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“Six Lessons on Designing Public Prizes for Impact” looks at how foundations can use contests as a powerful tool to advance their work. The report therefore offers a valuable starting point for foundations and other organizations to leverage the benefits of contests. It outlines Knight Foundation’s history and experiences with hosting challenges across all its program areas—media innovation and journalism, arts and communities. Readers can take advantage of six lessons, along with practical examples and tips, on designing public prizes for impact and running an effective contest. Also included are examples of work with specific grantees. Find out more at www.knightfoundation.org/opencontests.
Citation preview
Why Contests Improve Philanthropy
Six leSSonS on deSigning public prizeS for impact
Written byMayur Patel, July 2013
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0 License
Why Contests Improve phIlanthropy knIghtfoundatIon.org #openContests 2
Knight Arts Challenge
Knight Community Information Challenge
2008–preSent
Knight News Challenge
Community Arts Journalism Challenge
PitchIt Challenge
SXSW Accelerator Competition: News-related technology track
Knight Neighborhood Challenge
Apps for Communities Challenge
TEDxCity2.0Civic Data Challenge.
Contests for innovation go back hundreds of years— many have even
changed history. Learning from the best, Knight has supported a wide range
of contests— from media innovation challenges to community building.
Here’s a brief look at our seven year history of contests:
2007–preSent 2008–preSent
2009–preSent 2011
2012–2013
Black Male Engagement Challenge
2012–preSent2010–2013 2011–2012
20122012
WHy Contests Improve pHILantHropy KnIgHtfoundatIon.org #openContests 3
OVER
24,000 APPLICANTS
OVER
1080 WINNERS
OVER
$112,000,000 AWARDED
Knight Community Information Challenge
$39 million awarded to 104 winners from over 650 applicants
Knight Neighborhood Challenge
$1.5 million Awarded to date to 88 winners from over 190 applicants
Civic Data Challenge
60 applicants $25,000 awarded
Community Arts Journalism Challenge
230 applicants $57,500 awarded to three winners
TEDxCity2.0
$10,000 to fund 10 ideas to date
PitchIt Challenge
$225,000 to four winners
Black Male Engagement Challenge
150 applicants $443,000 awarded to 20 winners
OV
ER
Knight Arts Challenge
13,300 applicants $26.8 million awarded to 257 winners
OV
ER
Knight News Challenge
12,400 applicants $32.5 million awarded to 97 winners
OV
ER
SXSW Accelerator Competition – News-related technology track
700 applicants OV
ER
Two winners
Apps for Communities Challenge
$100,000 Awarded to three winners from over 70 applicants
WHy Contests Improve pHILantHropy KnIgHtfoundatIon.org #openContests 4
leSSon
Contests bring in new blood, new ideas
WHy Contests Improve pHILantHropy KnIgHtfoundatIon.org #openContests 5
USEfUl TIPS:
leSSon
Keep the entry process simple so people not schooled in how foundations work can apply.
Invest in marketing to help you reach out widely to your target community.
Ensure that the contest review cycle allows applicants to respond to market opportunities. When it comes to innovation faster is better.
Contests bring in new blood, new ideas Tapping the wisdom of the crowd with a contest means opening a foundation up to new kinds of applicants.
WHy Contests Improve pHILantHropy KnIgHtfoundatIon.org #openContests 6
leSSon
Contests create Value beyond the winners
WHy Contests Improve pHILantHropy KnIgHtfoundatIon.org #openContests 7
USEfUl TIPS:
leSSon
Contests create Value beyond the winners
Promote contest finalists to help strengthen their brand and credibility.
Think of marketing as more than just a way to attract new entrants.
Include other funders in your reviewer pool to help share the information collected from a particular contest.
A good contest is more a megaphone for a cause than just a funnel for spitting out a handful of winning ideas.
WHy Contests Improve pHILantHropy KnIgHtfoundatIon.org #openContests 8
leSSon
Contests Help you spot emerging trends
WHy Contests Improve pHILantHropy KnIgHtfoundatIon.org #openContests 9
USEfUl TIPS:
leSSon
Open contests give you a good sense of what people are thinking about and what’s going on beneath the surface.
Contests Help you spot emerging trends
Make it one of your judging panel’s jobs to identify patterns in the applicant pool.
Look for trends in the entries at large as well as in the finalists.
Treat your applicants as problem identifiers not just solution providers. Even entries that don’t offer a feasible project idea can still provide useful feedback.
WHy Contests Improve pHILantHropy KnIgHtfoundatIon.org #openContests 10
leSSonContests Will change your routine
WHy Contests Improve pHILantHropy KnIgHtfoundatIon.org #openContests 11
USEfUl TIPS:
leSSonContests Will change your routine
Embrace a contest’s signaling effect in broadcasting your foundation’s focus.
Experiment with an open brand in using the web and social media to draw in and interact with applicants.
Review your contest processes frequently and include successful practices in your traditional programs.
Contests help create a “safe zone” for experimentation in a foundation that, if successful, may spill over onto your regular grant-making.
WHy Contests Improve pHILantHropy KnIgHtfoundatIon.org #openContests 12
leSSon
Contests Go hand in glove with existing program strategies
WHy Contests Improve pHILantHropy KnIgHtfoundatIon.org #openContests 13
USEfUl TIPS:
leSSon
Contests Go hand in glove with existing program strategies
Piggyback where appropriate on community priorities.
Identify market areas within your portfolio that have stalled.
Spotlight leading practices to help motivate and influence potential contest entrants.
Contests represent a different way to tackle a foundation’s key focus areas.
WHy Contests Improve pHILantHropy KnIgHtfoundatIon.org #openContests 14
Contests should Thoughtfully engage the communityleSSon
WHy Contests Improve pHILantHropy KnIgHtfoundatIon.org #openContests 15
USEfUl TIPS:
leSSon
Contests should Thoughtfully engage the community
Set clear expectations for what it means to comment or “vote” on a project so there’s no confusion in community participation.
Use external review panels to help reach out to your target community.
Make it the default option that applicants post their entries publicly.
Get the most out of your contest by tapping into the wisdom of the crowd.