Calling All Educators –

Parents, Grandparents, Teachers, and School Board Members:

Schools of all levels, types, and sizes need your winning entry to receive the one $25,000 cash reward from the 3M Dream Big Sweepstakes ^[1].

Before you dismiss the idea with, “Well, I never win anything,” give yourself a chance. You may or may not win, but don’t quit before you try. Most of us cannot write a check for $25K, but we can enter a free sweepstakes.

3M Dream Big Prize Package

When your brilliant entry wins, your school will win the following 3M Dream Big Sweepstakes $50,000 prize package:

• $25,000 in cash
• $20,000 in 3M products
• A presentation by the 3M Visiting Wizards – worth $5,000

I don’t know of a school that wouldn’t love to get this prize package. To help your school with their next project, you must enter the 3M Dream Big Sweepstakes ^[1].

School Requirements

In using time wisely, let’s make sure your school qualifies for the prize package. Per the sweepstakes’ rules ^[2]:

The school selected by entrant must be an operating public school of grades K-12 in the United States, (excluding Puerto Rico), as defined by the Department of Education and not-for-profit private and charter schools grades K thru 12 who are run by or supported by legal residents of the United States or a U.S. corporation. Sponsor reserves the right to make any final decisions regarding the school’s eligibility for the prize. All private schools must be non-profit and exempt under IRS code 501(c)(3) to be eligible. Private schools that are for profit are not eligible for the prize. Submission of a 501(c)(3) letter of tax exemption may be required to verify eligibility.

If you are unsure of your school’s eligibility, contact your school’s finance office for clarification.

How to Enter

You need to write a short essay, no more than 500 words. Don’t panic. Most of the posts you read here on Using Time Wisely are more than 500 words, so we are not talking about a research paper. 😉 Remember, you want your school to win $25,000. Keep your eye on the prize.

To enter, visit www.3MDreamBig.com ^[2] and tell us in 500 words or less how innovative your school is and what is your big dream for your school. Complete the online entry form ^[2] and click on the Submit Your Essay link button. Essays must be submitted in English. Only one school can be submitted per entry. Prize cannot be divided between multiple schools. LIMIT ONE ENTRY PER PERSON/EMAIL ADDRESS. Duplicate essay entries will be disqualified. Entries must be received by 11:59:59 p.m. EDT on 10/31/2012.

Tracy’s Writing Tips

I recommend writing your essay in a word processing program, like Microsoft WORD. Upon completion, run the spelling and grammar check and verify your word count. When the essay is complete, copy the words of your essay and paste them into the online entry form and submit. The judges will choose a winner around November 30, 2012.

Judging Criteria

You want to win don’t you? Well, the fine print shares the grading scale. 🙂

Winner selection: A qualified panel of judges will select one winner. Entries will be judged 30% on Innovative Ideas, 40% on Significance of Need, and 30% on Creativity. Each portion of judging will be given a score of 1 to 5. In the event of a tie, tie breaker will be based on the highest score in the first judging criteria, continuing thereafter to each judging criteria in order as need to break the tie. For WI residents only, in the event of a tie, duplicate prizes will be awarded.

With a Halloween deadline, October 31, 2012, submit your winning essay to the 3M Dream Big Sweepstakes. Use storytelling or personal experiences to draw the judges into your big dream for your school. Give them what they want, so they can’t help but give your school that $25,000 reward. Happy composing while thinking how your school could stretch $25K!

Question: How are you helping your school dream big?