Join Our Core Competition – FAQs
What is the Join Our Core Competition?
You could say that this competition is a bit of a treasure hunt for us! We’re trying to find
some bright sparks in the UK, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Austria,
Switzerland and the Netherlands who are keen to build and develop their cool new
sustainable business! (It’s something close to our hearts, so why not help others on the same
wavelength!)
How do people enter the competition?
How do you enter? It’s not even techy – nice and simple, in fact. You just need to fill out an
online application form (in English please!)
Who is the entry into the competition open to?
What do we want?...ENTRIES! When do we want ‘em? …Now! The question is, who do we
want to hear from? Well, YOU…if you’re from (& currently living in) the UK, Ireland,
Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland or the Netherlands. You need to
be between 18 and 34 years old when you’re submitting your entry.
Do competition entries have to fulfil any specific criteria?
We’re keeping small-print to a minimum (it’s always so darn hard to read!)
As far as criteria goes, you’ve just got to incorporate social, environmental and financial
sustainability into your business model, and think about awareness across different cultures
– that’s important too!
Oh, and, although entrants must live in these 9 countries, the business itself can have impact
in ANY country in the world…(yep, anywhere!)
Last thing…entries are accepted in English only!
Do you have to pay an entry fee to submit a business idea for the competition?
Whaaat? No, no, no! You’re idea might be worth a million bucks, but all entries are free…!
Why are people from only nine countries – UK, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland,
Germany, Austria, Switzerland or the Netherlands – able to compete?
Well, this is the second year that Ben & Jerry’s have run this kind of competition with Ashoka,
and we have just expanded from 5 to 9 countries! With your help though, we’re hoping this
could grow into something really big so we can include more countries!
Why is the competition restricted to people between 18 and 34 years of age? Is that really
fair? You’re excluding people who could have really great ideas
In partnership with
We believe young people now are the leaders of the future (especially when it comes to
sustainable business!), so we want young people to dive right in and help make a
difference…and it’s no secret that jobs aren’t really easy to come by right now for
youngsters, so this is our way of lending a helping hand.
If this is truly an international competition, why can you only submit entries in English?
We’ll be sifting through all your entries from the Ben & Jerry’s European HQ…and that’s
based in the UK!
How is the competition judged? Who decides the winners?
It’s not just down to us, oh no - Ben & Jerry’s is working with social enterprise experts Ashoka
who will help us check out the entries and pick 18 finalists – we’ll then crack open the ice
cream and get our expert panel of judges (including our co-founder Jerry Greenfield!) to sit
down and hand-pick the best 9 over a scoop or two. Those lucky people will be our winners
and will be sent to Vermont, USA as part of the competition prize!
They’ll need to get their entry forms in by 3rdth May 2013 to be in with a chance of getting
through to the final in London.
Who are Ashoka?
Ashoka like all things social entrepreneur-ish…& they love to invest in individuals with
innovative and practical ideas for solving the world's biggest social problems!
Since ’81 they’ve provided over 3,000 leading social entrepreneurs (known as Ashoka
Fellows) support & access to a Global network of peers in 72 countries. It’s pretty cool…
What’s super about Ashoka Fellows is that they inspire others to adopt and spread their
innovations, showing others that that they can be powerful Changemakers & make a positive
difference in their communities too!
Who are HUB?
The HUB is a community of peers collaborating in a trusted environment - providing cool
places to meet, work and learn combing the best of a community, innovation lab, and
business incubator. These great places have all the tools and trimmings needed to grow and
develop innovative ventures for the world, and above all, places for meaningful encounters,
exchange and inspiration, full of diverse people doing amazing things (…we like the sound of
that!). The idea has been spreading and to date there are 6,000 members located in 38 Hubs
across the world!
What will the mentoring from Ashoka involve?
In partnership with
Well, let me tell you…the winners scoop themselves 6 months mentoring from Ashoka to look
at any challenges facing them in their business, and get super super advice to help their
business grow and develop. They are experts in helping social businesses scale, so brace
yourself for the big-guns.
Why is the competition prize only €10,000?
Money, money, money! We feel an unrestricted cash prize of €10,000 will be a great boost to
pretty much any socially minded start–up business…along with having your idea promoted
on a Ben & Jerry’s flavour; a “money can’t buy” prize!
What other prizes can people win?
You keen beans (that’s the first 100 people to enter by 10th April 2013) will scoop a year’s
supply of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream…and the 9 overall winners will also have their idea
promoted on a Ben & Jerry’s flavour in 2014 – cool, huh?!
Who are the judges? How were they selected?
We did a lot of thinking on this one, and we've rounded up a whole herd of experts in the
world of innovative social & environmental change…(we think they’ll be brilliant when
reviewing all the sustainable business ideas that come in).
You can take a look at the judges’ profiles here, actually; *LINK TO JUDGES PAGE*
Are there any important dates and deadlines to keep in mind if I want to apply?
o
Entries for the competition open on 4h March 2013.
o
The early bird deadline for the first 100 applicants to scoop a year’s supply
(that’s 12 tubs or the equivalent in vouchers!) of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream is
10th April 2013, so get your noodle in gear!
o
The final deadline for submitting competition entries is 17:00 (GMT) on 3th
May 2013…tick tock! Any entries received after that won’t be included I’m
afraid.
When will the winners be announced?
So…our announcement dates will be posted on joinourcore.com but here they are again - get
your diary out!
o
The 18 finalists will be announced on 31th May 2013
In partnership with
o
The 9 fantabulous winners of the overall competition will be announced on
the 12th June at the Judges Panel event in London – get that date in your
diary!
Ben & Jerry’s are an ice-cream company! What do you really know about sustainable
business models?
Have you not heard? We’re so much more than an ice cream company! When Ben & Jerry
first started the business (back in ’78) it was all about creating a new business model, where
social, economic and environmental values would all be equal…(better for everyone that
way!)
34 years on, these lovely core values are still guiding the business. We’ve always felt
businesses and organisations have a responsibility to give something back to the
communities in which they operate.
In partnership with