Pepsi is Looking for Your Ideas

You have probably seen the commercials, but just in case you haven't, I want to let you know that Pepsi is looking for your big ideas to improve health, arts & culture, neighborhoods, education, food & shelter, and the planet. The contest is called the "Pepsi Refresh Project."

Once ideas are submitted, people may vote for up to 10 ideas each day. Each month, Pepsi will provide up to 10 grants at the $5K, $25K, $50K levels and up to two $250K grants to the winning ideas.

I love the idea of Pepsi getting their customers to participate in selecting their corporate philanthropy projects. I'll be thinking of the ideas we have to submit!

For more information and to submit ideas, click here.

Social Enterprise Competition

Unite for Sight is hosting its seventh annual conference GH/Innovate 2010, Global Health and Innovation Conference, this April at Yale University. As part of the conference, students may apply for the opportunity to pitch their social enterprise concept to the attendees of the meeting, which CNN has called a "meeting of the minds."

The projects may be country-focused or more global. Categories for submission are:

• Global Health


• Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship


• International Development


• International Education


• NGOs and Community-Based Programs

Instructions for applying can be found here.

Calling Women Inventors!

Kelly Ripa, yes, the woman who co-hosts Live with Regis and Kelly and magically flips cookies to the kids in those Electrolux commercials, has teamed up with TLC and the Home Shopping Network to give women inventors the opportunity to pitch their products on HSN.

The show will help the inventors get their inventions manufactured and marketed.

Here are the qualifications:

• You must be a woman 18 or older and a citizen of the United States
• You must have a unique invention or product, plus a working prototype
• You must have a great, outgoing personality and plenty of passion to back up your product or invention!
• All applicants are subject to background check and standard television release forms
• Prohibited products: weapons, alcohol, dietary supplements, weight loss products, medical devices and skin care products with aggressive claims

You can find information about how to audition here. There are some UMaine alumni who have been very successful in selling their products on television shopping networks, including the Slanket on QVC. Maybe this could be your chance!

Project 10 to the 100th

To celebrate Google's tenth anniversary, the company is going to spend up to $10 million on the most innovative ideas that will impact the most people. Hence, the contest is called Project 10 to the 100th, which is a REALLY big number.

The types of ideas are unlimited, but the concept is to select the best ideas (up to five will be "winners") that fit the following criteria:

Reach - How many people will be affected?
Depth - How deeply are people impacted? How urgent is the need?
Attainability - Can this idea be implemented within a year or two?
Efficiency - How simple and cost-effective is your idea?
Longevity - How long will the idea's impact last?

Let's get some submissions from Maine! The deadline to submit an idea is October 20. Here is the web site: http://www.project10tothe100.com/how_it_works.html