JH Needs U: COVID Well-Being Idea Competition

Have an idea for an initiative, activity, creative/inspirational messages, or promotional campaign that will help encourage COVID safety measures, stimulate community connection, and/or boost general wellbeing among the staff, students, or faculty of the Hopkins community, whether virtual or in-person?

JH Needs U wants to hear from you! Between now and March 15th, if you have an inspiration that could support an identified need in the Hopkins community, we invite you to submit your idea to our JH Needs U ideas portal!

Ideas will be reviewed by members of the JH Needs U Campaign leadership, and the top five (5) submitters or submitting groups will receive a gift card for $25, whether your idea is implemented or not. Submissions will be evaluated for:

• Creativity. Make it fun and memorable.
• Feasibility. The goal of the competition is to find ideas that can quickly be put into practice.
• Clarity of purpose. Winning submissions should include articulation of the identified need and how the idea is a potential solution for that need.
• Cost effectiveness. There is no specific dollar limit on projects, but wise use of funds is a consideration.
• Connection to the JH Needs U campaign and its objectives to promote community safety, solidarity, and/or wellbeing. See the “Main Objectives” section below for details.

Details

Any affiliated student, staff, or faculty (individual or group), from any Hopkins school, who has an idea to promote COVID safety, solidarity, and/or wellbeing, and complement or extend the impact of the JH Needs U campaign may submit to the competition.

Applications should describe the identified need–what you see as the challenge or gap created by COVID-19–and how your idea proposes to overcome that challenge or support members of the Hopkins community as they seek to cope with it.

Please use this as an opportunity to help us protect each other whether on-campus or in remote settings, through new and creative forms of safe activities, communication initiatives, and/or fun!

JH Needs U Main Objectives

• Improving the wellbeing of the community by encouraging foundational prevention behaviors: hand washing, social distancing, mask-wearing, routine testing, use of the Prodensity app to monitor symptoms and access campus, and how to practice these behaviors effectively.
• Acknowledging the important roles and responsibilities every member of our community plays.
• Promoting use of the Johns Hopkins COVID info site.  

How to Apply

Submit your idea via this form: https://forms.gle/ke4ZR8LSB9GNfUUx5

Please include for consideration:

• The need or gap that you have identified.
• A general explanation of your idea to address that need.
• The primary audience of interest who may benefit from your idea.
• Any additional audiences who may also be positively impacted.
• Thoughts on a timeline. Is your idea a one-time event or an ongoing engagement?
• Thoughts on cost. What material resources would be essential to success? A ballpark estimate is fine.
• Thoughts on partners. Whose involvement would help your idea bear fruit? Which university, faculty, student, or administrative players, groups, or offices could support your efforts?

Application reviewers will consist of a group of members of the Office of Health & Well-being, Student Affairs, JH Needs U, and the University Communications Office.

Competition Timeline

• Submissions must be entered by 8:00 AM, March 22th.
• Awardees will be notified no later than March 26th.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the purpose of the idea competition?
A: The purpose of this solicitation is to garner additional ideas that may serve to foster the interconnectedness of the JHU community and to broaden the reach of the JH Needs U campaign and its objectives to promote COVID safety and wellbeing on Hopkins campuses.

Q: What types of ideas are you looking for?
A: We do not have pre-set ideas in mind; our goal is to hear from you and what you think would be most valuable. Make it memorable!

Q: Who is eligible to apply?
A: Any current Johns Hopkins student, staff, or faculty member is eligible to apply.

Q: If my idea is selected, what else do I need to know?
A: You will be contacted via the information you provide in your submission about your prize. The review panel and JH Needs U campaign team will make decisions about what, ultimately, to implement. If you are willing, the group may contact you to discuss your idea further, but that would be up to you. You are not under any further obligation to participate.

Q: How is this competition different from the JH Needs U COVID Well-Being Grant competition?
A: The grant competition was focused on contributors who both had an idea to promote JH Needs U and interest in personally executing that idea. We know there are tons of smart folks at Hopkins who might have great ideas but don’t have the time to personally carry them out. But we still want to hear them, and see if we can make them happen!

If you have more questions about the competition, contact jhneedsustudentgrant@jhu.edu