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Apply now: Staples Youth Social Entrepreneur Competition; Oct. 15 deadline!

Welcome to the "Staples Youth Social Entrepreneur Competition" sponsored by Staples, Inc, Ashoka's Youth Venture and Changemakers. The competition aims to identify and support innovative ways young people are making life easier for others.

For more information on entering, the online review, and voting please view the competition criteria and timeline below or contact us at staplesyv@changemakers.net.

Eligibility Criteria

The competition is open to all young individuals between the ages of 12-24 and all previously awarded Youth Venture teams. We consider all entries - ideas OR projects - that meet the following criteria:

* Idea or project reflects the theme of the competition: "Staples Youth Social Entrepreneur Competition." The goal of the competition is to identify innovative solutions that young people are using to make life easier for others. Entries are accepted from young people in all countries.
* Ideas show strong potential for significant or meaningful impact. Projects show potential as well as demonstrated impact.
* Entry form is completed and submitted before the deadline.
* Entries are submitted in English, Spanish, Portuguese or French.

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 idea or project must introduce creative elements or methods to positively impact the community in order for judges to give it a high ranking. For example, the project might use a new approach to tackle a challenge, creative methods to raise awareness of a problem, or innovative strategies to raise funds or engage volunteers.
* Social Impact: It is important that the idea or project has or will have significant impact on the issues it addresses. Some innovations will have proven success at a small level (or are still at the very beginning), while others will have scaled to engage hundreds or thousands of people. Judges will take into consideration how you plan to grow, replicate, and reach big goals.
* Sustainability: For a project to be truly effective it must have a plan for how it will acquire financial and other bases of support for the long-term. In other words it has a good strategy for creating ongoing positive change in the community and engaging partners, as well as a sound plan for transitioning leadership and recruiting team members or volunteers.

Competition Deadlines, Procedures, and Rules

Online competition submissions are accepted until October 15th, 2008 at 6pm, U.S. Eastern Daylight Time. Any time before this deadline, competition participants can revise their entries based on questions and insights that they receive in the Changemakers discussion. Participation in the discussion enhances one's prospects in the competition and gives the community and the judges an opportunity to understand one's project more completely. Posting and discussion are encouraged because the exchange of ideas helps social entrepreneurs develop and improve methods to create positive change in the communities in which we live.