As part of the live Spark Lab training, you will form teams and work to design a solution to a current problem. After the training, you then have the option to continue to work on your solutions, engage in 1:1 coaching from Courtney Klein and/or TFA staff, and submit your solution to the Spark Lab Design Competition!

Your submissions will then be available to view on the Spark Lab website, where your Spark Lab peers, change agents in the Teach For America network, and your personal networks can vote for their favorite solutions. The top teams with the most votes will advance to the final round where a panel of judges will review and determine the rank of the 3 winning proposals. If your proposal wins, your team will receive a cash prize up to $2500 and a chance to chat with Teach For America CEO, Elisa Villanueva Beard about your idea.

It’s never too early to be a catalyst for systems change in education!

More guidance on competition, pitch requirements, support, and timelines will be shared during the live Spark Lab training on May 1. In the meantime, you can view contest rules here.

The top 3 teams will win:

• 1st Place Team: $2500 and a conversation with Teach For America CEO, Elisa Villanueva Beard 
• 2nd Place Team: $1500
• 3rd Place Team: $1000

As a bonus: The top 3 teams will all receive guaranteed admission and a discount of 50% to attend a SEED SPOT* launch camp, a unique opportunity to continue pursuing their ideas and take them to the next level. All other teams will receive a 25% off discount code to attend a SEED SPOT Launch Camp to encourage them in pursuing their ideas as well.

*SEED SPOT was recently ranked as a top 5 private business accelerator and most promising for social impact by UBI Global at the World Incubation Summit in Doha, Qatar and, in 2016, won an Emmy for their partnership with Univision supporting Latino entrepreneurs through Véndeme tu Sueño. Since 2012, SEED SPOT has served 884 entrepreneurs who have raised $53.3M in capital, generated $82.6M in revenue, created 2,385 new jobs, and impacted the lives of 8.2M people with their products, services, and technologies. SEED SPOT Launch Camps are valued at $200 a person.

Eligibility Requirements:

• All team members must have been invited to Spark Lab by Teach For America’s Early Engagement Team
• Attend the full Social Innovation Training on Friday, May 1, 2020 between 1:00pm-6:00pm EST. We will be taking attendance at the beginning and during the event
• Individuals or teams of up to 5 members submit the recorded pitch and deck by 11:59PM Pacific Standard Time on Sunday, May 3rd

Pitch Requirements:

• Teams will record a presentation of their pitch that is within 5-6 minutes in length
• Teams will create a deck to present their pitch
• Basic elements of the presentation:
  • 1: Intro Slide
  • 2: Problem
  • 3: User
  • 4: Connect / Why it Matters
  • 5: Solution
  • 6: How it Works
  • 7: Value Proposition
  • 8: Impact / Metrics
  • 9: Channels (Marketing/Outreach)
  • 10: Costs / Sustainability
  • 11: Timeline
  • 12: Ask

Pitches that do not meet the basic requirements listed above will not be eligible for the voting round.

How Winners are Determined:

• Spark Lab participants, their networks, and Teach For America staff, corps members, and alumni, will be able to cast votes for their top three favorite pitches
• Voters will determine the finalists
• A committee comprised of Teach For America staff and an external consultant, Courtney Klein, will determine the first, second, and third place winning teams based on this criteria below: