Linden Prize: Applications Due Jan. 15, 2009

Happy New Year! I hope that one of your New Year's Resolutions was to finish and submit your Linden Prize applications, because time is running out to be one of the top ten finalists we'll announce, able to show the world what hard work, inspiration and creativity can achieve in Second Life. Finalists will see their projects appreciated and utilized by Residents, written about by bloggers and press, and be eligible for the Grand Prize of $10 thousand US dollars.

Yes, the deadline of January 15 is almost here, so whether you've been procrastinating, gathering your documentation, or finishing up those final touches, it is time to get cracking. And if you think a friend with a wonderful project may not have applied, suggest they do so! All the application information is still here at the Linden Prize, the forum is open here for discussion.

We've added two features for our Residents who are more comfortable in other languages than English.

* Need help translating your application into English? Right now you have help in German, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Polish, French and Italian. Thanks to your fellow Resident Translator volunteers and Lexie Linden, you can check the Linden Prize Translation Project to submit your application.

* We've translated the Linden Prize site into German, French and Japanese

Now, a personal message: Some of you might be thinking, "Nah. Linden Lab would never consider my little project." For example, I happened to talk the leader of an inspired project that supports servicemen and women in a way that's uniquely Second Life. But that leader hadn't considered applying for the Linden Prize.

"Wow!', I thought, 'That's exactly the kind of project that the world needs to hear about!"

So, if that scenario describes you—or your modest friends-- take the next week to apply for the Linden Prize. When you see your project announced with the rest of the Finalists, not only will you able to see the project you care about receive well-earned recognition from a much larger audience, but you will be teaching us all about what hard work, inspiration and creativity can achieve in Second Life.

What a way to start 2009!

Applications due January 15th 2009
Applications must be complete and submitted no later than January 15, 2009.

Announcement Dates
The Winner and Finalists will be announced no later than April 30, 2009.

Linden Prize Criteria
We have several core principles that will influence the choice of the 10 finalists and the winner.

* Work in Second Life that also achieves tangible, compelling results outside of Second Life.

* Distinctive, original work using Second Life that clearly demonstrates high quality, execution, function, aesthetics and technical sophistication.

* Work that has the capacity for inspiring and influencing future development, knowledge, creativity, and collaboration both inside and outside of Second Life.


Links
The Linden Prize [ http://lindenlab.com/lindenprize]
Linden Prize FAQ [ http://lindenlab.com/lindenprize/faq]
Linden Prize Application [ http://lindenlab.com/lindenprize/application]
Linden Prize Translation Project [http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Linden_Prize_Translation_Project]

Linden Prize site in French [http://lindenlab.com/lindenprize/fr-FR]
Linden Prize site in German [http://lindenlab.com/lindenprize/de-DE]
Linden Prize site in Japanese [http://lindenlab.com/lindenprize/ja-JP]

I wonder if the Linden's would consider my little projects.

Let's see, for the past two years I've been after Linden Lab on my blog at, http://insidesecondlife.blogspot.com, to change their ways and take a more active interest in guarding Second Life; unfortunately this little project has apparently failed.

So, I've got another little project, been working on this one for more then 5 1/2 years; New Resident Q&A. The Linden's have had 5 years to thank me for this little project, but apparently have always been too busy to see the hard work some of us do that doesn't have to do with building something pretty.

Now mind you, I COULD build something pretty, but the $10K prize is already spoken for and we all know Fizik will be getting it.

So, why apply to be recognized for your hard work? Why not just sit back and relax and let the Linden's come to you to tell you, "Great Job!". Oh right, it's because they don't do that, so yes, you should probably go apply, that is IF you desire recognition from Linden Lab, and not necessarily your peers in Second Life.

Everett will be checking in here tomorrow to answer your questions about the Linden Prize.

* What great Second Life projects would *you* like to see get recognized?

* Who do you think should apply, but might not unless they are encouraged to do so/probably won't unless dragged kicking and screaming by their biggest fans?

* Who do *you* think should be serious contenders for the Top 10 Finalists?

* Or just have questions about the process, or wondering if you may or may not qualify?

Why apply?

I hope some of you who wonder that will apply anyway and end up in the top 10 - those folks are going to get some real recognition from the community of Second Life Residents, not just from LL, bloggers and the press. Consider applying just to spotlight the project you care about.

New Resident Q&A sounds interesting to me, what other projects do you all think aren't [fill-in-the-blank] enough, but deserve to be recognized by a prize like this one? Enough that you'd recommend their creator(s) apply?

Does anyone think the Public Photo Garden on Kali Isle is worth an entry?
If so why? (I pretty much stay out of the way except to pay the tier, spend money on new poses, and buy licenses for new backgrounds so I don't know what all people use it for beyond product pictures, profile pictures, SL photography businesses, etc.)

Is putting our real life identity on the application giving a blanket permission for Linden Lab to reveal our real life identities?

One can only hope Bob that the times they are a changing. I do on the whole agreed with what you have said, in the past.

But, for the first time ever I have seen some positive responses to suggestions made to Linden Lab. I have seen many people complain that Linden Lab doesn't hold any dialogue with it's residents, however now when it seems there is a possibility of them listening, those who complained in the past don't appear to have anything constructive to say now, or that they realise it would be too much work/trouble for them to carry their ideas forward if Linden Lab actually said yes.

I think if you really have a strong idea, belief or goal for SL that Linden Lab could be interested in, which would on one level have to be for their benefit too, now is probably a good time to put that forward, but only if you have the resolve to follow it through on your end.

Although it wasn't greeted positively, tainted in part by the open space sim screw up, the compromise with USS and the open space water ways is by far a massive interaction between LL and it's residents.

Linden Lab seem to have a lot to learn still, but I think they are at least looking at dipping their toes into that curve.

Hi Everyone! While this may be my first post, I've been reading the forums for a while now and I'd like to start making some comments.

@ Bob - You say that "Without the Residents, Second Life is nothing" I couldn't agree more.

- I have to admit that I don't know much about your work on the Resident QA but it sounds like you've put a lot of work and obviously a lot of time into it. I'm sorry if it hasn't gotten the recognition it deserves.

-If you can easily name 5 Top projects in SL, please encourage them to apply. If you honestly have such negative feelings toward the Linden Prize, then I would be more than happy to reach out personally to these people if you would be so kind as to provide contact info.

- In my opinion, The Linden Prize isn't about recognition from Linden Lab. Its about recognition from the SL community and the outside world. Its about recognizing the fact that there are so many people, working on so many awesome projects that help benefit people in both lives, first and second.

@ Toy - I agree that SL is a fun thing but I do think that there is a lot more that can come from it.


@ Deltango - Cute snowmen holding signs? Was that one of the Winterfaire builds you were talking about? Winterfaire is just 1 of 4 yearly Linden sponsored events. Have you seen Burning Life or the SL Birthday?

- What did you have in mind for strategy or high-level concepts? The application process doesn't take that much time but I understand if schedule is full. Please don't assume that we wouldn't be interested in your idea / project. Each application will receive an equal amount of attention when it comes to the review process.

@ Ann - I have never been to the Public Photo Garden on Kali Isle. I'll drop by there later today and have a look.

- As for your RL identities, at this point the information is needed for internal use only. Applications will be destroyed 30 days after the contest. We take personal info seriously and will use discretion when announcing any winners. We are expecting a bit of media coverage for the overall winner, so I'm sure they will be wanting interviews. We'll handle it on a case-by-case basis and work with individuals who wish to keep their identity private.

Surely people shouldn't need to apply for a prize to be recognised? There's a message staring you in the face here guys, you're not selling this very well at all. What can you do for your community to get them onboard with promotion everyday of the week, not just for a prize.

@ Bob - Never meant to question integrity I can assure you.

- I'm hoping that recognition from the community will come as a result of the Linden Prize. That it will highlight a project that someone (or group) has worked really hard to accomplish.

@ DekKa - The times ARE a changing! Thanks for your post!

Please stay on topic, and respect the forum guidelines. Thank you.

Thanks for your questions, Ann.

The Public Photo Garden on Kali Isle sounds interesting, though I don't happen to have been there so I"m not personally familiar with it, what about the rest of you?

As for protecting the identities of those who apply for the Linden Prize, I'm glad you asked. If you don't want your RL name made public, Linden Lab will, of course, only refer to you by your SL name in any announcements, publicity etc.

-- Katt

I hope that this will be a way for Residents to share their projects, and get attention for the work and communities they care about.

It's very true that LL has to work with the community so you're onboard with promotion - of the community, of great projects, and of the world, so that SL can grow in ways that benefit every one of us - and that's one of the things I work on. So, what can I do to help you be comfortable helping me "amplify" all of you, through this prize and in other more everyday ways?

-- Katt

This prize lost impetus, when Mitch Kapor announced it at his speech it was rather exciting news, then it went quiet. This is what seems to happen with a lot of your initiatives, showcase for example and I've seen people saying the same about Winterfaire, they don't get updated, so people see the same old same old and stop looking.

Blue has an interesting project in the making with his travel blog, I'll be interested to see how that goes. There's also great potential in your stories from Second Life series, they should probably all be collated in a blog of their own so people can easily check out the archives.

As for prizes and awards, take a look at the cheese and glitz of the Golden Globes and ask yourself whether such an awards ceremony would work inworld? The cheese would be too much for some but it's an event and you should be interested in events, but hey someone could carry the tag of "innovator of the year", "Educator of the year" in their advertising. You'll be accused of bias but you should be used to that by now.

Most of all, fix your blog, interview more people, promote news stories about Second Life, they're tucked away, I find Second Life news stories via google. Let's hear what you Linden's do, I have no idea what you do for example, other than calling you Miss Communication The Moles are working away building new roads, yet you're not telling people this.

Then take this further and interview more people who have innovative concepts, you're on the right track with the stories from Second Life series, but give it more oomph.

yes great place been to it and use it many times

The Linden Lab Prize sounds wonderful, really, I just wish I could participate.

Can you explain why the Criteria are setup so it disqualifies nearly 99% of all Second Life Residents, many of whom cannot participate in projects that have reach to Real Life, yet their achievements in Second Life are none less great. I would like to draw your attention to those criteria now:

Linden Prize Criteria

We have several core principles that will influence the choice of the 10 finalists and the winner.


1). Work in Second Life that also achieves tangible, compelling results outside of Second Life.

2). Distinctive, original work using Second Life that clearly demonstrates high quality, execution, function, aesthetics and technical sophistication.

3). Work that has the capacity for inspiring and influencing future development, knowledge, creativity, and collaboration both inside and outside of Second Life.

If you read these three criteria you will see that 99% of the Second Life Residents don't qualify for the Prize, yet Linden Lab has promoted the prize to be for everyone in Second Life.

I would think if Linden Lab truly wanted to run a contest open to everyone, they wouldn't have such restrictive criteria.

Can anyone explain as to why these criteria exist for a Prize that's for the whole of the Second Life Community?

PS - Please note this posting is not only on-topic but also free from vitrol, accusatory tone or attacking posturing. I'm willing to try it and see how it works, I hope Linden Lab is willing to take this Olive Branch and find a way to answer this.

Hi Katt, Everett and Blondin. I've received an email from LL in relation to me being named to provide a reference for an application for the Linden Prize.

The email address that shows is [email]no-reply@lindenlab.com[/email] so I obviously can't submit my reference to that address. Can one of you let me know the address to send mail to, please?

Many thanks!

This is a wide spread problem. I heard from 6 folks today who all don't know where to submit their reference or testimonial text.

It seems some are getting this email with a different address. I'm told the correct address is: [email]lindenprize@lists.lindenlab.com[/email]

@16,17,18
This is a known issue. Despite this bug, we still receive all of these emails, so none of these important submissions are being lost.

Because the no-reply is confusing, one of our developers substituted the email address. It should be working at this time.

Tell referrers and testimonial writers to add their content in the body of the email and hit reply. Please do not send the testimonials independently, because it may be difficult to trace it back to the original application.

Again, we've been receiving all the emails up to this point.

Thanks for bringing this up so I could report back on it.

Aside from the obvious benefit to LL of plucking your brains for a nominal fee(the return for them is obviously enormous) to search for an implementation sort which has been eluding them? IDK. What's your guess?

On protecting RL names, identity and information for Linden Prize participants.

Several questions and concerns have been raised by Residents about submitting RL information, so I want to clarify them for a wider audience here in the forum.

The big message: Applicants, referrers, and testimonial writers will not have any RL information revealed to the public unless THEY want to.

Specifics
a. We ask for valid email addresses for applicants, references and testimonias so we can follow up about the project.
b. Bios can be a RL or SL bio. Applicant chooses.
c. In the vetting and judging process, any RL identifying information will not be shared among Resident judges.
d. Finalists' projects will be made public. The finalists themselves can choose what identity they want to make public.
e. The winning project will be made public and we will have a mixed-reality award ceremony. Again, the winner can choose what identity they want to make public.

I hope that alleviates some of the concerns. Applicants--you can reassure the referrers and testimonial writers that they're identity is protected--so now they have no excuse for getting their submissions on time

@15

The Linden Prize is open to all Residents, but the focus of this prize is on projects that have demonstrated real life impact. There are Residents doing amazing things strictly within SL that are having impact, but that's not the focus of *this* prize.

Having said that, we debated different types of Prizes, all with the goal of showcasing the work, creativity and contributions of different Residents.

As a result, I expect you'll see other contests and prizes in the future with different areas of focus.

I have my abstract under 200 words and my description under 600 but there seems to be a character limit to the text field which is chopping off a good chunk of both. Is this going to be fixed? Can you tell me what the character limit is?

-Kilrathu

Hi there,

The field sizes in the application form are incorrect - it is pretty tough describing our project in 150 abstract and then 483 words when 200 and 600 were promised. I have put in a ticket but I hope this can be resolved as I am sure this has caused problems for all residents trying to upload their forms and is misleading .

Thank you !

Thanks for the heads - up Kilrathu and Jessie. We're looking into it and we'll update asap!