BACKGROUND
Recent advances in veterinary science have resulted in continually improving quality of life for pets. Thanks to these advances we can now offer our pets high-quality diets, effective preventative healthcare, and cutting-edge disease treatment. We also have new ways to keep our pets feeling fulfilled and secure at home and on the go.
Our four-legged family members have nuzzled their way deep into our hearts. As their position within our families continues to progress, we want more of the best for them. In 2016, US pet owners will spend about $63 billion on their pets!
VitalX Awards wants to bring entrepreneurs, problem-solvers, and trailblazers together with forward-thinking veterinarians to inspire industry innovation and solve pressing problems in the veterinary space.
THE PROBLEM
Do you have the skills and drive to help solve the biggest problems people face when caring for pets? We are looking to you for creative ideas and innovation areas that we can build future challenges around.
Potential categories to consider are:
THE CHALLENGE BREAKTHROUGH
We will be kicking off larger challenges with big prizes in 2017. Winners will have the opportunity to work with the animal industry's leading companies to market their breakthrough. Your ideas will fuel these challenges - with the ultimate goal of enhancing the well-being of animals.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO CAUSE A BREAKTHROUGH
PRIZE STRUCTURE
The challenge will award 5 prizes totalling $3,000. Judges will identify the top 5 submissions and select one of those as the overall winner. The individual/team responsible for the overall winning idea will be awarded $1,000 and the 4 runners up will be awarded $500 each.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Detail your suggestion for future VitalX challenges. Your submissions can be in any format (text, audio, video, illustration, etc.) that effectively communicates your idea. Video content must first be uploaded to YouTube of Vimeo and provided as a link within submission PDF.
Your submission must define a current problem or need and propose an idea for a future challenge that addresses this need.
JUDGING CRITERIA
| Criteria | Description | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Impact | To what extent does solving this problem impact the well-being of animals? | 20 |
| Pet Owner Benefit | Does this idea ultimately benefit the bond between the pet owner and their pet? | 20 |
| Sponsor Marketability | Will a future challenge focused on solving this problem be marketable to potential sponsors? We will look to leading companies in the animal health industry to sponsor relevant future challenges. | 20 |
| Originality |
Is this a fresh and creative idea? Will this idea bring something new to the veterinary community? |
20 |
| Collaboration | Would this idea bring together the worlds of technology, creativity and veterinary health? | 20 |
| Total | 100 |
ADDITIONAL RULES
Who can participate
The challenge is open to all individuals, private teams, or public teams. Teams may originate from any country. No specific qualifications or expertise in working with animal health is required for this initial idea-generation challenge. Future VitalX Awards challenges will require that each team includes at least one veterinary professional.
To be eligible to compete, you must comply with all the terms of the Challenge as defined in the Challenge-Specific Agreement.
Selection of Winners
Based on the winning criteria, 5 prizes of $500 each will be awarded and the overall winner will recevie an additional $500 ($1,000 total). In case of a tie, a winner will be selected at the discretion of the Judging Panel.
Communication
English is official language for submissions, proposals, presentations, and all communications.
Registration and Submissions
All individual and team submissions must be submitted online on or before January 8, 2017 at 8PM PST. No submissions will be accepted after this time. Incomplete submissions will not be accepted. All submissions must be received online, via the Challenge website.
Proposals must be uploaded as a single unlocked PDF document. Embedded hyperlinks to external content, such as videos or animations or anything else that might help the judging panel evaluate the entry, are allowed.
Challenge Guidelines are subject to change. Registered competitors will receive notification when changes are made, however, we highly encourage you to visit the Challenge Site often to review updates.
