Launchpad is Red Bull’s way of giving wings to your ideas. In this contest, you'll be asked to submit your own idea or vote for which ideas you want to see become real (or both!). Ideas will battle head-to-head in the Launchpad arena, with voters picking the ones they like best. Over the competition, these ideas will be cut down to ten semi-finalists, and from those ten, the five favorites will get to present their ideas live to Red Bull judges in Santa Monica, CA. The judges' votes will determine the one first-prize winner from these five finalists who will get to see their idea brought to life. The winner also gets to take home an additional $5,000 prize.
Whoo. Hard question, but we'll do our best:
A good big idea is something that people would want to watch, even if they had nothing to do with it. It's something that's never been seen or done before. It's something that people get excited by before they even see it in action.
A good rule of thumb? Keep your idea as simple as possible. Try to say it in one sentence and see if people still get excited by it.
All ten semi-finalists will win a VIP package to the 2012 ESPN Summer X Games in Los Angeles, CA.
Five semi-finalists will move on to the finals, with one lucky S.O.B. winning the opportunity to have his or her idea made, along with earning a $5,000 check. Four second-place winners receive a $1,000 check. All semi-finalists receive free travel and accommodations to Santa Monica, CA to present their idea.
1. Come up with an amazing idea you want brought to life.
2. Make a video (30 seconds or less) where you share your idea. Take risks with your ideas, but don't take risks when presenting them. Talk about guys jumping off buildings. Don't actually jump off a building.
3. Between 1/26/12 and 5/23/12, upload your video. This video will battle in head-to-head competitions against other ideas.
4. Share your video's link to earn more votes.
5. Be prepared to move to the semi-finals between 6/29/2012 and 8/30/2012, where each finalist will get professional assistance and training from Red Bull experts as they craft a 3-5 minute presentation to deliver to the Red Bull judges in Santa Monica, CA.
6. Be 18 years of age or older, and live in the 50 US States, District of Columbia, or Canada.
- Between 1/26/12 and 5/23/12, upload your video at www.redbullusa.com/wings/launchpad/submit/.
- Make sure your video complies with the contest rules, is 30-seconds or less, and is one of the accepted formats: H.264, MPEG, MP4, AAC, OGG, FLV, WMV, MOV, AVI, or 3GP.
- Register using your Facebook account and full legal name. If you don’t have a Facebook account, fill out our form and a basic account will be created for you.
- We will review your video and let you know when it is available for public voting.
Good titles and descriptions should be catchy and short. Get to the core of what makes your idea cool in as few words as possible. Make it easy to understand and interesting. Be funny. Explain what people will see in a way that is creative and unexpected. Make it so they’re excited by your idea before they even click the play button.
Title examples:
'Backflip a BMX over the Sphinx.'
'Transform Death Valley into a snow park.'
1) Voting.
It's not enough to have the biggest idea. You've got to sell it. Share your idea's link and get people to vote, early and often. These votes indicate to us which ideas people actually want to see become real.
2) Clarity and presentation of your idea.
After watching your video, we should clearly know what your idea is and how excited you are to bring it to life. Also, here's a solid tip that will hold true for the rest of your life: don't mumble.
3) Creativity.
Your idea should make people say 'I've never heard that idea before, but I need to see it happen right now.' Think it through. Make it awesome.
4) Feasibility.
Red Bull believes nothing is impossible. But we also accept the reality that not everything is possible *right now.* Think big, but also be aware that the closer your idea is to being achievable, the closer it is to winning. So think twice about how badly you want to have that skateboard-powered cold fusion reactor.
1) Social Activity.
If you make it to the semi-finals, you'll be asked to share the process of refining your idea and making your presentation.
2) Feasibility.
We'll be looking at final costs, and risks of danger in implementing your idea.
3) Preparedness.
How well did you put together your presentation?
4) Social Support.
How much buzz are you building around your idea? How’s the crowd reaction?
1) Clarity of idea.
2) Creativity.
3) Feasibility.
4) Social interest.
5) Presentation to judges.
How well can you present and defend your idea in front of some of the biggest names in sports?
All prizes will be awarded within 8-10 weeks of confirmation of eligibility.
- Tell us your big idea without putting yourself in the hospital. Take risks with your idea, not in your presentation.
- The idea and the video must be your own original creation. That means no violation of copyright laws. No music, brand names, signs, etc. that are not your own. Check your t-shirt for that big corporate logo and cover it up. Unless that logo is Red Bull. We like that logo.
- Don't violate any laws. We don't want you to waste your cash prize on bail money.
- No profanity, vulgarity, obscenity, nudity, or pornography. Even if it has everything to do with your idea, you sick puppy.
- No more than 30 seconds long. We want your big idea, not your thesis.
- Supported video formats: H.264, MPEG, MP4, AAC, OGG, FLV, WMV, MOV, AVI, and 3GP.
- See the complete contest rules for more details.
Moderators will review entries for compliance with contest rules. After moderation, a message is sent to you telling you whether your entry was accepted or declined.
Double-check the complete contest rules to see what went wrong. Red Bull reserves the right to pull any video for any reason.
There is no limit to the number of entries you may submit. However, only one idea per person may move into the final rounds.