Dark Horse Pros (DHP), a company committed to serious athletes, sponsors their very own “On the Edge Video Contest 2014” for athletes participating in action and extreme sports, with cash prizes totaling up to $5,000. From now until July 6th, entrants can upload their video entry to the Dark Horse Pros contest site.
To enter the contest, athletes submit a video and basic profile that will spark interest in the athlete and their sports career. Each entrant’s video will do double-duty, as it can be used to launch a crowdfunding campaign after the contest concludes.
To explain crowdfunding, co-founder of Dark Horse Pros Clara McDonald stated, “Think of all your Facebook friends, Twitter and Instagram followers and YouTube subscribers – we at DHP call them true fans. Having those true fans support you with contributions during an online fundraising campaign is crowdfunding in a nutshell. If everyone puts in a little something, it becomes something big – plain and simple.”
As it true of running a crowdfunding, the backbone of the contests is in social media. Raising awareness of the athlete’s entry through Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or any other method is the key to winning.
This contest awards prizes to 1st–5th place winners, as well as to seven Weekly Winners. Prizes range from 1st place which includes: $3,000 cash, a professionally produced feature story video filmed on location with the athlete, and DHP crowdfunding fees waived for one year; to the Weekly Winner which includes: $50 cash and 50% off DHP crowdfunding fees for one campaign. Announced on May 26th, Koren Saida, a 14-year-old karter, was the first Weekly Winner.
Winners will be chosen based on who the judges think will have successful crowdfunding campaigns in the future. Therefore, each athlete should create a video that communicates who they are as an athlete, their sports career goals, and what they need to reach those goals—all in less than three minutes.
Officially launched on May 12th, the contest will stop accepting entries on July 6th. However, voting will continue to July 13th in order for entrants to gain as many votes as possible, since the number of votes comprises 30% of their score.
After the contest concludes, the DHP crowdfunding site will launch. Founded in July 2013, Dark Horse Pros focuses on the needs of athletes in action and extreme sports, such as: mountain biking, MMA, kiteboarding, snowboarding, surfing, skateboarding, BMX, karting, Supercross, Motocross, and desert racing.
Gaining traction in motorsports, DHP began sponsoring athletes in April and has already announced three motorsports athletes: Gabby Chaves, points leader for the Indy Lights Championship; Steve Hengeveld, multiple Baja 500 & 1000 desert racing winner; and Josh Bilicki, Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) national race car driver. More sponsorship announcements are scheduled and additional partnerships are in the works.
Athletes participating in action and extreme sports can now upload their video entry to the Dark Horse Pros site. The On the Edge Video Contest is for professional and amateur athletes, ages 13 and older. The $25 entry fee gives athletes a shot at $5,000 in total cash prizes and waived or reduced crowdfunding fees.
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