Contests for Good

As the lottery amount winning amounts at times are at over $1 billion, not to

mention gambling is BIG Business, all it does is to transfer money, great for the

winner though it brings hopelessness to the millions who lose. At the end of each

lottery drawing, nothing is produced. What if new contests were used for people

to enter a contest, not with money, but with ideas under many categories. Private

companies would donate debit cards to people who just enter the many

categories, and pay out big winnings for the lucky winner, in return these

companies would get free advertisements. The winnings will end up improving

lives.

Let’s start at the gas pump, a label placed there would say, “Win a chance for free

gas, take a picture of this QR code with your phone.” From this, an APP will be

downloaded to cell phones, and people could enter any category of contests for a

chance to win big by everything from just producing an upbeat song (it could be a

simple chant), to that of inventing products that can reduce wind drag on semis

and cars, (thus, save people gas costs) to that of reducing food waste. Just for

entering, your name could be drawn for a free tank of gas. Grand prize winner

could win a free car. Gas companies would subsidize the free gas winnings, car

companies could offer a free car in return for the free advertisement.

On the windows of these same convenient stores where they advertise lottery

winnings, signs could say “this week’s winning for uploading an upbeat song,

poetry, essay will pay out gift cards for food or gas discounts.” Many of the

upbeat poetry writings, essays would be placed at major bus and train stations to

inspire travelers. The grand prize winning if enough people who heard your song

through the gas pump cell phone QR code APP, they saw your poetry or essay on

the bus, at the bus station, train station and they voted a like through the APP,

the song, poetry, essay were used in a national ad; it was used in a movie, or

sporting event, you can win big! Bigger than most lottery winnings.

These winnings would give people hope! (Heck the homeless could enter an

upbeat song recorded at a homeless shelter, poetry, essay, or art even if its just

words) for a chance to make it big or if not get free gift cards for necessities.

People while driving could hear these upbeat songs while listening to this APP

downloaded at the gas pumps. These songs just may prevent several road rage

episodes.

On top of upbeat songs, another category of contest would be for people getting

creative, and making short videos, or GIFs showing people not getting into road

rage when someone else cuts them off in traffic, but instead showed the person

who was not in the wrong behaved correctly. Humor could be used. Again, the

same winnings, gift cards, a chance to win a free tank of gas, other discounts, just

for entering and big money payouts would be awarded if the short YouTube, and

TikTok, videos got many votes and if it were used in a national ad, movie, or

sporting event. People at the sporting event would be able to see it after taking a

cell phone picture of the QR code on the sporting event admission tickets.

The cities and police departments could in partnership with the Schools across

the nation start this program, sponsored by area businesses. High school kids

would be encouraged to produce to enter these “healthy behavior” how students

got around conflicts to solving social problems. The big winnings could be

everything from full scholarships, letters of recommendations, not to mention a

free car.

There could be contests for big box hardware customers, car repair shop

customers for them to enter. There would be contests for inventing robots or new

“car wash” type of machinery that clean restrooms, (a solution to homeless not

finding an open restroom), There could be a separate contest for inventing robots

to pick up litter, (I bet hardware customers who are good at home projects could

find a way to invent these robots or new “car wash” type of machinery using the

parts in those hardware stores).

There could be another contest for car repair/body shop customers to invent a

gadget that reduces wind drag on semis and one for cars (even if it is only by one

percent). Still another category could be for inventing new ways to reduce food

waste. (30-40 percent of all food goes bad and is thrown away). Imagine how this

food not wasted could help the food budget of those on a fixed income, and the

poor. I hypothesis lots of high school dropouts who end up in gangs are gifted at

redesigning kitchens that food do not get stuffed to the refrigerators back shelves

that goes bad.

I like to dream big! Eventually I would like to see on top of the many TV screens at

sport’s bars, one screen may have soccer, another baseball, then there are the

screens with football, boxing, wrestling, basketball. One more channel will have

the “Competition League”. It would be funded by ads of those Hardware stores,

car repair shops, etc mentioned above.

Food companies could advertise on reducing food waste contests shown on this

channel. Stories could talk about a homeless person who came up with an upbeat

chant, positive poetry, essay used at public transportation hubs and won big, or

the car mechanic who developed a gadget to improve gas milage (by reducing

wind drag) on semis and was awarded big money.

Stories could talk about how much wind drag is used on semis, and it continues to

ask, can you find a way to reduce this resistance, or know a way to reduce food

waste, you can take a picture of the QR code on this TV to enter a chance to win

big money, letters of recommendation for college scholarships or for a job.

Locally that can be started now for the homeless. Not only gas stations located in

Huntington Beach could begin placing bar codes as mentioned for a chance to win

free gas, bar codes and or ads could be placed at bus stations, buses or train

stations. People, especially the homeless would be encouraged to write an upbeat

song, poetry, essay, or short positive video, if used to be placed at the

transportation hubs, high school or college sporting events, the person could win

a debit card to a company’s products. In return the company would get free

advertisement.

Another idea, whether doable or need certain changes, is for outdoor secured

weatherproof speakers could be installed at major bus stops, train stations, places

where homeless congregate. It could be also placed at the sidewalks where many

business patrons walk by. The speakers could play nice calm music, but it could

also play ads for the businesses nearby to pay for the speakers. PSAs could be

played that point out there is hope and the short stories behind those people who

found that hope after being on the streets being addicted to drugs.

One best way to help people is to “teach a person how to fish” educating them a

new skill to make money. When police deal with a homeless person, both parties

face each other eye to eye, like a pair of rams. This just promotes “fight or flight”

stance for both parties. But if the speakers are playing calm music while police are

standing side by side the homeless person showing them a pamphlet about new

education programs are there to teach them how to make money like through

art, or have a chance to win in a contest, like creating upbeat poetry, essay, short

video or create musical words, this reduces conflicts between police, business

owners, and the homeless when standing side by side.

These are many ideas all at once, but some can be started now. Let us use our

“bully pulpit” power to at least get the conversations started how to reach people

and for them to contribute with their uncharted talents they thought they never

had.