“This Is Not an Approved Mask” Challenge

Let’s look forward to a healthier future by first looking back and having a good laugh at the creative ways that people addressed the face mask and respirator shortage in the early days of the pandemic.  Submit an image of you, or taken by you, from around the time of the pandemic that shows an impractical or otherwise humorous solution to this shortage.  Up to 10 submitters of the top funniest images will each receive a special HeroX badge to display on their user profiles.

We all remember the mask and respirator shortage in the early days of the pandemic: desperate times called for desperate measures!  But now that the supply chain is catching up with demand and legitimate products are plentiful and easy to obtain, we’re taking a light-hearted look back at how people used to create their own masking solutions. Help us build a collection of the craziest, most innovative, and just out-of-this-world examples to hit the streets.

All you have to do is submit an image of you, or one taken by you, that shows a chuckle-inducing alternative to the masks and respirators that are so readily available now.  

HeroX mini-challenges are fast and furious.  You have just a few weeks to get your submission in, so don’t wait to get started!

And if you’re interested in another more serious challenge about identifying counterfeit N95s, check out the NIOSH Counterfeit N95 Challenge.
 

Prize

This challenge will recognize up to 10 individual winners.  In addition to general glory and bragging rights, winners of this challenge will receive a special HeroX Mini-Challenge Badge that displays on your user profile.

Multiple submissions are permitted, but participants may only submit up to 5 different images, with each image being a separate submission.  Submissions from the same participant are expected to be substantially different from one another, and duplicative submissions will be screened out.  Images must be of you or taken by you and you should have the consent of anyone else appearing in your image for the purposes of this challenge.  Images simply taken from the internet will be screened out.  Participants may only win one prize.

Submissions will be evaluated and winners selected by a HeroX judging panel.
 

Timeline

How do I win?

To be eligible for an award, your submission must, at minimum:

• Be an image of you, or be taken by you.
  • If this is a photo taken by you, please get permission from the subject!
• Show an alternative to surgical masks, N95s, or KN95s.

Judging Criteria

Submission Form

Rules

Participation Eligibility:

The challenge is open to all adult individuals, private teams, public teams, and collegiate teams. Submissions must be made in English. All challenge-related communication will be in English. Teams may consist of no more than 3 individuals.

Individual competitors and teams may originate from any country, as long as United States federal sanctions do not prohibit participation (see: https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Pages/Programs.aspx).

No specific qualifications or expertise in the field of personal protective equipment is required. Prize organizers encourage outside individuals and non-expert teams to compete and propose new solutions. 

To be eligible to compete, you must comply with all the terms of the challenge as defined in the Challenge-Specific Agreement

Final determination of eligibility is at the sole discretion of the Challenge Sponsor.
 

Registration and Submissions:

Submissions must be made online (only), via upload to the HeroX.com website, on or before 5:00pm Eastern Time on October 13th, 2022. All uploads must be in an accepted image format. No late submissions will be accepted.

This challenge allows up to five submission[s] per individual/team. Should you have multiple entries to submit to this challenge, they will be considered separately. Whether or not multiple entries from the same individual or team may be chosen for a prize is up to the discretion of the Challenge Sponsor. You are not required to submit multiple entries, if that option is available.
 

Intellectual Property Rights:

As detailed in the Challenge-Specific Agreement – Innovator will retain all intellectual property rights to their ideas.
 

Awarding of the Prize:

The Individual Submitter or Team Captain is automatically designated as the Recipient of the prize. Where possible, the HeroX official user badge will be awarded to all eligible members of the winning team(s).View our Knowledge Base article here for how to change Team Captains.

Judging Panel:

The determination of the winners will be made by a group of judges from HeroX.

Additional Information

• By participating in the challenge, each competitor agrees to adhere to the HeroX Intellectual Integrity Policy and promises to submit only their original idea. Any indication of "copying" amongst competitors is grounds for disqualification.
• All applications will go through a process of due diligence; any application found to be misrepresentative, plagiarized, or sharing an idea that is not their own will be automatically disqualified.
• All ineligible applicants will be automatically removed from the competition with no recourse or reimbursement.
• No purchase or payment of any kind is necessary to enter or win the competition.
• Void wherever restricted or prohibited by law.