Competition: crowdsourcing a better workplace (Dec 19 2010)

Deadline for submissions: 19 December 2010.

Say Thanks, a competition to design a better workplace award using the principles of crowdsourcing, launched today at SayThanks.com. Each year, millions of workers around the world are given awards in recognition of their good work, from trophies and plaques to wrist watches and lapel pins. Say Thanks wants to break from the norm and let people design the awards they themselves would love to receive.

On the Say Thanks website, people can submit designs for workplace awards to a gallery, where others on the site will have a chance to review and score them. This process of allowing people to submit and rate designs in a competitive format follows the crowdsourcing model, a problem solving and production method for generating creative work in an online community.

“Brass and walnut plaques have become passé, and we want to break out of the norm and create what people really want,” said Sandra Christensen, marketing director for O.C. Tanner, the company sponsoring Say Thanks. “So we’re giving people a chance to design the ideal award for themselves, and we’re using crowdsourcing to make it happen.”

Two tracks of awards will be given to designs. On the Popular Vote track, the three designs receiving the highest average score from people on the website will win $1,000 for first place,$500 for second place, and $250 for third place. On the Panel Selected track, a panel of experts will select three top designs, each receiving the same prize money as the popular vote winners. All six winning designs will receive public recognition, and if a design is eventually put into production, designers will receive full credit for their ideas.

Say Thanks runs until December 19, 2010. Free registration on the website is required to submit or score designs.

Say Thanks is sponsored by O.C. Tanner. Since 1927, O.C. Tanner has provided recognition awards, tools, and information to millions of people every year. Serving thousands of companies worldwide, including the majority of the Fortune 500, O.C. Tanner designs many of the awards used to recognize great work.

CONTACT:        Daren Brabham, press liaison
(801) 633-4796 cell
daren.brabham@gmail.com