Home » Clemenger BBDO Melbourne Opens Applications For $100K Innovation Challenge

27 January, 2016

Clemenger BBDO Melbourne Opens Applications For $100K Innovation Challenge

Clemenger BBDO Melbourne has partnered with Australian creative, tech and business showcase, PauseFest, to offer an innovation prize worth up to $100,000.

The Clemenger Creative Incubator will launch at this year’s festival and is looking for the most original, most inspiring ideas in Australasia.

Budding tech entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to privately pitch their innovation to a panel of industry pros in a five-minute presentation, with the most inspiring ideas getting a shot at the top dollar investment from Clemenger.

The panel is looking for innovative concepts, inspirational to both the agency and its clients. The winning ideas will benefit from workshops, creative resources, counsel, introductions and potential partnership opportunities after taking out the crown.

The judging panel consists of senior Clemenger BBDO gurus and other key digital thinkers, including Clemenger BBDO Melbourne CEO Nick Garrett, digital creative director Ben Keenan, digital planner Samara Hodgson, Finch director of applied technology Emad Tahtouh (chair of the Innovation jury at Cannes) and Colenso BBDO (NZ) head of digital, technology and innovation Gavin Becker, who has returned from 20 years in New York.

“Agencies are evolving at pace and innovative thinking and innovative technologies play a large part in how we define success in the future,” Garrett said.

“This prize is an important way for us to connect with emerging Australian innovators and entrepreneurs who want to get their thinking and IP exposed to some of Australia’s most interesting and largest companies.

“This is an opportunity for us to learn from the brightest thinkers and offer them advice and guidance on how to launch their ideas commercially.”

Keenan added, “Creative people always have a few concepts bubbling away. This is a real opportunity for someone to get the backing of an army of people fluent in the art of bringing ideas to life.”

“There are so many people who have seen an opportunity, taken the first step towards making it happen, but lacked the resources or network to take it to the next level. These are the exactly the kinds of entrepreneurs we are looking to collaborate with.”

PauseFest launched in 2011 with 200 attendees. Last year over 12,000 creative, tech and business people from across Asia Pacific flocked to Melbourne to learn about the latest ideas, products and thinking in the digital world. Founder George Hedon says he started PauseFest so he could “collaborate with super talented and like-minded people on the projects you can’t Google”.

Registrations to pitch at the Clemenger Creative Incubator are now open. Outline your concept and apply for a chance to present today. The presentations will take place in Melbourne on February 11 and 12.

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