Six Lessons on Designing Public Prizes for Impact

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

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/

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

http://www.knightarts.org

http://www.knightarts.org

http://www.infoneeds.org




http://newschallenge.tumblr.com/

http://newschallenge.tumblr.com/

http://www.knightarts.org/community-arts-journalism-challenge




http://www.wemdeia.com/pitchit

http://www.wemdeia.com/pitchit

http://www.sxsw.com/interactive/startupvillage/accerlerator

http://www.cfcga.org/knc



http://appsforcommunities.challenge.gov/



http://www.ted.com/pages/tedx_tedxcity

http://www.civicdatachallenge.org

http://www.civicdatachallenge.org

http://www.knightfoundation.org/funding-initiatives/black-males-initiative/



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


leSSon

Contests bring in new blood, new ideas


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.


leSSon

Contests create Value beyond the winners


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.


leSSon

Contests Help you spot emerging trends


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.


leSSonContests Will change your routine


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.


leSSon

Contests Go hand in glove with existing program strategies


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.


Contests should Thoughtfully engage the communityleSSon


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.

Six Lessons on Designing Public Prizes for Impact

Art & Photos

Transcript of Six Lessons on Designing Public Prizes for Impact