Super Stage is a 100% hit

After weeks of anticipation, Super Stage’s 100% IN challenge is taking a humble bow to the thunderous applause of hundreds of spectators, participants, judges and online viewers.

Launched on the 12th March, the 100% IN challenge highlighting SA’s ‘60% Drop-out Nation’ asked university students to ‘CHANGE THE STATS’. The SuperPrize? R50 000 to make their idea happen!

With eye-catching posters and viral videos stating the cold facts, namely that 3 in 5 students drop-out, the Supernews Team embarked on a week long national university hop, collaborating with student leaders, lecturers in innovation and university heads to spearhead the cause and encourage a frenzy of idea pitching via their student networks by the 30th of April.

With online submissions representing more than 10 universities, voting began, seeing almost 3000 unique visitors to supernews.co.za in just 2 days!

Narrowing it down to the Top 10 plus a wild card, the students were work-shopped and flown in (from Jo’burg and Pretoria) to present their ideas live for the 300 strong audience at Super Stage on the 10th May.

‘WELCOME TO CAMPUS, TIME FOR ACTIVISM’ headlined the colonnaded entrance to UCT’s stained glass centrepiece that is Smuts Hall. As much of an inspirational, innovative platform, Super Stage also invites student talent to produce an entertaining experience. Beatenberg Band with sounds echoing Paul Simon set the upbeat tone for the evening’s events, while performers from the Waterfront Theatre School entertained the crowd, giving out SuperPrizes (including a Home Theatre System sponsored by Hi-Fi Corp) in their Cirque du Soleil-esque costumes.

The Super Crew attracted talent from AFDA and City Varsity, who respectively captured the event on film, while volunteer go-getters representing UCT’s RAG, SIFE, AIESEC, and past Super Stars helped register the audience and hand out goodie bags with Mr Delivery and Vida–e vouchers, Vitamin Water, popcorn and ‘I’m a Graduate – 100%’ posters.

Gina Levy, the originator of Supernews and Super Stage opened the event, “We want to trigger a news revolution by creating and reporting ideas and solutions that become the news – and help shape a new reality. Each Super Star we create understands that the forces influencing their future are within their control – starting from campus.”

With just five minutes to present their innovative ideas, the Top 10 captivated the audience with personal stories and inspirational anecdotes. Ideas ranged from an online peer support network to establishing a culture of interns to e-books tomobile apps to a micro investment fund managed by students.

An impressive line-up of Super Judges, included UCT’s Vice Chancellor Dr Max Price, who opened the challenge and enthusiastically endorsed Super Stage, Leigh Meinert, the pioneer and MD of TSIBA Education, Dr Francois Bonnici, Director of the Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the UCT Graduate School of Business, Dr Franci Cronje, the academic co-navigator of Vega Brand Communication School, as well as other movers and shakers. After a heated debate, the ultimate decision came down to just one vote, basing the winning idea on innovation, implementability, scaleability, and the one most directly targetting the issue of drop-out.

Rumbi Goredema, representing the sponsors of the 100% IN challenge, the DG Murray Trust, broke the Super News…“And the next Super Stars are…Money Minds”. A split second behind them were runners up, Funda, followed by EQuo.

And it doesn’t end there.

Super Stage who’s currency is opportunity, has also developed a crowd-funding platform so win or lose the Super Prize, the Top 9 still get to make their ideas happen! With a target of R5000 per idea, the Supernews public get to invest their pocket change (anything from an affordable R25) in an idea they believe will make SA work better!

“The most common description of the event was ‘INSPIRING’ – which is the most satisfying for me – because that is exactly what I was trying to achieve – an inspirational experience! – and one that will motivate everyone to think differently and in their own way be a catalyst for positive change in SA and beyond!”, said Levy.

Watch this space as Super Stage hits campus and mainstream radio stations and TV shows soon.

The next Super Stage Challenge will launch in August.

Links to check out:
100% IN Super Stage event video montage
Top 10 + video talks & Crowd-Fund
Applause for Super Stage
Send your comments/suggestions to: superidea@superstage.co.za