The submission window for the ASAP Innovation Competition has closed as of April 2nd, 2012 at 11:59pm EDT. Thank you to all who participated.
Applying to the “School Programs” category of the ASAP Innovation Competition is simple. All application materials will be submitted online via our application portal. Just follow these steps:
Assemble a Team
Entries to the “School Programs” category will be accepted from teams of 2-6 individuals.
Each team must include:
- A team leader who is an employee of the school or district where the entry program is currently deployed; team leaders must be an adult over the age of 18.
- Additional team members should be individuals with some connection to the entry program.
- Teams are strongly encouraged to include a student representative who is a program participant.
- Other good candidates for team members might include the parent of a program participant, a teacher, a school official, a coach, a health education instructor, a program volunteer, or any individual with an interest in the program’s implementation and success. The team leader should determine which individuals are the best fit for his or her team.
Register Your Team
To formally create a team and gain access to the online application, the team leader must first register on our website. Visit www.ActiveSchoolsASAP.org and click on the “Innovation Competition” tab. Click on the “School Programs Application Portal” to register as a team leader.
After registering, the team leader will have access to the application portal and his or her team’s page, and will be able to invite other team members via an email invitation.
Once registered, all team members will have access to their team’s application page. Everything your team needs to apply will be found here.
Each Team will be assigned to one of eight regional categories according to the US state in which the school or district housing their program is located. Winners will be identified from each region. For further details please see “Judging and Prizes.”
Complete Your Entry: Written Component & Multimedia Component
Teams will complete the entire entry online through their application page. The entry contains the following components:
- Written Component: The written component asks applicants to answer a series of questions about their school and program, and to complete short answer questions (500 characters or less) summarizing various elements of their program. Each short answer corresponds directly to the seven evaluation criteria. For specific information on what the judges are looking for in each category, please refer to “Evaluation Criteria.”
- Letter of Support: Applicants will be asked to upload a letter of support from the principal, superintendent, or other appropriate administrative authority of the school or district where the entry program is deployed. This letter is intended to inform school officials of your participation in the competition, as well as confirm their acknowledgement of a regional or national prize as a possible outcome. You may find a template for this letter under the “Prepare” tab on your team’s application page.
- Multimedia Component: The multimedia component asks applicants to submit a short video (approximately 1-3 minutes in length) showing the entry program in action. We’re not looking for a polished Steven Spielberg film here; a video taken with a pocket video recorder, smart phone or other basic device is perfect. The video should show the program in action and where possible, the thoughts, opinions, and voices of participating kids.
- Additional Materials: If your team has additional materials that you think would be of interest to the judges you are encouraged to submit them as well. Supporting materials might include brochures, testimonials, sample curricula, photos, videos, press coverage, etc. Submission of supporting materials is entirely optional and the decision to include or exclude such materials will have no bearing on how your team’s entry is evaluated.
The application DOES NOT have to be completed all at once. Before the competition deadline, your team may save progress completed and return to the application as often as you’d like before submitting your final entry.
Submit Your Application
Every member of a team will have access to the application. It is the responsibility of team leaders and team members to coordinate the best strategy for their team to complete the application. It is recommended that all team members participate in completing the application. Final entries will be submitted through your team’s application portal. Applications must be submitted BEFORE the competition deadline to be eligible for review by our judging panels.
For detailed Official Rules, please refer to “Official Competition Rules.”