Want to emotionally connect with teens?
Support their PASSIONS.
Want to emotionally connect with parents and communities? Support their CHILDREN!
Celebrate ALL kinds of Teens on the Verge of Greatness!
Dozens of Virtual Stages & Galleries showcase all forms of talent!
Cause-specific challenges empower creative and inventive teens to "Be the change"
Teens are the “stars” in virtual benefit variety shows that raise awareness of and $millions for causes teens care most about
and support our BEHIND THE SCENES ALL STARS too!
Visual / Media Arts Challenges
Visual artists create Verge Awards stages, trophies, animations, pictograms, web content and more
Music Production Challenges
Musicians compose Verge Awards theme songs, jingles, music for variety show segments and ads.
Be the Face of The Verge Awards
Outgoing personalities emcee variety show segments; journalists and influencrers present inspiring, educational and entertaining stories
Build a massive, uplifting movement
Student leaders and creatives build social media channels and virtual cheering sections, run PR and digital advertising campaigns and more
WHY Partner with Us?
Connect with our AUDIENCE (aka your audience!)
Parents, grandparents
Community members - 48 million attend HS plays, 500 million tickets sold for HS football games
Educators - 8.2 million K-12 employees; 2.5 million high school teachers, TA's, tutors; 222k counselors, social workers; 91k college arts educators, etc.
Fans of celebrity partners from entertainment, media, sports, art, science and tech
Fans of televised talent shows (e.g. The Voice, American Idol, Masked Singer, America’s Got Talent, Dancing with the Stars, etc.)
Establish COMPETITIVE DIFFERENTIATION
Can you think of ANYTHING else like this?
Earn BRAND LOVE
Establish trust, authenticity and relevance; earn affection; lift brand perception and preference as you
Increase EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT and pride; attract exceptional candidates
Showcase your brand’s commitment to issues that matter most to your employees and candidates
Achieve enduring IMPACT
Demonstrate your leadership and commitment to purpose. Combine your marketing, JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion), CSR, ESG, and HR dollars to support the broader, enduring purpose of youth empowerment; and/or help teens advance specific causes such as:
Access brand-safe CONTENT Created BY teens
“[M]y biggest competitor today is any 14-year-old kid with a TikTok, Twitch or YouTube account, an authentic creative idea and an unexpected approach." Lukas Grossebner, Virtue's European ECD
The Verge Awards will make creative teens part of your team.
You'll access content created by teens that is relevant, engaging, creative, impactful, inspirational and yes - unexpected.
Incorporate this into and/or issue challenges for custom branded content for your own digital marketing, content creation and advocacy programs.
"When you’re serious about a cause that means a lot to your community, make members of that community the heroes of your campaign." AdAge
With options spanning multi-year support of this youth-centered movement to specific talent categories and causes, we'll help you design a program that meets your objectives, within your budget - including innovative ways to leverage your investment!
THE ONLINE FESTIVAL celebrates all passion points
Thousands of entries will be screened, organized and presented in talent-specific online stages and galleries ; millions of fans will view entries and vote for favorites to appear in weekly variety shows.
Major Partnership Opportunities:
Founding partners are recognized sitewide in perpetuity for their leadership.
Presenting partners are recognized sitewide through March and may choose to extend the partnership through spring 2022 or for multiple years
“Empowered by” partners enable teens to create or capture their entries by providing no-cost tech solutions, equipment, supplies or educational resources, or by funding access to those resources.
Venue sponsors "present" high-level categories with branding of the main entrance visible to all who enter and in benefit show intros
Talent category sponsors enjoy branding of the main stage (e.g. Singing) and any side stages (e.g. country singing). Side stages have additional sponsorship opportunities.
CAUSE-BASED CHALLENGES empower young changemakers to address causes THEY care most about
Align your brand's values to cause-specific initiatives both in the online Creative Force for Good (CFG) and in weekly benefit variety shows! Each weekly episode will feature select student artwork and performances to increase awareness of the issues and raise funds and volunteers for youth-led solutions and partner organizations.
Each new season will highlight the status of innovations from prior seasons and provide regular updates on our website, ensuring a lasting recognition of your brand's support of teenage changemakers.
“Teens on The Verge" Weekly BENEFIT VARIETY SHOWS merge pop culture with purpose
"Audiences, producers, studios, actors, and streamers are clamoring for Family-Friendly [content and] films" (Stage 32); essentially "...anything that provides an escape from the fear, anxiety and continuous mourning of the last 18 months." (The Wrap)
Help bring purpose to pop culture!
This is the Next Big Thing in Family-Friendly Content, Virtual Festivals, Talent Shows, Celebrity Benefit Shows and Youth-Led Movements... all in one!
Levels of Sponsorship:
BEHIND THE SCENES ALL STARS
Help teens themselves build The Verge Awards into a massive, uplifting movement!
Brand-safe additional CONTENT
Help produce or sponsor fun, engaging, valuable, uplifting, memorable content, and share it widely!
Heartwarming, inspirational - stories of teens and their parents/guardians, mentors, influences, educators, youth org's, communities
Entertaining - segments with celebrities, games (e.g. "Guess the celebrity" or "Talent Scout"), standings and announcements, achievements
Valuable to teens, educators, parents/guardians (talent-specific):
Cause-specific - issues/what's at stake, stories of youth making an impact, interviews with experts and celebrity ambassadors, resources to learn more, ways to engage
Eligible INVESTMENTS:
This is a MARKETING opportunity! Invest sponsorship, entertainment, and cause-related funds, and combine with your JEDI, CSR, ESG, in-kind and employee resources to reach higher level benefits!
"Leverage all your assets to really make a difference – your advertising weight, your communication channels, your team’s expertise, supply chain partners, etc. Be creative about how you can make an impact." (Engage for Good)
CASH- combine sponsorship, cause marketing, and media and entertainment marketing budgets
100% of profit from shows will be donated to causes
Your investment will support operations, high quality production and promotion; 100% of remaining profit is donated to the Verge Awards' Youth Impact Charitable Fund to support causes teens help select.
BUDGET-RELIEVING assets, technology
Higher quality programming at lower costs means more funds for charity!
Support our programming, operations, production, marketing and promotion and distribution
OUTREACH - Celebrity Partners, Media Donations, Marketing and Promotion
Help us cheer for these incredibly talented kids! Plus, the bigger the audience, the more recognition for all partners.
PRIZES- Products, services, scholarships and life-changing experiences
Recipients will be selected by adjudicators, celebrities and fans; or randomly selected in fundraising sweepstakes:
BRANDED CHALLENGES, SCHOLARSHIPS, INTERNSHIPS, AUDITIONS
You (or your employees!) select your own individual recipients!
Perfect for corporations, college recruiters, talent agents, casting directors, studios, record labels and media companies that wish to discover, select, support and/or recruit individual teens.
Your awards or prizes are separate and in addition to any offered by The Verge Awards’ broader programming and must be distributed and administered by you - the offering individual, company or organization.
EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEERS
Skill-based volunteer opportunites that support and celebrate diversity and youth potential will help you attract and retain your best talent
Encourage and empower your creative and innovative employees to use their expertise to
Prefer to receive charitable credit? Learn more here
"Gen Z [a]re using our creativity to channel our energy into creation during a time of stagnation by taking the time to invest in our passions, cultivate our individual interests, and find what inspires us." 63% of Gen Z reported an increase in creative tendencies during quarantine as opposed to 11% reporting a decrease and 23% who say it has stayed the same. Juv Consulting
"The brand has to be visible. We cannot go dark. (But) this is a time to enable and not be opportunistic." Mastercard CMO Raja Rajamannar
"Brands that use their position and resources to be helpful and relevant during (crises) will leave a positive impression on consumers." Ryan Detert, CEO of Influential
"But amidst this chaos comes great opportunity for brands to take a leadership position and accelerate consumer trust by focusing on purpose and meaningful, authentic social impact." Engage for Good
"In a world beset by a pandemic and all that accompanies it, including an economic recession and political uncertainty, consumers are crying out for brands that can be a beacon of optimism and resilience. Now would be a good time for brand stewards to make these emotions central to their brand’s purpose. " MIT Sloan Management Review 8-27-20
"Consumers and employees alike are discerning and will notice the brands that have a strong purpose and act on it. In fact, according to a new report by Accenture, 43% of consumers will walk away when disappointed by a brands’ words or actions on a social issue." Forbes
"COVID-19 elevates the social impact of every business and throws a spotlight on the nature of our companies, our character and our brand(s)." "...Why does your company exist? How does it contribute to societal, economic and environmental progress?" "A brand’s purpose will only be relevant if it sits within people’s own purpose, and not the other way around." Accenture
“The more that brands can help people stay connected to communities, to passions, to learning, to like-minded people, to thoughts and ideas, the more that they’re going to win. [I]t’s a humanity moment and it’s the right thing to do.” Tom Herbst, former CMO of the North Face
"Brands and rights holders need to embrace a modern and flexible digital strategy that enables them to compete for a fan’s attention on multiple channels." KORE
© 2021 Talent Registry LLC, dba The Verge Awards
@VergeAwards #vergeawards #vergeofgreatness #begreat #bethechange #keepdreaming #feelitsayitshowit #keepsinging #keepdancing #keepplaying #keepcreating #keeplaughing #keepdesigning #keepmakingart #keepaspiring #keepachieving #playon