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1. Who can enter the Challenge?
Please read our entry criteria
2. Can I submit more than one idea?
Yes, you can submit more than one idea and be named as a partner on more than one entry.
Each idea submitted needs to be innovative and different to any others submitted.
3. I'm being funded through the Innovation in Giving Fund, can I enter?
If you are currently funded by Nesta's Innovation in Giving Fund, you are not eligible to enter for this Challenge as your Innovation in Giving project will still be in development, supported by Nesta.
4. I have entered my idea into another competition; can I submit the same idea to this competition?
Yes you can enter your idea even if you have submitted it to another competition. Please make sure you provide relevant and specific answers to the entry questions for this competition.
The other competition may have rules about you entering your idea in more than one competition. It is your responsibility to check this before you enter this competition.
5. I took part in the Big Green Challenge; can I still enter this challenge?
Yes. You can still enter this Challenge if you previously applied for or took part in the Big Green Challenge.
6. Can I remove my entry once I have submitted it?
Yes, you can send an e-mail to givingchallenges@nesta.org.uk and request for your entry to be removed.
7. What kind of ideas are you looking for?
The Waste Reduction Challenge Prize aims to support innovations that have the potential to mobilise communities to give and exchange time, skills and resources to achieve specific social goals and public benefit. We are genuinely open about the kinds of ideas that can be put forward and examples of the areas that we are interested in for the Waste Reduction Challenge include:
This is not intended as an exhaustive list. We welcome proposals of all kinds that meet the challenges, judging and entry to apply. This is your chance to really think differently.
8. Why is Nesta running the Waste Reduction Challenge Prize?
Nesta's Centre for Challenge Prizes aims to bring together the growing expertise and interest in challenge prizes and to help build understanding of how challenge prizes can play an effective and strategic role in the stimulation and support of innovation.
Through the Waste Reduction Challenge Prize, we aim to:
9. What do you mean by innovation?
Innovation could involve coming up with a brand new idea, combining things in a new way, or finding new ways of making existing solutions work better. The best innovations often involve re-organising processes or the way people interact for example.
Through the Waste Reduction Challenge Prize we are looking for fresh thinking about the way we live our lives, in order to find new and better ways to reduce the amount of waste that we generate.
10. What do you mean by waste?
For the purpose of this Challenge we are defining waste as unwanted or discarded products, material or matter. Additionally, this could include items which people are required to discard, such as materials with hazardous properties. The waste can be generated through household, industrial or commercial channels.
Many items can be considered as waste e.g. household rubbish, sewage sludge, wastes from manufacturing activities, packaging items, discarded cars, electrical items, old televisions, garden waste, old paint containers etc.
11. What do you mean by waste reduction?
For the purpose of this challenge we are taking an integrated approach in defining waste reduction to include prevention, reuse and/or recycling.
This will generally lead to a decrease in products, materials or matter diverted from reaching landfill.
12. Where can I find out more about waste reduction?
Here are a few websites which are likely to be helpful.
www.defra.gov.ukwww.wrap.org.uk
www.wastewatch.org.uk
www.reducereuserecycle.co.uk/greendirectory/waste_reduction_and_management.php
Communities vary - both in size and what brings them together - eg. friendship, culture, faith, ethnicity, business alliances, colleagues or leisure interests. These communities are often based around a local area, though in some cases are spread across large areas.
Entrants are asked to define their own communities as part of the Challenge. Communities can be defined differently by each entrant, and the size and nature of each community will vary.
14. Is this Challenge similar to the Big Green Challenge?
The structure of the Challenge Prize is similar, although this prize is focussed on the specific environmental challenge of waste reduction.
15. What is the link between innovation and giving (volunteering)?
The potential for communities to give of their time, skills and resources to help address social issues is vast. The nature and dynamics of the social issues that communities deal with on a daily basis is constantly evolving. Therefore, the concept of giving has significant capacity for innovation.
16. What do you mean by people that are new to giving?
This can be defined as people that have not given in a particular way before or that haven't done so for a period of at least two years.
17. How can you measure the time people will be giving?
Indicators will include the number of new opportunities, volunteers and amount of time given. The quality and level of engagement will also be assessed. The Judges' decision about indicators will be final.
18. Can I get advice on how to enter the competition?
If you have enquiries about how to enter the competition please e-mail givingchallenges@nesta.org.uk
19. Who decides on the prize winners?
We are bringing together a high-profile panel of Judges, whose combined expertise will cover, volunteering, community action, waste issues and innovation.
The Judges decision will also be informed by reports from waste audit experts to ensure that waste reductions achieved by Finalists are measured as appropriately and as accurately as possible.
20. What can the Prize be used for?
This is a prize so we don't want to put too many restrictions on what the winners can do with it. At the same time the winners must spend appropriately for the benefit of their community.
21. Is there a guaranteed winner?
No, the distribution of the prize fund depends on performance against our criteria. We will only award the prize money if the Judges consider an entry or entries to have met the challenge.
22. What kind of support will be offered?
Shortlisted entries will be supported to develop detailed plans. Up to five Finalists will be offered up to £10,000 and non-financial support to develop their idea at our discretion.
23. What does the testing period comprise?
The testing period will comprise delivering the idea for a period of up to six months in order to assess levels of giving, measure initial waste reductions and assess potential for future reductions in the future.
24. When will winners be announced?
We expect that winners will be announced in October 2013.
25. What happens to the ideas that don't make it to the final stages of the competition?
Up to 25 ideas will be shortlisted and these will be the ideas which are judged to be the most promising based on the initial entry and will be listed on the website. Shortlisted entries will be supported to develop detailed plans.
We will also be creating opportunities to bring entrants together to share ideas.
26. Who is providing the funds for running this challenge?
The Challenge Prize has been funded by the Cabinet Office. This programme fits within the Innovation in Giving strategy and is working closely with Nesta's Innovation in Giving Fund.
27. How is this Challenge Prize different from Nesta's Innovation in Giving Fund?
The Innovation in Giving Fund is a grants scheme, which has a different design structure to a challenge prize. The key difference is that a grant is generally offered for a specified intention and monitored accordingly. A challenge prize is usually awarded for the entry to meet that can demonstrate the best results against set criteria. There is more flexibility in the way the prize can be used by the winner.
28. Why is the Waste Reduction Challenge Prize restricted to England?
In the UK, giving - whether of time or money - are devolved matters and each country will consider the most appropriate arrangements for implementing related policy in their area. The Giving Challenge Prizes are funded by the Cabinet Office, which has responsibility for giving and social action in England only. While applicants can be established in any part of the UK, the benefits of their proposals should focus primarily or significantly on England.
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Nesta Operating Company, a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales with company number 7706036 and charity number 1144091. Registered as a charity in Scotland number SC042833.
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