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  • HI-5 Grand Challenge

    ​Storyteller

    US$1,000,000 Profit-Share Prize

Category 1: Storyteller

This is the heart of the movement. Forget "marketing plans" and corporate spreadsheets. This category is for the passionate storyteller.

This is where communities get involved and improved.

Are you the person who always has their phone out, capturing the moment? Do you know how to create content that makes people feel something? Can you spot the drama in any situation? If so, you are exactly who we're looking for. You don't need to know how to code; all you need to know is how to tell a great story.


Whether you are a seasoned marketing pro or a gifted newbie, your mission is to broadcast mypaloma to the world and be a vital part of the birth of this project. We highly recommend you find a technical team, or multiple teams, and become their documentarian. If you cannot find a team in your own university or city, then reach out to your friend network and hand-pick your very own. Even an 'average' coding team can get you the winning spot if they make for a 'cannot turn away' reality TV drama-packed broadcast.


We’ve designed this challenge to thrive on local partnerships. We want you to embed with your team, allowing you to be there for the 3am coding marathons, the creative clashes, the moment of pure despair, and the 'eureka' breakthrough that changes everything.

This is where you play the director and producer of your own reality TV series. Your job is to capture the very human journey of creation. Your stories will inspire a groundswell of new teams to join. Your content will build a global audience, getting them so invested in your team's success  or failure that when our Kickstarter campaigns launches, they won’t just be backing a product - they'll be backing the people that have shared their life moments!

The US$1,000,000 profit-share prize will be awarded based on your real-world impact. We will measure your success by the size of the community you build and the number of people you mobilize to support the cause. In the finale, you have the hard task of compiling the best moments into a 5-minute "Challenge Highlights" reel, shown to a live audience and streemed around the world. If your story is the one that they liked the most, then the profit-share prize is awarded to you. This isn't just about degrees, camera skills, or expensive equipment, it's about your ability to tell a captivating story. And don't forget, your storytelling team must be 3 or more people.

Community Project & Bounty: turn momentum into reality.

Here is where Storyteller expand their impact.


Your crowdfunding tracking link is your community’s rally point. 

When people back the campaign through your link, they’re not just supporting HI-5 Grand Challenge: they’re backing your nominated Community Project too.


The more support your story mobilizes, the stronger the community signal.
And if the campaign raises beyond the mypaloma bounty (organisational amount), surplus funds flow into a Community Bounty, of up to US$1,000,000 per nominated Community Project.


To protect communities (and keep everything lawful and accountable), Community Bounty distribution follows specific requirements and may take time to process.


* Read the fine print *


Judging Criteria (100 Points)

Audience Vote

Team to present a 5 minute “Challenge Highlights” of their official team or teams, where the audience votes on the most compelling one.

30 Points
Kickstarter Campaign Mobilization

24 hours prior to each of the three Kickstarter campaigns, teams will receive a unique tracking link. A team's score will be based on the total number of unique users they drive to all three campaigns via their links. Clicks within the first 48 hours of a campaign's launch will be counted as double. The final tally is confirmed by the judges after the last campaign concludes.

30 Points
Narrative & Storytelling

How effectively did the team capture the core theme of "collaboration"? Does the content tell a powerful human story, highlighting the drama of strategic decisions (team formation, partnerships, the "Merger Twist"), the pressure-cooker environment, and the personal journeys of the participants?

20 Points
Team Partnership & Access

How well did the marketing team integrate with their chosen development teams? This will be judged based on the depth of access they achieved and the strength of the collaborative relationship they built, as evidenced by the intimacy and authenticity of their storytelling.

20 Points