Rules

Eligibility and Submission Requirements

Anyone living in San Diego County is welcome to compete as long as the app is designed for youth and/or young adults.

Since this challenge is hosted by the Binge and Underage Drinking Initiative, all submissions need to address the problems of drinking alcohol when underage and the problems with drinking too much once someone is 21 or older. The app should encourage people to moderate their alcohol consumption if they are of drinking age and to encourage those underage or who haven’t started drinking to not start drinking in the first place.

You can do this by embracing the ‘sober curious’ movement within your app for example or whatever creative way you come up with.

Review Criteria

Judges will score each app against the following criteria (based on a 100-point maximum) from information provided in both the 1-page write-up and video submission:

  • App theme, purpose and use. (20 points)
    • You should be able to explain how the app will work and show progress to date of the app. The video submission is a great place to show the judges how the app would work in concept. Supplemental information can be provided in your write-up.
  • Encourages those of drinking age to moderate their consumption of alcohol and encourages those who are underage or haven’t started drinking to not start drinking. (20 points)
    • You can do this by adding information about the sober curious movement for example, promoting activities that are healthier alternatives to drinking, educating users on alcohol-related harms or explaining local laws about alcohol like “social host.”
  • App consistently promotes a healthier lifestyle. (15 points)
    • Your app doesn’t encourage the use of alcohol, cannabis or illegal drugs or other activities that can be harmful to health.
    • You can encourage and support exercise, ways to connect with friends and family, healthy eating, learning new skills or engaging in positive, health-affirming activities.
  • App provides added benefits to vulnerable groups. (15 points)
    • Your app may have features which make it easier for those who are blind or deaf to use.
    • Your app may provide extra benefits for those who live in poorer neighborhoods, live some distance away from grocery stores or those without home Internet access for example.
    • Your app may, for example, focus on those who identify as LGBT, are not fluent in English or dropped out of school.
    • This is not meant to be an exhaustive list, but is meant to give you ideas.
    • Please be certain to highlight whatever group you are focused on and what features you added to benefit them.
  • The app has the potential to have a positive impact within the target population. (15 points)
    • Your proposed app does not have to be fully fleshed out at the time of submission, but the more progress made on the app, the easier it will be for the judges to see the positive impact your app could have.
  • Lessons Learned (15 points)
    • Detail lessons learned from developing your app. What did you learn? What was the most fun? What was the most challenging?

Submission Guidelines

Failure to follow submission guidelines may result in an incomplete application.

  1. Register as a participant.
  2. Once your app design is ready, submit your idea, which should include:
    • A one page written description
      • Drawings or sketches of what the app will look like
      • A flow chart showcasing the user’s experience (optional, but encouraged)
      • A video explanation of your concept (optional, but encouraged)

Deadline for this app challenge will be December 31, 2020.

Awards and Recognition

The app challenge will have two awards from our judges and one award given by popular votes:

  • Best app developed for high school students
  • Best app developed for college-age adults
  • People’s choice (the app finalist that gets the most votes from the public)

Intellectual Property

This is your work and you can do with it what you want. You wrote it, you own it. The Institute for Public Strategies (IPS) will NOT make claims on any work submitted to the app competition. Applicants agree to have their submissions posted to the IPS website.