Competition Details

Competition Schedule

To assist in developing your entry we offer a series of workshops to help you develop your idea. Workshops will be held on Wednesday evenings throughout the semester.

- October 9: Contest Launch and Introduction Workshop: 7:30pm in the McKay Little Theatre.

- October 23: Developing Your Idea Workshop with TK Ford: 6:00pm on Zoom.

- November 6: Developing Your Theory of Change Workshop: 7:30 in MCK 120.

- November 6: Deadline to Register Your Team: To register fill out this form: https://forms.gle/sKBe1wTke1FUrViKA

- November 20: Financial Sustainability Workshop: 7:30 in MCK 120

- December 2: Participants Presentations: McKay Little Theatre

- December 4: Announcement of Winner: McKay Little Theatre

For a copy of any workshop slides please email us at: [email protected].

Submission Requirements

The components of the contest entry are similar to what would be expected in a business plan, and must include:

- Project Overview: Detailed explanation of the peacebuilding problem to be focused on and how the program or organization will address this peacebuilding problem. 200+ words.

- System Scan: Description of how other organizations are addressing this problem and how your approach builds on previous work and adds value to the space, emphasizing innovation and creativity. 250+ words.

- Financial Sustainability Plan: Detailed description of your funding model and how you will reach/acquire financial support. 250+ words.

- Theory of Change: Detailed description of the theory of change.  250+ words.

- Risk Analysis: Identification and assessment of potential risks and mitigation strategies. 250+ words.

- Management and Organization: Information about the management team, key personnel, and organizational structure. 250+ words.

- One Year Plan: A detailed 1 year plan outlining what you will accomplish if you win. 200+ words.

Students will present a 10-15 minute presentation of their idea to a panel of judges and submit a 3-5 page written summary of the above components by the date of their presentation; written submissions will be emailed to [email protected]. Students should dress in business formal attire for their presentations.

Eligibility

All currently enrolled students in a peacebuilding major and minor in Hawaii are eligible to enter. Entries may be from an individual or a team of up to four team members - if entering as a team only 1 person on your team needs to be majoring or minoring in peacebuilding.  Entries may propose a program, an NGO, a social enterprise, or a business,  what is most important is how they address a specific need in the Asia Pacific Region and apply peacebuilding principles in their solution.  Students must attend at least 2 of our workshops help from October 9, 2024 - November 20, 2024 to be eligible for entry.

Honor Code

All aspects of this competition are to be professional and high quality. An entry can be disqualified if the idea, business, video, presentation, presenters, etc. do not adhere to a professional code of conduct. All components of your presentation should avoid any dishonesty, bullying, profanity, substance abuse, and/or immodesty. All registrants agree to abide by these dress and behavior standards. 

Judges

-Justin Reber: Entrepreneur

- Sydny Short: Workplace Culture and Conflict Specialist

- Paul Wilson: BYU-Hawaii Professor: Faculty of Business and Government.

- Michelle Blimes: BYU-Hawaii Adjunct Professor: Faculty of Education & Social Work, Faculty of Arts & Letters.

- Deborah Christensen: BYU-Hawaii Professor: Faculty of Business and Government.

Prize Details

The winning student(s) will obtain a $1,000 cash prize for seed funding, disbursed according to a set budget. The winners will also have the option to be incubated by Ponopono Peace Initiative to help get their idea off the ground and running. The In-kind support included in the prize package will come in the form of mentorship hours with specific mentors. The winners will have the incredible opportunity to be mentored by the following five BYU-Hawaii peacebuilding alumni:

- Chris Pineda: Founder and director of Groundwork Leadership.
- Katie Searle: Grant writer and consultant.

- Katie Bak: Business owner of LifeFluent.

- Tian (TK) Ford: TK is the Associate Director of Project P.E.A.C.E. & independent evaluation consultant for the Imagine Center for Conflict Transformation.

- Kasha Coombs: Director of project PEACE in Mountain West's Center for Community Excellence.

You can read more about these incredible mentors on our Instagram and LinkedIn accounts linked at the bottom of this page!