There are three main phases in the competition:

• Prior to December 14: entries could be submitted and anyone could rate—from one to five stars—the competition entries and discussion postings. These ratings are not used to determine the finalists or competition winners but they provided a convenient way to share your opinion and help set quality standards for the Changemakers community.

• From December 14 until January 10: rating continued, and a panel of judges well-versed in the topic—including members of the Changemakers team, Ashoka staff, and other topic experts—selected the competition finalists.

• From January 10 until noon (EST) on January 24: popular online voting to select the three award winners from among the finalists. The Changemakers Innovation Award winners were announced on Januuary 25, 2006.

The Changemakers Innovation Award include a cash prize of US$5,000 for the top three winners.

Participating in the competition by posting an entry or joining the discussion forum gives entrants a chance to advise potential investors in the field about how best to change funding/investing patterns for the sector and to maximize the strategic impact and effectiveness of future investments. The competition will generate an Investor Advisory available to investors, foundations, and other funding agencies. Those participants whose contributions most help frame the contents of the advisory will be acknowledged and may be convened to advise investors at a global meeting.

Disclaimer - Compliance with Legal Restrictions

Ashoka complies fully with all US 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.

For more information, contact disasters@changemakers.net.

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