Application Instructions
September 16, 2009
Deadline: January 29, 2010, at 11:59 p.m. PST
IMPORTANT: Please read the instructions thoroughly before filling out the application. This document will help you understand what is on the application and how to complete it. Please also read the FAQ, which goes more into depth on many of these topics.
The application process is entirely electronic, streamlining the process for you the applicant, as well as for the judges. The judging will be done on-screen, so please keep this in mind as you organize your materials.
To begin the process you will need to create a login in our application system. It’s a simple process that requires only your name and a valid e-mail address to begin. You will then be able to create a unique login/password combination to access and submit your application. It is important to use a valid e-mail address when registering, as you will need to follow a link sent to that address in order for you to complete the registration process.
While completing your application you will be able to save each part and move back and forward within the pages of the application once required sections are saved, error-free and completed. Meaning that once you have completed Part I: Personal Information you will then be able to proceed to Part II: Your Proposal and once that section is completed you will then be able to move on to Part III: Proposal Visualization and so on. However, once you hit the final submit button at the end Part V: Submission/Payment, your submission is final and you will not have the opportunity to review or modify it. Please double check that all necessary materials are compiled before you begin to fill the actual application.
At the end of the application— Part V: Submission/Payment—you will be asked for your credit card information and charged an entry fee in order to complete the process. The fee for entering is $75 per project. All payment information will be encrypted and transmitted to our servers via an encrypt SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) connection for your privacy and protection. Once submitted, you will be greeted with a submission confirmation screen and a confirmation e-mail will be sent to the main e-mail address on your application.
There are six components to the application:
1. Contact information and a list of your collaborators
2. A series of essay questions asking you to explain your proposal
3. Proposal Visualizations
4. Ancillary Documentation
5. Final Preview
6. Payment and confirmation
Part 1: Contact information (required)
The submitter will be asked to provide the following information. The judges will not have access to this portion of your application when determining the merits of your project. Please be very careful that this is the only part of your application that includes any identifying information.
• first name
• last name
• firm/company/school
• street address
• city
• state
• postal code
• country
• telephone
• URL
• names of collaborators
• companies/firms of collaborators
• telephone numbers of collaborators
• e-mail addresses of collaborators
There is room to list up to ten collaborators. If you have additional collaborators you may upload a PDF document with this information.
Part II: Your Proposal (required)
You will be asked the following questions. To ensure anonymity during judging DO NOT include any personal or identifying information in your answers. It is highly recommend that you proofread and spell check your responses.
• What is the title of your proposal?
o The answer to this question is essentially the title of your project.
o 50 words or less
• How would you describe it?
o We ask you this question to get an idea of what your project actually is. What is it for? What does it do? What is it made out of? Is it intended for a certain place or a specific group of people? Etc.
o 50 words or less
• What does it fix and why?
o This is your opportunity to tell us what specifically how your project fits in to the theme of this year’s competition.
o 50 words or less
• What makes it important?
o This is where you tell us why your idea is important, original and necessary.
o 500 words or less
• How do the photos or renderings illustrate the concept?
o You will be asked in the next section to include images to bolster your submission. If you have an image of thing you’re fixing, please include as a “before” picture. This question is a chance for you to explain why the images are important and how they relate to your project. You will have the additional opportunity to provide captions for your images in the next section.
o 500 words or less
• What is your business plan for realizing your proposal?
o It is important to have a strategy for what will happen when your proposal is ready for the world. Part of a well-thought out project is its viability. One way to answer this question would be to tell us what you would do with the $10,000 prize, or how it fits into your overall scheme. Please be specific.
o 500 words or less
Part III: Proposal Visualization (required)
Images are an important part of your submission. It is very highly recommended that you include a few images but you are not required to submit more than one. These may be photographs, renderings, graphs, etc. You may submit up to 10 images in JPEG, PNG or GIF format. They will be judged on-screen, so it is important that they are sized appropriately for on-screen viewing. Please do not send images that are larger than 1000 pixels wide or 1000 pixels high. These are the maximum dimensions; it is OK for your images to be smaller. Please do not resize your images to be larger as this degrades the quality of the image, a small image is better than a fuzzy one. The dpi (dots per inch) should be set at 72dpi. And each individual file should not exceed 10MB in actual file size. If your project is selected for publication you will be required to provide high resolution publication-quality images and image credits at that time.
For each image you will be able to include a caption up to 50 words long. These will help the judges know what the picture is showing. It is important that you DO NOT include any personal or identifying information in the captions to ensure anonymity during judging.You must include the file extension (ie .jpg .png .gif) for the system to process your file correctly.
Audio/Video (optional)
Audio and/or video files may be submitted as a MOV, MP3, MPG, or MP4 file. For video files, the physical dimensions of each file should be no larger than 320 pixels wide by 240 pixels high. Each individual audio or video file should not exceed 10MB in actual file size.You must include the file extension (ie .mov .mp3 .mpg .mp4) for the system to process your file correctly.
Part IV: Ancillary Documentation (optional)
You have the chance to include any supplemental information that is not covered in the previous sections. These may be submitted in PDF form. If it is absolutely impossible for you to create PDF documents we can also accept Microsoft Word (DOC), Rich Text Format (RTF), and Plain Text (TXT) files instead. You might want to include your CV, the publication history of your project, or examples of past work. It is very important that you remove any identifying information from these documents to ensure anonymity during judging, and that materials are clearly marked so judges understand what they are looking at. There is space to upload up to five documents of up to 2 MB each. You must include the file extension (ie .pdf .doc .rtf) for the system to process your file correctly.
Part V: Final Preview
Here you will be able to view your application and determine if any changes need to be made before submitting.
Part VI: Submission/Payment (required)
Before you can submit your application you will be required to pay the entry fee by credit card. Metropolis accepts MasterCard, VISA, AMEX, and Discover. The fee for entering is $75 per project. You will also be required to check a box verifying that you have read and agree to the rules of the competition. Finally you will click a submit button and your application is complete. You will receive a confirmation number via email.
Thank you for entering the Next Generation Design Competition.
Checklist:
____ I have read the application instructions.
____ I have read the FAQ page.
____ I have read my typed answers to the essay questions and proofread and spell-checked them for accuracy.
____ I have compiled JPEG, PNG, or GIF images to illustrate my proposal that are no larger than 1000 pixels wide by 1000 pixels high.
____ I have written captions for my images.
____ I have compiled PDFs of supporting documents and removed my name to ensure anonymity.
____ I have read the official rules of the competition and agree to the terms and conditions.
____ I agree to sign a hard copy of this application if chosen as a winner or runner-up.
____ I have my credit card ready to finish the process.
