Judges & Judging Criteria
Please use the following document as a resource to help you better understand how your applications will be scored by our national team of judges. We encourage you to be creative as you work to meet the needs of your targeted community in the way you feel will be most effective. If you have any questions or want to talk about your application further please contact the Project Ignition Team at projectignition@nylc.org or 1-888-856-7026.
Also, visit the www.sfprojectignition.com website for further resources, and a list of dates for informational webinars where NYLC staff will provide further guidance and answer your questions.
Introduction [5 Points Total]
- Name of Project [2 Points]
Please identify the name of your project and how this is descriptive of your intentions. - Summary: [3 Points]
Tell us the what, and how of your project as a three sentence introduction to your application.
Section One: Pre-Service [40 Points Total]
- Teen driver safety issues(s) chosen [2 Points]
While working on this section, make sure the answer clearly and effectively addresses an important teen driver safety issue. Importance should be determined by the needs of your target community (the group you are trying to influence), be based on research, and be a chosen topic rather than one assigned to the PI team. - Why is this topic important to you and students at your school? [3 Points]
Strongest applications will have a clearly articulated topic that reflects what the full Project Ignition team cares about. This is a time to clearly state why you feel teen driver safety is an important issue to your team. Why are you taking on this issue now? - Primary target audience [5 Points]
This section asks you to identify a specific, appropriate audience that will be your target; an audience that is at risk for auto crashes. Your target audience should be a group that you believe you CAN influence if you use the right strategy. - What you want your audience to a)know, b)believe, and c)do differently? [15 Points]
We are looking for projects with clearly articulated goals that are relevant to your chosen issue; they should demonstrate an ability to bring new and accurate facts to your audience. In other words, what is/ are your key message(s)? Believing goes beyond knowing, it is when your opinions begin to be shaped by acquired knowledge. The best projects prove that they can change behaviors in the target audience; they cause people to do something different. - How is the project integrated into the classroom or curriculum? [15 Points]
Strong responses will indicate how state and/or local standards from core academic areas connect with key activities and events from your campaign. These activities provide a clear opportunity for students to demonstrate greater understanding of their academic goals through involvement in important Project Ignition activities. Best practices in service-learning should be applied to ensure strong connection between academics and service. Visit: www.nylc.org to learn more about service-learning.
Section Two: Service [55 Points Total]
- Overview of core strategies [20 Points Total]
- Events [5 Points]
- Interactive demos [5 Points]
- Media & Merchandise [5 Points]
- Norm building strategies [5 Points]
- How will reflection be incorporated into the project? [5 Points]
We are seeking plans that have with clear, thoughtful attempts to describe ways reflection will be incorporated in multiple ways or on multiple occasions throughout the campaign. Reflection includes a variety of verbal, written, artistic and nonverbal activities to demonstrate knowledge, skills and/ or attitudes. The greatest results arise when reflection occurs before, during and after an experience. - Brief timeline of activities, events, and research [3 Points]
This section asks you to identify a specific, appropriate audience that will be your target; an audience that is at risk for auto crashes. Your target audience should be a group that you believe you CAN influence if you use the right strategy. - Youth involvement - How are youth involved in: [10 Points Total]
- The planning [5 Points]
- Implementation and evaluation of the project [5 Points]
- Youth/Adult Partnerships [6 Points Total]
- Own school staff [3 Points]
- Outside of community [3 Points]
- Budget plan [4 Points]
We are looking for clear budget plans that identify likely sources for all materials/funds and outline how schools will use the entire Project Ignition grant amount. This section can also be used to indicate in-kind and additional grants used to complete your teen driver safety initiative. Your expenses should align with your program goals and demonstrate how the $2,000 grant will be used effectively to maximize the reach and impact of your project. - How will you involve/invite another school into your effort? [5 Points]
We are seeking projects that demonstrate a potential to impact your school community and beyond. 3 of the possible points will be awarded if your team has two or more strategies to include another school in your project. This may entail engaging rival schools at sporting events or making presentations to elementary schools about ways non-drivers can be better, safer passengers, etc. We will most value strategies that go beyond simply sharing a message with another school to one where the other school is seen as a partner in your campaign.
Section Three: Post-Service [25 Points Total]
- Measuring Impact [15 Points Total]
- Reach [5 Points]
- Changes in attitude [5 Points]
- Behavior changes [5 Points]
- Sharing learning with community [10 Points Total]
- Strategy for sharing the impact with at least two audiences [5 Points]
- Strategy for sharing with an audience outside of the school [5 Points]