WHAT IS PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS?

This year, Dollar Project is proud to launch Penny for Your Thoughts, a video competition designed to empower students to become better citizens. In the next 6 weeks, students will be encouraged to suggest a solution to a local problem or issue (either happening in UBC or Vancouver) in a 1-2 minute video clip. Following a shortlisting process, the 1-2 minute clips taken will then be put online for people to vote on. At the end of the voting period, Dollar Project will support the winner in implementing their idea by helping them plan everything from start to finish (at zero monetary cost to the winner!).

In line with the expression this contest is named after, Penny for Your Thoughts exists because we want to learn more about what you want to solve and we want to make your idea happen. Let your VOICE AGAINST APATHY be a CATALYST OF CHANGE.

HOW IS THIS CONTEST DIFFERENT FROM OTHERS?

Simply put, this contest is all about YOU.
YOU get to tell us what problem you feel strongly about.
YOU get to tell UBC your idea of a possible solution.
Students like YOU get to decide which solution they want us to support.
And finally, if you win, YOU get to lead YOUR peers in making your idea a reality.

Dollar Project is different from other clubs because we’re not just about “making a difference”. Yes, we do make a difference, but we strive to make our changes visible and tangible too. We are about transforming ordinary individuals into LEADERS OF ACTION. Through Penny for Your Thoughts, we want to help you embrace your role as an ARCHITECT OF THE FUTURE.

 

WHAT DO I WIN?

The WINNER of Penny for Your Thoughts will receive a $100 gift card from the UBC Bookstore and up to $400 in funding from Dollar Project to implement their idea. They will also get Dollar Project’s support, which means they can avail of our club resources as necessary and be able to work with our talented executives during the planning and execution process.

Of course, we do have some sweet prizes up for grabs even if you don’t win:

  • SECOND PLACE: $50 UBC Food Services gift card (can be used at almost any food establishment on campus)
  • THIRD PLACE: 2 Cineplex movie tickets, which serves as admission for FOUR people with 2 large popcorns and 4 large drinks!
Aside from winning individual prizes, the top 3 placers will also receive FREE admission to our signature conference, The Briefing 2012.

 

ELIGIBILITY OF ENTRIES (DETAILS)

To ensure uniformity, we have a few simple requirements, which will hopefully guide you in coming up with your idea. The solution you have in mind needs to be feasible, action-oriented, student-led and team-building. In other words, it has to be F.A.S.T.

  • FEASIBLE: Above everything else, you need to make sure that your idea is doable to begin with. Sending a volunteer to save the Amazon Rainforest is a great idea, but is it possible within the scope of this contest?
    • Does this project cost less than $400?
    • Can this be planned and executed in two months time?
    • Does this project take place in UBC or Vancouver?
  • ACTION-ORIENTED: Your solution should directly make a difference that can be concretely seen. Raising $10,000 is amazing, but wouldn’t the money just be used to fund something else that will directly solve the problem?
    • What are you trying to solve? Does your idea help solve (or contribute to solving) the local problem directly?
    • What do you expect to achieve? Will the results be visible and tangible?
    • How big of an impact do you think this project will produce? How will you maximize the impact?
    • Cannot be a fundraiser: These are not direct enough.
    • Cannot be a simple awareness campaign: How do you measure awareness concretely?
  • STUDENT-LED: Being students ourselves, our club knows that it can be very difficult to establish something when you lack the resources. We want to make sure that talented students end up getting a say and have an avenue to productively express their creativity. Our club was founded by students in 2007 and continues to be completely student-run until present. We hope to continue this legacy with this contest.
    • Are you a current living student registered under the AMS for the academic year 2011-2012?
    • Are you registered in at least one class at UBC Vancouver during both winter sessions (i.e. at least 6 credits throughout the year)?
    • Are you applying alone or with a friend? Either one is fine, but if you and your friend(s) conceive a solution together, then you need to make sure that everyone meets the “student” definition above.
    • This competition is NOT open to student organizations because they are better suited to The Briefing. The deadline for The Briefing 2012 has already passed. If you belong to an established student group and have an idea to share, you are still eligible as long as you do not represent your organization throughout the entire process.
    • Unfortunately, this contest is also closed to UBC alumni (who are not current students). However, we encourage you to support current students who are interested in joining.
  • TEAM-BUILDING: Our motto is “demonstrating collective action”. Therefore, the projects we support need to involve many participants (not organizers) during implementation.
    • Your proposed project cannot be exclusive to a selected group of individuals. The project must also allow interested non-students to participate. (See above criterion for our definition of “students”.)
    • The more people, the better! We would like it even more if the project you propose involves the formation of groups or teams (among participants), but this part is not a requirement.
    • We realize that some events will require limitations on the number of participants to be successful. For most cases, this will not be a problem, but please let us know in advance so we can assess and provide you with some feedback.

All videos also need to begin with the lead-in statement: “With UBC Dollar Project, I hope to…”. There is no need to go through F.A.S.T. explicitly when describing your idea in the video. We’re sure that you’ll somehow touch on it in the course of your talk. However, we suggest that you describe your idea as clearly as possible because voters may interpret your video differently from our club and they probably won’t be able to ask you for clarification.

Finally, please do not make your project affiliated with any political party. We’d like to keep things politically-neutral as much as possible. :)

If you are unsure about the eligibility of your idea or need feedback, please do ask us before the deadline. We’re here to help! To get a hold of us, please send an email to vpinternal@dollarproject.ca. (Please do not expect immediate replies during final exam period.)

Disclaimer: Dollar Project, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to disqualify any video proposal that does not meet the above criteria, or any video that contains offensive or hurtful comments towards any particular group.

 

I’M READY! HOW DO I SUBMIT MY VIDEO?

Please use the form below to submit your proposal. Video submission instructions will be included on the form. Don’t worry, it’s short. :) If your video exceeds 200 MB, please email vpinternal@dollarproject.ca and we’ll provide you with an alternative.

We will also be at the SUB from November 21-25 to film you if you are in need of a camera. If you film your video at the SUB, please make sure to still fill out the form below and type “SUB” for the video link.

Accepting entries starting: NOVEMBER 21
Deadline for entries: JANUARY 20

SUBMIT NOW

 

SELECTION AND VOTING

A shortlisting process will take place after January 20 and will be guided by the criteria we have above (F.A.S.T., clarity, lead-in statement and political “neutrality”, among others). All applicants will be notified of their status by January 30 latest. Successful ideas will also be posted that night.

This is where it gets exciting: Voting will be conducted using Facebook in late January to early February, with each “like” counting as one vote. Voting is NOT restricted to current UBC students, so even your grandmother from Kilimanjaro can vote! That means you should shamelessly get all your friends and relatives to watch your video and like it! :) More details on this will be updated here closer to the date.

 

I HAVE QUESTIONS!

Please email vpinternal@dollarproject.ca, and we’ll try to answer them as soon and as accurately as possible. (Please do not expect immediate replies during final exam period.)

 

THIS IS SO COOL. HOW DO I TELL MY FRIENDS ABOUT IT?

Direct them to this webpage (www.dollarproject.ca/penny) or invite them to our Facebook event.

 

FUN FACT

Did you know that the Penny for Your Thoughts is also a pun on our club name? :D

GOOD LUCK!!!