The 10,000 Solutions Project showcases and collects innovative ideas to solve local and global challenges. We view this project as an experiment that leverages the power of collaborative wisdom to create a solutions bank. The 10,000 Solutions Project aims to see what we can accomplish when passionate people join a community that works together to build upon each other’s innovative ideas and create change.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Basics
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- Connect to a community. Find others who care about what you do, and they can find you too.
- Gain momentum. Benefit from the chance to get visibility and feedback for your solutions as well as the chance to build on the solutions of others.
- Track your impact. Create a tag or use those established by others to see the gains you’re making as a group or community interested in a certain topic.
- Win prizes, including up to $10,000.
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Anyone over the age of 18 may create a submission for the 10,000 Solutions Project
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Entrants can submit as many solutions as they like, as long as they follow the Official Rules.
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We have a research team funded by the National Science Foundation that is studying the development and growth of the 10,000 Solutions Project. Basically, their interest is to learn more about how communities like 10,000 Solutions can best be organized and interact to have collective impact. So they’re interested in the same stuff we are! And just in case you were wondering, they remove all personal information about our entrants, so there won’t be any reports out there that identify you in any way.
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Accounts for groups and organizations work the same way as they do for individuals. You can register for an account using the “Join” link in the top navigation bar. During the registration process, be sure to click the “use this account as an organization” checkbox. If you are part of an ASU student organization, you can register your organization's solution page here.
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Log in to the platform in order to edit your profile. After logging in, click on your name in the top right corner of the screen, which will take you to your profile page. On your profile, there is an “edit profile” link and which will take you to a screen where you can make changes.
Submitting Solutions
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Solutions can be edited for up to 7 days after posting. We realize that sometimes typos and other errors are easy to miss and this period allows users to fix any issues they come across.
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One of the key aspects of the 10,000 Solutions project is the ability to build on solutions. Letting users edit solution for 7 days helps make sure that they’ve had time to fix any mistakes or find an appropriate image or record a video to accompany their solution. After that period, we hope that users collect feedback on their solutions and then utilize the “Build” feature to improve and refine their solution.
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Be positive and creative about how you can solve the problems our world is facing. Also, demonstrating your ability to provide leadership for the project is beneficial. Why are you the right person to help implement a solution based on your experiences and knowledge? Budgets or prototypes are not required, but thinking through the feasibility of your solution submission is a plus. For example, solving sustainability issues on earth by farming on the moon sounds like an interesting concept, but not overly feasible given what we know today. On the other hand, solving sustainability issues in your community by creating a profitable K-12 paper recycling program that empowers elementary students to learn about the paper recycling process could be feasibly accomplished. In your solution, explain the concept in as much detail as you can, including why it's feasible.
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No big deal —select the challenge that seems most appropriate to you. Challenge categories are a way to create community and link solutions that may be related and people who will be interested in solving similar problems.
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Nope – just no more than 1000 characters.
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Submitting videos or images are not required but strongly, strongly suggested. Videos and images help make your solution more interesting and easier to understand. Make sure to follow the Official Rules for the video and images you use. And remember how the saying goes: a picture (or video!) is worth 1000 characters. We think so too.
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Tags are a way for you to track your group's impact on the 10,000 Solutions Project. You can create tags to help identify what your solution is about and link it with different communities. Using tags can also make entrants eligible for certain prizes.
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We only post your first name on our website. We need your first and last name for judging purposes. We won’t share it with anyone outside the Project.
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Not at all. In fact, we recommend you only fill out the organization box if you’re representing an organization in an official capacity (you work for them or are an official spokesperson of some sort). It is not required.
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Like you, we’re not fans of spam. We’ll contact you once in awhile about developments in the 10,000 Solutions Project, but nothing irritating.
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We recommend using a .edu domain email address, if you have one. If not, feel free to use whatever works for you.
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Location is another way to create bridges with your local solutions community. You don’t have to type in your specific address, so we don’t know it, and therefore nobody else can either.
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On the login page and look for the “Forgot password?” link. Reset instructions will be emailed to you.
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Via email.
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Submitting a solution as part of an entrant team is similar to submitting a solution as part of an organization. The official representative of the entrant team (aka the person who submits their name and email address) will be the final prize recipient and representative of that team. If there is a discrepancy between the email address and name of an entrant, it will be settled at the discretion of the Sponsor. The official representative of the entrant team is also responsible for assuring that each team member has read and agrees to the official rules.
Another way to work with a team is to have one person submit a solution and then have other individuals build on that solution. That way, each entrant receives credit for their specific ideas. If you are interested in working with other people, you can also create tags to help show your affiliation with one another.
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Short answer, no. However, if you have some other agreement or relationship with the Sponsor it may apply. Realize that your idea will be publicly viewable on the world wide web. That being said, we encourage you to share your bright ideas, but you may consider the details you actually include in your solution.
Images & Videos
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The image can be anything related to your solution — a sketch, a doodle, a Creative Commons image from Flickr or something of your own design. Adding an image is highly recommended as it helps bring attention to your solution and that may lead to more feedback and support.
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If the image you are using is not already saved on your computer, you will need to download it to your computer first. Then, when prompted to upload an image or a video at the end of the solution submission process, click on the “browse” button in the image section of the page to locate the image on your computer. After you have selected the image, click the “upload image” button and you are done. If your image is too large or too small, the 10,000 Solutions platform will automatically resize and crop your image. Ideally, large images work better than small images.
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We recommend using images available under the Creative Commons license. There are many sources of Creative Commons licensed images on the web, such as Flickr. flickrCC is a search engine that can help you find a Creative Commons licensed image on Flickr.
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No. It is important to use images that you have the permission to use. We recommend using images that belong to you or are available under a Creative Commons license.
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Creative Commons is a type of copyright license that essentially allows you to use someone else’s content (images, videos, music, etc) with appropriate credit as long as certain rules are followed. You can find out more about Creative Commons licensing here.
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The recommended image size for solutions is 700px x 520px but if your image is too large or too small, the 10,000 Solutions platform will automatically resize and crop your image. Ideally large images work better than small images.
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Solution videos should be 60 seconds or less.
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After you’re done recording your video, you can upload it during the second step of the solution submission process. When prompted to upload an image or video, click on the “browse” button in the video section of the page to locate the video on your computer. After you have selected the video, click the “upload video” button and you are done. Depending on the file size, it may take a few minutes to upload the video.
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Absolutely not! The video can be any style - even you just sitting in front of a webcam.
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MOV, AVI, MPA, MPE, MPG, MPEG, QT, and WMV
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All videos submitted to 10,000 Solutions are uploaded to Youtube and sometimes they can take a little while to show up. Most videos usually show up within an hour but sometimes it may take a little longer.
Community Norms
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The Grandma rule. Don’t post anything that would make Grandma blush. If you do, it will probably get taken down, and then we’ll suspend you from the project. After all, many Grandmas surf the web!
Be positive. Be kind. Simple enough.
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Feedback is an opportunity for other people who are part of the 10,000 Solutions Project to share their ideas about your solution. It could be how to improve your solution or resources that might help your solution.
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Clicking the “Support” button indicates you think a solution is a good idea. It can also mean that you believe in a solution and would like to see it move forward. When you “Support” an idea, others can see you endorse it and that you may be willing to serve as a resource in some way for the creator (entrant) of that solution. Maybe you’re willing to publicize the solution, connect the entrant with others or participate in the solution.
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To “Build” on a solution means that you have an idea that relates to someone else’s but it has its own definitive elements. For example, let’s say your solution is about creating an afterschool tutoring program for low income students in Phoenix to help them prepare for the SATs. Someone else in New York is inspired by your idea, but recognizes their town actually needs a tutoring program for low income adults who want to get their GED. The person in New York can “Build” on your idea from Phoenix—creating their own solution that solves a local problem while still acknowledging that your solution inspired them. You can also “Build” on your own solution if you have new ideas about how to improve it, maybe through Feedback or Support.
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Not really. If you’re inspired by someone else’s solution, go ahead and build on it to give credit where credit is due. Then, let your originality and creativity shine. Using someone's idea without credit would be stealing and solution stealing isn’t in the spirit of the Project.
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By tweeting with the hashtag #10kASU, you can share your ideas about improving local and global communities with others throughout the Twitter community. Individuals who Tweet with the hashtag #10kASU will be eligible for small prizes. We recommend you submit your solutions to the Project to be considered for more support and opportunities to move your solution forward.
