2009 Grassroots Innovation Award Winners

Association Grassroots Innovator

Entertainment Software Association and Grassroots Enterprise

The Entertainment Software Association and Grassroots Enterprise created a virtual "Wall of Protest" as part of the association's Video Game Voters Network grassroots effort.  The "Wall of Protest" demonstrated opposition to government regulation of video games.  People were asked to take a stand against video game regulation, join the "Wall" by creating a sign that read "Leave My Games Alone" and then submit a photo of themselves holding that sign.  The "Wall of Protest" is an innovative approach to online activism in that it builds on an existing social media platform, Flickr, while allowing advocates to post user-generated content in a way that demonstrates to lawmakers that real voters support a cause. Visit the site at: http://www.videogamevoters.org/wallofprotest/.

Corporate Grassroots Innovator

Best Buy

Best Buy put a creative spin on a grassroots tradition, the Lobby Day, to protest new legislation that would tax computer services and directly impact Best Buy customers. For the first time, Best Buy called on a new set of employees, its own "Geek Squad" agents, to take the message of Best Buy's customers to the Maryland legislature. Wearing jackets emblazoned with "Geek Squad" and "Best Buy" logos, driving "Geek Squad" cars and testifying in their uniforms before House and Senate subcommittees, the agents made a splash in Annapolis and earned lawmakers' attention and support. Within a month of the agents' visit, Maryland's governor signed a bill repealing the so-called "Tech Tax."  To see more, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xdv7dEZebw.

Innovative Use of Technology Award Winner

Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids and Grassroots Enterprise

The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids and Grassroots Enterprise were lauded for building a grassroots advocacy campaign through the social networking tool Facebook.  Rather than inform potential advocates about a public policy issue and then prompt them to visit an external website, the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids' "I Am Smoke Free" campaign allowed advocates to send personal messages to elected officials using Facebook. Because each posting was shared with the advocate's Facebook friends, this created a viral advocacy campaign. To see more, visit: http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=5939022908

To read the article that appeared in Impact, click here.