Trust-a-thon, A Virtual Team Challenge

Here’s How it Works

The Trust-a-thon will run from Sunday, September 20, and end during a Live Zoom Event on Saturday, September 26 @ 6:00 PM (ET) / 3:00 PM (PT).

Teams have about five days to complete the challenge. With that said, it’s up to the team to determine how much time they’d like to commit to complete the challenge. For example, teams can spend 20 minutes a day for five days working to create their communication piece! Although our goal is to raise funds for scholarships and awards, the Trust-a-thon is also a wonderful opportunity to make something fun, try out new techniques and skills, and connect with other creative individuals virtually!

The Challenge

Teams will create a communication piece inspired by a secret theme – to be announced during a Live Zoom Event on the first day of the challenge (Sunday, September 20 @ 6:00 PM ET / 3:00 PM PT) . The finished piece can take the form of a:

• 2D or 3D illustration
• Comic
• 3D model
• Animation
• Interactive (web, AR/VR)

All teams will have from the moment the theme is announced to Friday, September 25 @ midnight (PT) to work on their communication piece. For submission details, refer to the Final Submission section. 

Team Scoring

From September 20 to 26, teams can collect points by:

1. Raising funds to support student and professional research
   • • Every 1$ raised = 1 point
     • Each team will be assigned a GoFundMe page. The goal is to raise $500
2. Sharing work-in-progress posts on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram
   • • 1 social media post = 10 points
       
     • *UPDATE* To help the VT team better track your points and to normalize how points are accumulated across teams of different sizes, we’ve modified how points are accumulated. Teams can post on 1 account per social media platform. Teams will need to provide a designated account for Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram
     • Through the designated accounts, teams must tag @vesaliustrust and use a specific hashtag assigned to each team. We also encourage using other hashtags such as #vesaliustrust, #VTTrustathon, and #VT2020vision
     • The posts must be shared on public accounts 
     • The posts must share original content only – reposts do not count towards 10 points
     • Social media posts during this time should be of work-in-progress ONLY. The big reveal of the finished piece will be done during the Live Zoom Event on Saturday, September 26
     • *BONUS* For every repost/share by team members AND non-team members, teams can collect 2 points
3. Receiving votes* from viewers in a poll during the Live Zoom Event on Saturday, September 26
   • • Every 1 vote = 10 points
       *Note that viewers must have the Zoom desktop application to vote during the event

The team that has collected the most points by the end of the Live Zoom Event will be announced as the Winner of the Trust-a-thon Team Challenge, while the team with the most votes will be awarded the People’s Choice.

Teams

Trust-a-thon teams can consist of:

• 3 or more members (no maximum limit!)
• To reflect the multidisciplinary nature of our profession, the team can consist of members outside the medical illustration profession
• However, at least 1 member has to be an AMI member in good standing, a certified medical illustrator, or a student/graduate from one of the accredited medical illustration programs

Other information pertaining to your team:

• Teams will elect a team captain, who:
  • Will be the point of contact for VT’s Trust-a-thon organizer
  • Will be asked to participate during the Live Zoom Event (and a dry run leading up to the first event)
  • Will need to have the Zoom desktop application downloaded on their computer
• How each team will work together will be entirely up to them, although we recommend using:
  • Platforms for file sharing, like:
    • Google Drive
    • Box
    • Dropbox
  • Platforms for virtual conferencing, like:
    • Zoom
    • Skype
    • Google Hangouts
    • Google Meet
• You’ll need a team name!
• A team photo will be shared on the VT website and social media accounts. This can take the form of:
  • Photo(s) of team members
  • Sketches or drawings of team members
  • Or a screenshot of the team on Google Meet or Zoom, using grid view
• Teams will be provided with a kit that will include:
  • A release form to be signed by all team members (to share images on VT social platforms, create prints for sale through the VT website, etc.)
  • Trust-a-thon pro tips and social media templates (with sample social copy and hashtags)
  • Access details to your team’s GoFundMe page for fundraising

Secret Theme

The secret theme is… Apart but Together

While medical or scientific content is welcome, the creative products of the teams are limited only by their imagination (being appropriate for a general audience of course – we’d like to keep it kid-friendly!).

Final Submission

The deadline for the final submission is Friday, September 25 @ midnight (PT).
The Trust-a-thon organizer will be in contact with each team with regard to submission methods.

For ALL submission formats, please provide: 

• 1-3 web-ready JPGs or PNGs (72 dpi, RGB, minimum 1500 pixels wide) 
  • These images will be used for sharing on the VT website and social media accounts
  • For animated and interactive pieces, you can choose a film still/screenshot
• 1 print-ready PDF or TIFF (300 dpi, CMYK, 11 x 17 inches, with 1/8 inch bleed and crop marks)
  • These files will be used for prints to be sold on the VT website
• A short description (~100 words) about the finished communication piece. This can include the intended target audience, resources/references used, etc.

If your finished piece is one of the formats below, please follow the submission details:

• For 3D models, you can either:
  • Provide a link to a video of the 3D model uploaded to your website, or a video-sharing platform such as Vimeo, YouTube, etc.
  • Or provide a link to the 3D model if it can be viewed through a browser
• For animations:
  • Provide a link to the video uploaded to your website, or a video-sharing platform such as Vimeo, YouTube, etc.
• For interactives, you can either:
  • Provide a link to the interactive if uploaded on your website
  • Provide a link to the app if available for download
  • Or provide a link to a trailer/user video of the interactive that’s been uploaded to your website, or a video-sharing platform such as Vimeo, YouTube, etc.

All final work will be available for public viewing through the VT website on Saturday, September 26.

Important Dates

Wednesday, September 9
Team sign-up deadline @ midnight (PT)

Sunday, September 20
Live Zoom Event and secret theme announcement @ 6:00 PM (ET) / 3:00 PM (PT)

Friday, September 25
Final submission deadline @ midnight (PT)

Saturday, September 26
Live Zoom Event, team presentations, live voting and winner announcement @ 6:00 PM (ET) / 3:00 PM (PT)