Got a bright idea for Tampa Bay? Enter to win $1,000

You saw them here first.

Since winning The 10/100/1000 Challenge last year from Creative Loafing and Creative Tampa Bay, the guys who dreamed up Swings Tampa Bay have been pretty much ubiquitous. They pop up in the press (a profile this week in Tampa Bay Times, a recent review of Hunter’s underwater paintings in CL); on panels (New Roots News’ Contribute at Studio@620, 83 Degrees’ Not Your Average Speakers at Roosevelt 2.0); on boards of directors (Reuben has joined the Creative Tampa Bay board, and he is assembling trustees for Awesome St. Pete, an offshoot of the national micro-granting initiative that has already proven successful in Tampa). Their swings — handmade, unexpected and still as guerrilla as ever — continue to be ubiquitous, too, and the movement now stands to go nationwide.

And it all started with $1,000, presented to them by CL and Creative Tampa Bay, a non-profit organization that aims to be a catalyst for the creative economy.

The 10/100/1000 Challenge (10 great ideas, 100 days, $1,000) drew over 80 entries in 2011, the competition’s inaugural year. Judges chose their top 10 favorite proposals, and the readers got the chance to weigh in on theirs. Though only Swings Tampa Bay came away with the cash prize, the other finalists won some great exposure and the chance to network with other applicants. Take, for instance, this note from Dennis Gallagher of The Green Can Recycling Program, which made it to the judges’ top 10 and was the winner of Best Pitch during the 10/100 awards party.

“We have designed and built our own container out of recycled plastic and it’s made here in Florida,” wrote Gallagher in an email. “We are donating all the proceeds of our recycling efforts to Faces of Courage, a local charity for women and children with cancer, and we will be at the Florida State Fair doing all the recycling. Your contest was the springboard to the financing I needed. I cannot tell you how much it means to our cause.” (Find out more at thegreencan.org.)

This year we’re hoping to further enrich the 10/100 experience with Bright Ideas Workshops led by the aforementioned winning pair, Reuben and Hunter from Swings Tampa Bay. On Thurs. March 15, from 7:30-9:30 p.m. at CL Space (1911 N. 13th St., Ybor City, above Spaghetti Warehouse), they’ll host a workshop for 10/100 applicants seeking tips and encouragement, for people who haven’t yet decided whether to apply, or for anyone in the general public who’s merely curious. Admission is free. Later on this spring, Reuben and Hunter will host a workshop for the top 10 finalists, including the grand prize winner, to talk about the best way to implement and grow their projects.

We’re also hoping to improve applicants’ experience with more detailed guidelines this year, asking for proposals that show more specifically how the $1,000 grant might be used. Creativity is key; your project could be a major endeavor that’s already underway or a new-born brainchild just coming into its own — just so long as the proposal reflects creative thinking and shows us how an award of $1,000 would help you help Tampa Bay.

Applicants can submit proposals from Feb. 23 to April 5, 2012 at cltampa.com/ten100. The 10 best projects will be selected by judges from CL and CTB, reserving one spot for the project that gets the most votes from readers. We’ll highlight promising ideas in print each week and online at The Daily Loaf and The Buzz and announce the top 10 and the grand prize winner of $1,000 in CL’s issue of April 19, following an awards party on April 18 at CL Space.

And even if you don’t have the time or inspiration to submit a proposal this year, you can still support the forward-thinking energy represented by 10/100/1000. Donate $100 to Creative Tampa Bay, and you or your company can be listed on the 10/100/1000 pages at the websites of Creative Loafing and Creative Tampa Bay, including links and logos if you like. You’ll also be an honored guest at the awards event on Apr. 18, a great chance to network with leaders of the area’s creative economy.

Find out more about the 10/100/1000 application guidelines, workshops and donation opportunities at cltampa.com/ten100.

This article appears in Feb 23-29, 2012.