Site Terminology

• What is a collaborative competition?
  A collaborative competition is an interactive solicitation to identify and develop innovative, workable solutions to the world's most entrenched social problems. Competition entries are posted online and made available for anyone to view and collaborate with by providing new ideas, asking insightful questions, and providing connections to new resources.

  
  

• What is a mosaic of solutions?
  The competition takes place within a Mosaic of Solutions that serves as an intellectual framework to compare, contrast and think about the ideas being presented. Each mosaic maps the principles represented by the innovation against the underlying factors driving a particular problem. Here is an example of a mosaic.

  
  

• How do I actually participate in the competition?
  You can collaborate on Changemakers by submitting your own entry, commenting on other entrants' innovations through online review, and/or voting for what you view as the most innovative entries.

  
  

• Why would I want to compete?
  By submitting an entry, all entrants gain great exposure on our website and have their entry read by a global community of leading innovators and investors. Through your entry, you can showcase and share the work you are doing and demonstrate why you think you may have an effective solution to the problem. By commenting on other entries, you can share your experience and expertise to help refine what may be promising models. Finally, you can learn what other entrepreneurs are doing, what the field views as the most innovative and successful work being done, and where the field may be moving.

Using the Site

• What is the purpose of this site?
  In one word, action. Changemakers is building the world's first global online "open source" community that competes to surface the best social solutions, and then collaborates to refine, enrich, and implement those solutions. What does this mean for you, the social innovator? It means register on Changemakers, compete, collaborate, and learn.

  
  

• Forget your username or password?
  Click on join/log-in and "request a new password." If you have forgotten your user name, enter your email address and you will receive an email message with a link. When you click on that link, it will give you a web page with a message that includes your username in italics. If you have forgotten your password, it gives you a new password (which you can change).

  
  

• Why should I create a profile? What are the benefits to this?
  Registering on Changemakers allows you to not only submit an entry, but to create a user profile that reflects your work, interests, and contributions.
  Creating a profile allows you to build a representative identity on the site; one that more easily allows you and like-minded peers to connect and collaborate. In addition, your profile easily allows you to track your entries across competitions, helping you build a collaborative presence over time.

  
  

• Who will have access to my profile once I upload it?
  Your profile is published on the web site where everyone can read it. You are the only person who can edit your profile.

  
  

• How do I update my profile?
  Your profile will appear whenever you log-in, or you can access your profile at other times by clicking on "my profile" at the top of the page. You can update your profile by clicking on the "edit" tab.

  
  

• Who should I contact if I am having problems with the website?
  Please use the contact form for any questions regarding the Changemakers website.

Submitting an Innovation

• How do I submit an innovation?
  Click on a competition name that has a green explanation mark icon (which means the competition is in "enter" status), and click on the "Enter the competition" link.

  
  

• I'm having trouble submitting my entry, what can I do?
  Email webmaster@changemakers.net and we will help you.

  
  

• Where do I submit photos?
  On each competition entry form, you will see an icon that looks like a green "plus" sign and a small photograph beneath most of the questions. Click on this icon to upload a photo to your entry.

  
  

• May I submit more then one innovation entry per competition?
  Yes, you may submit more then entry per competition, as long as the innovation is different.

  
  

• May I submit an entry for more than one competition?
  Yes, as long as you meet the eligibility requirements outlined in the competition guidelines.

  
  

• Can I win more than one competition?
  Yes, as long as you meet the criteria and eligibility requirements for the competition, you are eligible to win.

Competition Process

• Why a "collaborative competition"?
  Because it answered our first question: How do you open-source social innovation in order to collectively tackle the world's biggest social problems?
  The Changemakers collaborative competitions are about you-the social innovator-and creating a community that rewards action, collaboration, and learning. Please visit our about section to learn more.

  
  

• Who chooses the theme of the collaborative competitions?
  Changemakers Collaborative Competition themes are developed in partnership with the sponsor and Changemakers. Visit our sponsorship page to learn more.

  
  

• Who is eligible to submit an innovation entry?
  The competition is open to all types of organizations (charitable organizations, private companies, or public entities) from all countries. We consider all entries that:
  • Reflect the theme of the competition.

  • Are beyond the stage of idea, concept, or research, and, at a minimum, are at the demonstration stage and indicate success.
  • Are submitted in English, Spanish, and are complete.

  
  

• What are the criteria for winning?
  The winners of this Changemakers Collaborative Competition will be those entries that best meet the following criteria: Innovation, Social Impact, and Sustainability. Visit the competitions section to learn more about the criteria and guidelines.

  
  

• Is geography a consideration in the competition judging?
  Changemakers promotes participation from innovators around the world but country of origin is not part of the assessment criteria. Changemakers evaluates each entry on its ability to demonstrate innovation, social impact and sustainability.

  
  

• When is the deadline for submission?
  The deadline for submission of your innovation entry is roughly 11 weeks after the start of each competition. Updated information about deadlines is available on the competitions page.

  
  

• How are the winners selected?
  A panel of judges consisting of 3-5 experts, selected by the Changemakers Team, will select approximately twelve finalists. The twelve finalists are posted on the Changemakers website and the online community has two weeks to vote for their choice.

  
  

• What is the prize for the winners?
  The three winners each receive $5,000. More importantly, all entrants gain exposure on our website and have their entry visible among a community of leading innovators and investors. The finalists receive media attention and are showcased on the Changemakers website.

Questions About Sponsors/Partners, and Judges

• Who are the competition sponsors/partners?
  Competition sponsors/partners are leading organizations and individuals with interest and commitment to addressing the issues each competition presents. In some instances these partners approach Changemakers and signal their desire to challenge the issues using Changemakers's collaborative competition model. In other cases, we are directed to them by members of the Changemakers community who thus help us build this changemaking network.

  
  

• What is the role of the competition sponsor?
  The competition sponsor's role is to collaborate with the Changemakers Team to frame the competition issues and marketing materials carefully and strategically. The competition sponsor is often the principal investor underwriting the costs of developing and managing all aspects of the competition itself.

  
  

• Who is the sponsor of the "No Private Matter!" Competition?
  The sponsor of the "No Private Matter! Ending Abuse in Intimate & Family Relations" competition is the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).

  
  

• Why is Robert Wood Johnson Foundation participating in a global competition?
  The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the largest philanthropy in the United States dedicated exclusively to health and health care issues, seeks to catalyze new thinking and solicit innovative approaches from the field to help eliminate intimate partner violence in the United States. The Changemakers global competition model provides RWJF with an opportunity to engage a broad community of social entrepreneurs -based in the U.S. and countries around the world- to help stop domestic violence in the U.S. and improve the health and well-being of children and families affected by abuse.

  
  

• How is RWJF going to use this competition?
  Foundations typically receive hundreds more proposals describing interesting potential solutions to problems than there are resources to fund. This competition enables RWJF to shine a light on all those ideas and, in a transparent manner, work with the field to identify what appears to be the most innovative and promising models. The innovative solutions and collaborative feedback that are submitted will be tremendously valuable in informing RWJF's thinking on future efforts to reduce intimate partner violence in the United States.

  
  

• Will this competition follow the same criteria as past competitions?
  Yes. This is a Changemakers Collaborative Competition managed by Changemakers, and every entry, from countries around the world, will be assessed equally on its merit per the CM eligibility and criteria (see above).

  
  

• The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is collaborating with Changemakers on a series of competitions. How did this come about?
  For more than 30 years, RWJF has been working with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions to improve health and health care in the U.S. RWJF's Pioneer Portfolio, which seeks innovative ideas that may lead to breakthrough solutions, supported three Changemakers competitions in order to learn from innovators in the U.S. and throughout the world about novel approaches to important health and health care problems. The Foundation hopes that these Changemakers competitions point the way toward new solutions that may be applied in the U.S.
  The RWJF mission aligns well with Changemakers's global work in supporting the rapidly growing field of social innovation. In addressing issues such as domestic violence, consumer empowerment in health and health care, and utilizing new media like video games to improve health, it became clear that collaboration would allow both organizations to meet their respective missions and mandates in a unique and inspiring way.
  RWJF's sponsorship of these Changemakers competitions will engage a broad community of innovators to find solutions that improve health and health care in the U.S. Changemakers will grow in its ability to support a global community that collaborates to refine, enrich, and implement the best social solutions to solve the world's most complex social problems. Changemakers is thrilled to partner with RWJF in these quests for innovative solutions.

  
  

• How are the judges selected?
  Competition judges are selected for their expertise in fields relevant to the competition topic and for their demonstrated commitment to solving the problems addressed. They are invited to collaborate with their peers and the Changemakers Team in choosing the slate of competition finalists for community vote.

  
  

• Who are the judges for this competition?
  The distinguished panel of judges for the "No Private Matter!" competition includes Family Violence Prevention Fund President Esta Soler, RWJF Senior Program Officer Jeane Ann Grisso, Ford Foundation program officer Jael Silliman, and Waitt Institute for Violence Prevention Director Cindy Waitt.

  
  

• How can an organization become a competition sponsor?
  An organization can become a competition sponsor by first contacting Changemakers and arranging for a meeting to discuss ideas for a forthcoming competition or one that warrants consideration. More information is available on the sponsorship page.

About Changemakers

• Where did Changemakers start?
  Changemakers was launched as a Calcutta, India-based magazine in 1994. Founded by Ashoka president emeritus Sushmita Ghosh, the magazine focused on social entrepreneurship and innovation. In 1998, after becoming an initiative of Ashoka, Changemakers went online and evolved into the current format.

  
  

• How is Changemakers affiliated with Ashoka: Innovators of the Public?
  Changemakers is an initiative of Ashoka: Innovators of the Public, which has developed 26-years' expertise in leading the citizen sector. The long history allows Changemakers to leverage the wealth of global resources and ideas to help achieve Ashoka's vision of "everyone a changemaker."