Rules, Eligibility and Criteria

The intention of the Launch Pad contest is to support those we believe will have the greatest opportunity to impact their communities — people with the character, the integrity, and the resolve to get their ideas off the ground. To guide our process for selecting the 25 finalists, we have established the following rules and criteria.

Voting Rules

You may vote for one contestant once in a 24-hour period. To vote more than once, return to the site after 24 hours have passed since your previous vote. For the final round, all results will be audited after the close of online voting on February 25, 2011 at 11:59PM Eastern time to ensure compliance with voting regulations.

Contest Eligibility

To be eligible to for the Launch Pad contest, participants must meet the following rules:

1. Applicants must be 45 or older and a U.S. citizen or legal resident.
2. Submissions for the Launch Pad must be new to the submitter or in the beginning phases of implementation (less than two years old). All submissions must address a community, national or international problem.
3. Applicants should be able to demonstrate some combination of training and experience that would qualify them to successfully carry out the proposed idea.
4. Finalists must be willing to participate in future promotions and potentially take a spokesperson role within Encore Careers. 
5. Prior winners of The Purpose Prize^® are not eligible. Members of the Civic Ventures^® Board of Directors, staff, contractors and their immediate family members (including domestic partners) are not eligible.
6. Submissions for the Launch Pad must have been submitted to the website by 11:59PM Eastern time, December 22, 2010.

Individuals in the following categories are not eligible to participate in the Launch Pad contest:

1. Employees of Civic Ventures, its programs and affiliates;
2. Members of the Civic Ventures Board of Directors; Civic Ventures Senior Fellows and key advisors;
3. Civic Ventures consultants and vendors who have received remuneration during a 12-month period preceding the submission deadline;
4. Civic Ventures volunteers or advisors if those individuals have been granted significant, independent decision-making authority with respect to financial or other resources of the organization or any of its programs;
5. Civic Ventures program grantees who have received grants of cash, equipment or other assistance from Civic Ventures during a 12-month period preceding the application deadline;
6. Members of any Launch Pad review or judging panel;
7. Staff, Board members or key volunteers of Civic Ventures program funders;
8. Family members (including domestic partners) and business associates of any of the individuals in the categories listed above

Individuals in any of these categories must terminate their relationship with the organizations and programs listed above 12 months prior to the contest submission deadline in order to be eligible for the current year contest.

Criteria for Selecting Finalists

Judges will select 24 finalists for the voting phase of the contest after the submission phase closes (visitors to the site will have the opportunity to vote for a 25th finalist). To be considered for the voting phase, a participant's idea should meet the following criteria:

1. Will this idea benefit from a cash prize and Encore Career resources?
2. Does this idea have the potential to tangibly improve the lives of others and strengthen the community?
3. Does this idea have the potential to be replicated or franchised elsewhere by others seeking an encore career?
4. Does the person with the idea have experience and passion to see it through?

Selection Process

1. On January 24, 2011 Civic Ventures will name up to 25 Launch Pad finalists. Afterwards, a voting phase runs on Encore.org from January 24 through February 25. The top vote-getters at the conclusion of the final voting phase will be eligible for cash awards.
2. Eligible applicants selected for consideration as finalists must disclose any current or prior financial relationship or other support they have received from Civic Ventures and its funders.
3. Civic Ventures reserves the right to not advance a submission to the finalist round at any time and for any reason.
4. Civic Ventures reserves the right to make final award decisions that best reflect the diversity of the geography, issues, and communities it serves.
5. Civic Ventures reserves the right not to award at any time in the process if it determines to do so is in violation of any local, state, or federal regulation or responsibility, or if additional information surfaces that would make an idea or candidate ineligible.

Visit our FAQ for more information.