Welcome to the Changemakers “Young Men at Risk: Transforming the Power of a Generation” Collaborative Competition.

Eligibility Criteria
The competition will be 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: Young Men at Risk. This competition is aimed at identifying the most innovative approaches to helping a generation of young people around the world fulfill their potential and become healthy, successful adults.

• Entries are invited from organizations in all countries.

• We are looking for innovations that are beyond the idea stage.

• Entries must be submitted in English or in Spanish and be complete.

Assessment Criteria
The winners of this Changemakers Collaborative Competition will be those entries that best meet the following criteria:

• Innovation: This is the knock-out test. The blueprint must clearly describe how the innovation reflects the ability to systemically transform the situation young men are in. The entry should be very explicit about how it helps young men realize their highest potential.

• Social Impact: It is important that the innovation has already begun to have an impact on the field it addresses. Some innovations will have proven success at a small level, while others will have scaled to engage millions of people. Regardless of the level of demonstrated impact, it is important to see that the innovation has the ability to affect the world and not just one village. This will be judged by considering the scale strategy, ability to be replicated, clear how-tos, and a clear description of how you plan to scale up the work.

• Sustainability: For an innovation to be truly effective it must have a plan for how it will acquire financial and other bases of support for the long-term. Entries should describe not only how they are currently financing their work, but how they plan to finance their work in the future. Go beyond describing whether you charge or not for your services, and describe your business plan. Is there a clear financial plan in place? If so, please share as much as you are comfortable disclosing.

Competition Deadlines, Procedures, and Rules
The phases in the competition are:

• Entry Stage – November 7 to January 23, 2008: Entries can be submitted until 6 pm Eastern US time on January 23, 2008. Online review and discussion can go on during this entire entry period. Entrants are strongly encouraged to consider feedback and edit and revise their blueprint throughout the entry period.

• Online Review and Judging – January 24 to February 25, 2008: Online review and discussion continues. The Young Men at Risk judging panel will select 7 to 15 finalists from the entry pool.

• Voting – February 26 to March 11, 2008: The Changemakers community votes online to select the three award winners from the field of finalists. The voting period will end at 6:00 EST on March 11, 2008.

• Winners Announced – March 11, 2008: The three finalists that receive the most votes will each receive a cash prize of US $5,000.

Participating in the competition provides the chance to receive feedback on your blueprint from fellow entrants, Changemakers staff, judges and the Changemakers community. Showcasing your blueprint and the challenges involved in creating social impact advises potential investors about how best to change funding/investing patterns for the sector and to maximize the strategic impact and effectiveness of their future investments.

Disclaimer—Compliance with Legal Restrictions
Ashoka complies fully with all U.S. 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. Additionally, Ashoka will not make any grant to a company involved in the promotion of tobacco use. For more information, contact menatrisk@changemakers.net

For more information, contact menatrisk@changemakers.net.