The Home Connect Contest

Winners of the 1st Edition of The Home Connect Contest

All Published Essays

To receive updates on 2nd edition of the essay contest, Write to yourlocalfeedback@gmail.com

Childhood memories. Familiar surroundings. The home, the streets, the local shops, interactions with neighbours, the works! And the nostalgia… if this strikes a chord with your emotions, then The Home Connect Contest is for you!

For a lot of us folks staying and working in different parts of our countries and the world, going home nowadays is more about meeting family during annual reunions.

Yet many of us have been actively involved in bringing about positive changes in our hometowns. Say, a cleaning drive, an awareness campaign, a special initiative in an individual capacity. Or we just have some exceptional memories that must be shared! Stories of loss or longing. The eventful life around your home that defines you!

If you are figuring out how to talk about your home, you could read the founder’s home-story – the parents would actually win if they entered the contest! Or it could be large-scale works similar to the awe-inspiring transformations done by The Ugly Indian.

The “Home Connect” Contest is an initiative to bring out those unique stories, those memories and life-changing events – that special connect you have with your home! You could write about a former residence or your current place of stay. And our rules are quite simple.

Eligibility

The contest is open to any person of any country. No age limits! The home place can be in a rural or urban area.

By submitting 2 reviews in any category (Localities, Villages, Travel Routes, Buildings, Railway Stations) OR by scoring 500 reward points, you become eligible to participate. The Email ID used while submitting reviews must match the one recorded in the contest form.

The Outcomes of The Home Connect Contest

Our aim is to foster a sense of belonging and ownership with one’s surroundings. It is only when we observe, do we make an endeavour towards positive change.

5 early-bird entries will be published on the website and will receive an award of INR 1,000/- each. Details of cash awards for the winning entries have now been frozen:

1st Prize – INR 21,000/-
2nd Prize – INR 12,000/-
Best Video Prize – INR 5,000/-
INR 6,000/- for entry with highest no. of Shares+Likes+Views, and INR 4,000/- for second highest tally

We encourage students to participate actively! Writers from countries outside India would receive the INR equivalent through PayPal / Amazon Vouchers.

The Jury

We are honored to have an esteemed Jury whose members have pioneered citizen engagement, design publication, knowledge sharing, and are known for their active involvement in literary endeavours. Click on the Image to read a detailed biography of our panel members.

panel of judges at the home connect contest

Our Partners

Referral Points for Reviews

If you are referring another participant, they can enter your email ID in the “Review” forms, under “Your Details” section. There is a cash reward of INR 50/- per referral on the first 500 reviews submitted in these categories: Localities, Villages and Indian Railway Stations (feedback survey for Ministry of Railways, Govt. of India). Option for receiving payment through Paytm/Amazon Voucher/Paypal would be confirmed over email.

Rules of The Home Connect Contest

All entries would follow the given format, shared at the end of this page. Photographs (are optional, but nice to have!) are to be emailed separately to yourlocalfeedback@gmail.com. Video submissions could be up to 5 minutes long, and no more than 100 MB in size.

We do have a word limit for the essays – something between 500-800 words for the main text is good enough. The content would be evaluated on the basis of:

authenticity of the experience (here photos & videos are at an advantage)
the impact on, or interaction with, the surroundings and people
quality of language and writing/expression style

Last date to submit essay and video entries is now extended by 2 days to Sunday, June 17, 2018. The 2 qualifying reviews need to be completed preferably earlier than essay submission.

The Format – Submit Your Entry Here!

Not to forget, if you have photos/videos to share, they need to be emailed separately at yourlocalfeedback@gmail.com. In addition, you can tell us about your expectations from a Smart City – what it means to you! A copy of the submission would be emailed to all participants.

The content can be submitted through this form: