Michael Whippman Client Involvement Award 2011

Michael Whippman Award 2011 - the winners

Lasy year's award was supported by appiChar Limited.

ABOUT THE AWARD

The Michael Whippman Award is an award scheme with a difference.  With a focus on the contributions of homeless people themselves, the Michael Whippman awards scheme was set up to challenge stereotypes about who is and can become homeless, whilst also showing homeless people that anything is possible.

Last year the award was focused on finding the best example of an existing campaign or initiative using social media that

  • raises the profile of homeless people and homelessness amongst the public
  • broadens the public’s understanding of homelessness
  • involves homeless people and empowers them to make a contribution.

We chose to focus on social media last year, as it is accessible to all, offering an easy way for a wider audience to interact and share information, allowing the voice of a homeless person to be heard.

We accepted any form of web-based social media, including, but not limited to:

  • YouTube video
  • Flickr
  • Blog
  • Facebook campaign or group
  • Twitter
  • Podcast

The shortlisted applicants had their piece of social media presented and judged on a big screen by the delegates at our Annual Conference last July.

WHO COULD ENTER 

We accepted individual or group entries into the awards. Each entry had to either be led by or involve homeless people.

WHAT did THE JUDGES LOOK FOR

All applicants were judged on the following criteria:

  • purpose of the campaign
  • extent of client involvement within the campaign
  • impact of the campaign on the client(s) involved
  • number of people following the campaign or initiative
  • level of engagement from the wider public with the campaign
  • what has happened as a result of the campaign
  • future plans for the campaign.

ENTry process

Entrants were required to complete a short application form, accompanied by a link to the piece of social media.

We also welcomed part or all of the application form being submitted in a social media form, for example answering the questions as a podcast on your mobile phone.

PRIZE

The top 3 short-listed entrants received a cash prize of:
1st place: £500
2nd place:  £300
3rd place:  £200

The top 6 short-listed entrants were also eligible for two free one-day delegate places at Homeless Link’s Annual Conference in July, (at least one of these places had to be taken by a homeless client involved in the social media campaign). The winning entry also featured in Connect (Homeless Link’s quarterly magazine), on the website, and in a press release that was sent to the press for promotional purposes.

DEADLINE

The deadline for applications was Friday 27 May 2011.

About the sponsors

appiChar is a leading provider of Managed IT Services and IT Consultancy to the charity and not-for-profit sector.  appiChar's IT solutions provide efficient, reliable, sustainable and secure IT infrastructures enabling organisations to concentrate purely on supporting their clients while utilising their IT effectively. 

Founded in 2001, appiChar has now grown to 30 members of staff world-wide with over 150 customers , and is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.  However, we don’t stand still.  In the last year we have launched The Charity Cloud, a website where charities and not-for-profits can gain exceptional pricing on all manner of cloud-based solutions, and our Salesforce Foundation Practice, which provides consultancy and customisation of Salesforce to enable charities to make the most of the free and heavily-discounted licences they are eligible for to use Salesforce for their donor and fundraising management system.  With these services, along with our Managed Service business, appiChar is looking forward to another 10 years of serving and supporting the sector to make the best use of IT.

More information on appiChar is available at: www.appichar.co.uk