Have you thought getting involved with Awesome Newcastle this year? Here are a few FAQs to keep in mind:

Q. How many people apply to Awesome Newcastle? Do I even have a chance?
A. Interesting question. Because Awesome Newcastle applications never expire, the list of applicants continues to grow, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t after fresh ideas! Some months we’ll only get three to four applications, some months we’ll get heaps.

Q. I’d love to give money to this initiative, how do I get involved?
A. We’d love to let you give money to this initiative! We regularly bring in guest board members, some of who end up being full time board members. Apply today by clicking this link and someone will get back to you asap.

Q. I think I have a good idea, but I’m not sure if the board will like it. What kind of ideas have won in the past?
A. We have had an amazing variety of Awesome Newcastle winners, and you can read about them on our blog. Our winners have ranged from playwrights to stay-at-home mums. They’ve been yogis, surfers and retired do-gooders. The one thing they all have in common is that they currently live in the Newcastle region (includes Hunter Valley, Lake Macquarie and Port Stephens).

Q. Is there a common theme in the grant winners?
A. We’ve actually got a good list of guidelines here that Awesome Miami originally published. There’s also one concept that the Awesome Newcastle crew regularly asks when hearing about an idea. We want to know, is your idea a fire-starter? We hear about many ideas that brighten our day. Lots of ideas are like candles that light up the room, but we’re looking for wildfire, baby! We want ideas that take off and spread. Does your idea have momentum? Will it resonate with many people?