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$200,000 Follett Challenge deadline set for Jan. 9

follett-challenge

Challenge awards prizes to three semi-finalists, grand-prize winner, and 10 “People’s Choice” winners

It has never been easier to enter the Follett Challenge as contest organizers have streamlined the application process and now provide valuable resources and tips to help schools and districts make their entry stand out among their peers. The deadline to enter the fourth annual competition is Friday, Jan. 9, 2015.

A total of $200,000 in products and services from Follett will be awarded to the winning entries. The Follett Challenge is designed to empower educators with a platform to tell the world about how their innovative teaching and learning programs are preparing students for the demands of the 21st century.

Applicants are required to submit an online application, plus a three- to five-minute video. To help entrants, the contest’s website (www.FollettChallenge.com [1]) features a comprehensive, online resource guide, including links to free images, video, music, and audio to help save entrants time searching for these resources. Also, Sue Adelmann, a Follett Challenge judge since the inception, is featuredin a video where she lends perspective into what makes a successful application.

(Next page: Challenge entry details and important dates)

“I’ve read every application, watched every video and I’ve seen a lot of awesome work out there,” said Adelmann, vice president of market intelligence for Follett School Solutions. “There are some great resources on the Follett Challenge to get entrants started when they’re ready to go forward.”

Organizers have also shared a case study from Belleville (Ill.) West High School – the most recent Follett Challenge grand-prize winner – that outlines how to make entries work within the parameters of the judges’ scoring rubric. Eighty percent of each entrant’s score will be based on the judges’ opinion of the entry, with the remaining 20 percent based on the number of votes generated for the school’s video.

After the entry period closes, entrants will promote their Follett Challenge entry to their district, school and local communities. At FollettChallenge.com entrants will also find a convenient toolkit of downloadable materials to help garner exposure, as well as a series of answers to FAQs.

The contest’s three semifinalists each will earn a $30,000 prize, while the grand-prize winner (selected from the semifinalists) will earn an additional $30,000, plus a celebration at their school. Ten $8,000 prizes will be awarded to “People’s Choice” winners — those schools whose videos receive the highest number of online votes from the public.

“It’s great to win,” Adelmann continued, “but the underlying idea of the Challenge is that it’s a tool districts and schools can use to showcase the work they’re doing, highlight the initiatives they’ve implemented and share their innovative work with peers. It can help spark interest and achieve broader support for the great work they’re doing.”

Key 2015 contest dates are:
•Jan. 9: Entries close
•Jan. 19: Video voting begins
•Jan. 30: Video voting closes
•Feb. 13: Semifinalists and 10 People’s Choice winners announced
•April 30: Grand-prize winner announced

For more information on the Follett Challenge, visit www.follettchallenge.com [2].