FAQs

What is CHANGEit?

CHANGEit is an award programme that recognises, supports and rewards young people who want to, or have already spoken up and taken action to change or improve something in their community. We are dedicated to continuously encouraging, inspiring and rewarding young campaigners from across the UK.

Who’s it for?

Young people aged between 11 and 18 years, living in the UK who have campaigned for something they believe in, want to start campaigning, or want to share their view of change through photography.

Who are the Performance Awards for?

The Performance awards are for young people who have taken action on issues they care about and launched campaigns to create positive change. Campaigns in this category can already demonstrate an impact or the result of change.

Who are the Innovation Awards for?

The Innovation awards are for young people who want to make positive change happen, but need help with the funding and know how to get started.

Who are the Photography Awards for?

The photography awards are open to young people between 11 and 18 who have captured images of campaigning in action or the change they see around them. Ideally, the images submitted show a change that has been started or helped by young people. The overall aim however is to get a young person’s view of change.

Who can apply?

The rules for applicants are as follows:

Nominees must be based in the UK and must be between 11 and 18-years-old.
For the Performance category, the activity or campaign should have resulted in a long-lasting activity, which made a genuine difference. It could be anything from starting a petition to setting up a campaign group.
Individuals or groups can be nominated for CHANGEit. Should a group win, the prize must be shared between all members or put towards further campaign activity.
All entries should be endorsed by an adult such as a youth leader, an adult involved in the campaign, teachers, etc.
We are keen to encourage entries from young people who have set up, or would like to set up their own campaigns. But young campaigners who are supporting existing causes or organisations are also welcome to apply. The ability to demonstrate an innovative approach is desirable.
We are eager to receive entries from young people who have not already received any major national or international awards for their work. However, you can still win if you have already received an award for your work.
Please note: judging decisions do not take into account the popular vote results and the judges’ decision is final!

Who’s behind the Awards?

CHANGEit has been developed by Common Purpose and Deutsche Bank. It began as the Spotlight awards in 2001 which awarded prizes for campaign activity, and in 2007 it was re-launched as CHANGEit to include opportunities to support and start new campaigns.

Common Purpose
Common Purpose is an independent, international leadership development organisation dedicated to improving the way society works by increasing the number of people who are taking a lead in community and public life. Common Purpose’s Your Turn campaign focuses on young people and the Deutsche Bank CHANGEit Awards build on this.

Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank, as a leading global investment bank, seeks opportunities to play a positive role in addressing the needs of our local community with the same passion with which we endeavour to achieve only the best on behalf of our clients. In London alone we invest over £3m, engage 1200 employee volunteers and utilise the leadership of our management to bring positive change to those most in need.

What are the prizes?

All nominations will receive a certificate of recognition and all short-listed finalists will take part in campaign training to help further their campaigns. Winners in the Performance category will receive a prize of £750 and finalists will receive £250. Winners in the Innovation category will receive £750 for their campaign and finalists will receive £250. Winners in the photoraphy category will win £250 and will have their photograph displayed at the CHANGEit art exhibit in central London. An online popular vote poll will be held for the public to select one winner from each category to receive £250. All finalists and winners will be featured on the CHANGEit website.

How do I apply or nominate someone?

Nominations for the 2009/10 awards will open starting 8 October 2009. Applications can be downloaded from the website or submitted via an online entry form.

Can groups apply?

Yes, we will accept nominations for groups of all sizes. However should they go on to win, the prize would be shared amongst the group.

When will I know if my nomination has been short-listed?

All nominations will be reviewed by a short-listing team in January 2010 and finalists will be announced in February 2010. Eight will be selected as finalists for the Innovation and Performance categories and these will then go before a judging panel. Twelve photographs will be short-listed for the photo contest which will go before the judging panel and all images will be part of the CHANGEit exhibition.

What happens if I am short-listed?

Performance
Performance award short-listed finalists should expect a visit from a member of the CHANGEit team, who will meet to talk through the campaign in greater depth. Finalists will be expected to provide materials that can be used in the judging process and for the award ceremony. Posters, newspaper clippings, photos, videos (etc) are all useful for the judges when they are making their decisions.

Innovation
Short-listed finalists in the Innovation Awards will be invited to attend a workshop to delve deeper into the campaign ideas and shape a plan to take the idea or project forward. The day will cover training on the skills needed for campaigning, marketing, fundraising, team-work and presentation skills. Finalists will also be set the task of keeping a blog about campaign experiences to track the campaign progress. At the awards ceremony finalists will give a brief presentation about their campaign to our panel of judges in a “Dragon’s Den” style pitch.

Photography
Individuals submitting photographs that are short-listed for the photo contest will be contacted by the CHANGEit manager to learn more about the photo and ensure personal copyright of the image(s). In addition, they will need to supply, in more detail, information about the campaigning or change taking place to be included in exhibition materials and a brief bio about themselves. Finalists will be invited to all exhibition events and the award ceremony.