Art Beyond Borders: NFT Global Youth Art Competition & Marketplace leveraging NMKR

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Omar Bawa

[GENERAL] Email address of main applicant

omar@goodwall.io

Additional applicants

Goodwall Team

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

6

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language.

No

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

Yes

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.”

Yes, Art Beyond Borders depends on NMKR API to mint art at scale and auction them via a white-labeled store. NMKR has given the technical green light and confirmed their support.

[GENERAL] Will your project’s output/s be fully open source?

Yes

[GENERAL] If NO, please describe which outputs are not going to be open source. If YES, please write “Project will be fully open source.”

The project will be fully open source.

[METADATA] Category of proposal

NFTs

[METADATA] SDG rating

This project will support the UN Sustainable Development Goals, especially:

SDG 4 - providing access to quality education to youth at scale in developing economies around the NFT and importantly NMKR capabilities.

SDG 8: This will help stimulate thinking amongst youth and realize the economic opportunities which exist within the blockchain ecosystem

SDG 10: Reducing inequalities around access to the blockchain and NFT ecosystem

Importantly Art Beyond Borders will also benefit from the support of Goodwall's existing partners in the United Nations including UNICEF, UNDP and UNHCR to maximize the impact of the program.

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

The Problem

Youth in developing countries have limited opportunities to showcase and monetize their artistic and creative skills. According to the World Economic Forum, creativity is among the top 5 sought-after skills of tomorrow, and yet, youth in developing countries are discouraged to pursue the arts given their expectations of limited economic prospects. 

While the internet expanded opportunities for emerging artists from developing economies to access the global art market, they still face systemic barriers, financial constraints, limited art industry exposure, and unequal power dynamics. This leads to unfulfilled potential, as many artists abandon their dreams and pursue alternative career paths. This not only deprives individuals of the chance to express their talents but also weakens cultural diversity. Even the few who do break through, receive very limited credit for their work.

NFTs could level the playing field, giving young artists the ability to monetize and gain global visibility for their art, but 82% of Gen Z think NFTs are a scam. 

With an experiential education program on NFTs using a global art competition, we can restore trust in the system and unlock the creative potential of young artists, provide them with platforms for recognition and income generation, and contribute to a more inclusive and vibrant artistic landscape globally.

Our Solution

Goodwall is a skills-based social network for Gen Z to learn and earn. We serve 2 million+ youth in 150+ countries, 60% of whom are female, to become the best versions of themselves and impact society positively. Our mission is to level the playing field for youth everywhere.

Our proposed solution, Art Beyond Borders, addresses the problem of limited opportunities for youth in developing countries to showcase and monetize their creative skills while leveraging NFTs and the NMKR API to ensure they retain credit. With our program, we expect to drive creativity and build confidence in hundreds of thousands of young people, while introducing them to the value of the blockchain and NFTs. 

Our approach is unique because we leverage the existing infrastructure of Goodwall and integrate it with NMKR, a marketplace for NFT art on the Cardano blockchain. By combining these platforms, we create a seamless ecosystem that empowers young artists to submit their artwork through Goodwall challenges and have it minted using NMKR API and featured with an NMKR whitelabeled marketplace.

The initiative provides a podium and fund for young artists to create and share their art and creative solutions. We believe in the transformative power of art and aim to create opportunities for these young artists to earn income and achieve financial independence through the sale of their artwork on NMKR and at the Cardano Summit, helping them retain credit and monetize their work.

Who will we engage?

The project will reach and engage talented youth at scale in developing countries (90% of youth are in developing economies), providing them with a platform to express their creativity and gain recognition for their skills. By campaigning together with established Goodwall partners present on the ground, for example, the United Nations with UNICEF and UNHCR, we expect to reach and gain unique access to the most underrepresented youth in the world from the townships in South Africa to refugees in camps. We have also engaged with the Cardano Summit, receiving the preliminary approval to exhibit the youth art at the Summit and organize a live auction.

How will we demonstrate our Impact?

To demonstrate our impact, we will provide a live dashboard of all the youth reached and engaged with the Goodwall challenge and the NMKR Art Marketplace. We will also demonstrate the impact directly by exhibiting the art at the Cardano Summit and hosting a live NFT auction.

The campaign will attract a diverse range of participants, targetting youth from developing countries who may have limited exposure to global art markets. Through a transparent and fair judging process, notably including peer-to-peer and community voting, we will select winners whose artworks will be minted as NFTs on NMKR, ensuring their visibility to a global audience.

The unique combination of Goodwall and NMKR not only provides a platform for showcasing and selling artwork but also fosters a sense of community and collaboration among artists worldwide. By connecting talented youth from developing countries with the Cardano ecosystem, we can create an inclusive and supportive environment that promotes creativity, personal growth, and cross-cultural exchange.

This solution is important to Cardano because it aligns with the platform's vision of empowering individuals and promoting financial inclusion while introducing them to NFTs and the blockchain. By driving youth at scale in developing countries to participate in the digital art economy, notably the Cardano ecosystem, we contribute to the awareness, growth, and adoption of the Cardano blockchain. Additionally, the Art Beyond Borders initiative showcases the scalability and versatility of Cardano's partner ecosystem, demonstrating its potential to support innovative projects that address real-world challenges.

Benefits:

1. Empowerment: Enables talented youth in developing countries to gain exposure and recognition for their artistic skills
2. Financial Opportunity: Offers a means for youth to earn income through the sale of their artwork on NMKR
3. Youth Education on NFTs and NMKR: Provides talented youth insight into NFTs and NMKR and the opportunity which exists within the ecosystem. 
4. Global Collaboration: Facilitates cross-cultural exchange and collaboration between young artists worldwide
5. Community Building: Fosters a supportive and inclusive environment for young artists 

Overall, the Art Beyond Borders solution is uniquely positioned to unlock the potential of young artists in developing countries, provide them with global exposure and economic opportunities, and contribute to the vibrant and diverse Cardano ecosystem.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbnGiVUwk0Mhttps://youtu.be/_UxfjCXjiHY

[IMPACT] How does your proposed solution address the challenge and what benefits will this bring to the Cardano ecosystem?

How can we make the Cardano NFT ecosystem more accessible by creating tools that implement the NMKR Dev API? 

Art Beyond Borders has the primary objective of introducing as many young people to the value of NFTs with NMKR and the Cardano NFT ecosystem. With Goodwall focusing on youth in developing economies, which accounts for 90% of youth globally, and 80% in the global south, this initiative will give visibility and exposure to the Cardano NFT ecosystem. Art Beyond Borders will use the NMKR Dev API to both mint and auction the art, while also creating a white labeled Marketplace "GoodArt" using the API.

[IMPACT] How do you intend to measure the success of your project?

We will measure the success of our project with the below KPIs that will benefit the Cardano ecosystem by organically building trust with youth globally and raising awareness on the benefits of NMKR NFTs, positively influencing youth participation in the ecosystem notably in the global south:

• Youth Reached: measured by direct impressions of the competition and related art. Target 500’000+. 
• Youth Engagement: Active participation in the challenges, including comments, likes, and shares of the art submitted to the competition. 
• Youth Participation: Art submitted by youth to the competition. Target: 250+  
• ADA raised: to measure the impact we have on crediting young artists and creating an evergreen art fund to sustain the competition year-on-year. Target: ₳35000
• Youth Perception: qualitative survey post-competition to measure the % of them who trust NFTs and % of young artists who would use them, in particular using the Cardano Ecosystem

During the course of the program, user surveys will be conducted in order to assess the impact of the program. These surveys are aimed at assessing the appreciation of the young participants of the Art Beyond Boarders challenge in terms of challenge dynamics, rewards, and topics and asking questions regarding the potential impact in terms of upskilling. Goodwall has developed strong expertise in implementing programs globally and in specific regions, monitoring the implementation of programs through specific internal tools, notably: 

A Program Performance Dashboard, which allows live monitoring of the performance of programs through specific metrics (e.g. impressions, user engagement, reach, qualified entries, etc.). A link will be made available to the Cardano community to access this information at any time.

[IMPACT] Please describe your plans to share the outputs and results of your project?

The global youth art competition will be hosted publicly on Goodwall, so all stakeholders will be able to see the artists and art, as well as purchase said art via the white-labeled NFT Marketplace “Good Art” Store built with NMKR API. We will provide a live Google Data Studio monitoring KPI dashboard on Youth Reach & Engagement. The art should also be exhibited at the Cardano Summit and auctioned via a live NFT auction sharing the results with the broader Cardano ecosystem. We will also explore exhibiting the art at other major venues for example the Tate Gallery in London, Art Basel, the UN General Assembly, and the World Economic Forum in Davos. At the Competition’s conclusion, an impact report will be produced with the quantitative and qualitative results of our project. 

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability?

Goodwall is an award-winning social enterprise recognized as a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer. Goodwall's founders were listed as Forbes 30 under 30.

Goodwall has delivered on more than 200+ programs to date, trusted by organizations such as UNICEF and the UNDP, governments, and Fortune 1000 companies like SAP and Accenture.

Recently Goodwall hosted a very successful Art Competition "Imagine2050" sponsored by Pictet, the private bank, that was exhibited in collaboration with the Tate Gallery at the London Zoo.

Goodwall has already secured a partnership with NMKR and received their technical green light to mint the art and jointly create a white-labeled Good Art Store to exhibit and auction the NFTs using NMKRs API.

Goodwall has been part of the Cardano ecosystem for years, successfully delivering on multiple Catalyst projects in Fund 8 and 9. Goodwall's CEO, Taha Bawa, spoke at the Cardano Summit in 2022. Goodwall also received a strategic investment from EMURGO and EMURGO Middle East & Africa to leverage Cardano's blockchain to level the playing field for youth everywhere.

Press Release: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/blockchain-for-social-good-emurgo-and-goodwall-join-forces-301755444.html

https://www.venturelab.swiss/Cardanos-commercial-arm-invests-in-youthfocused-talent-network-Goodwall

Goodwall other reputed investors include Randstad, the largest recruitment company in the world and the State of Geneva.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What are the main goals for the project and how will you validate if your approach is feasible?

The main goals of the Art Beyond Borders project can be seen summarized below:

1) Through experiential and social learning and by demonstrating value (versus lecturing), raise awareness and educate youth about Cardano, NFTs, the blockchain, and the NMKR ecosystem to youth, especially those in developing economies who have had limited access.

2) Provide a means for talented artistic youth in developing economies to gain recognition, receive credit and earn income through the sale of their artwork on NMKR.

3) Empower talented youth in developing countries to get the right exposure and receive recognition for their artistic skills and work produced. Inspire a next generation of creatives in developing economies.

4) Create and foster a supportive and inclusive community for young artists in developing economies. Facilitate collaboration and cross-cultural exchange between young artists.

5) Successfully showcase the scalability and versatility of the Cardano and NMKR infrastructure and partner ecosystem.

In validating the feasibility of the approach, several factors will be considered.

1) Partnerships and collaboration: The project relies on partnerships with Goodwall, NMKR, Cardano Summit and others we choose to involve. Fortunately, we already have strong existing relationships and maintaining these partnerships, ensuring effective communication, collaboration, and coordination between the different stakeholders will result in a successful project and ensure it reaches and impacts the maximum amount of youth possible.

2) User Adoption and Engagement: The success of the project hinges on attracting and engaging a significant number of talented youth from developing countries. The feasibility of the approach can be validated by monitoring the participation rates, user feedback, and overall satisfaction of the artists using the platform. Goodwall has strong experience in the promotional and marketing activities required to execute on this and the existing community of over 2 million youth provide a strong existing platform.

3) Market Demand and Sustainability: The feasibility of the project relies on the existence of a market demand for NFT artwork and the sustainability of the NMKR marketplace. Market research, user surveys, and engagement with potential buyers and collectors can help validate the feasibility and viability and generate interest in the project from a market perspective.

4) Resource Allocation and Timelines: The project's goals and objectives need to be aligned with the available resources, including financial, technical, and human resources at Goodwall. We have incorporated this project as part of our 2023/2024 roadmap and a clear and transparent plan with realistic timelines and milestones will be established to ensure efficient execution and validate the feasibility of the approach.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed breakdown of your project’s milestones and each of the main tasks or activities to reach the milestone plus the expected timeline for the delivery.

Milestone 1: Challenge Design: September 21 - September 29th: Design and Creation of Challenge and Competition

• This includes the design of content and appropriate user journey including themes, guidelines, and submission requirements
• All related challenge assets such as educational videos, scripts, posters, and creative design elements

Milestone 2: Challenge Launch: September 29th - November 2nd: Launch the challenge through marketing and promotion and then maintain engagement on the challenge, manage and moderate community etc.

Milestone 3: Winner Selection: October 16th - November 2nd: Selection of challenge winners and art to be minted with NFTs

Milestone 4: Minting: October 16th - November 2nd: Mint the artwork through NMKR (2 weeks)

Milestone 5: Create the Marketplace: October 23rd: - Create and deploy the Art Beyond Borders marketplace on NMKR we already have confirmation on the way forward of this)

Milestone 4: Exhibit at Cardano Summit: 2-4 November 2023

Milestone 5: Live Auction at the Cardano Summit: 2-4 November 2023

Milestone 6: Impact Report : December 1 2023

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please describe the deliverables, outputs and intended outcomes of each milestone.

1) Design the challenge

• Deliverables: A well-defined and engaging challenge structure, including theme, guidelines, and submission requirements.
• Outputs: Detailed challenge documentation, including the challenge description, rules, and evaluation criteria. Design of all assets including banners, promotional and educational videos, example content, launch video, etc.
• Intended Outcome: To create an appealing and clear challenge that attracts talented youth artists and encourages them to participate. All assets are ready to launch the Challenge.

2) Launch the challenge including promotion

• Deliverables: Promotional materials, such as social media campaigns, press releases, and promotional videos, to generate awareness and attract participants.
• Outputs: Increased visibility of the challenge through various channels, including online platforms, art communities, and partner organizations.
• Intended Outcome: To effectively promote the challenge and reach a wide audience of talented youth aspiring artists, particularly in developing countries.

3) Review and moderate participants and select challenge winners

• Deliverables: A systematic review and evaluation process to assess the submitted artworks based on predefined criteria.
• Outputs: A shortlist of finalists and ultimately the selection of challenge winners based on the judging panel's assessment.
• Intended Outcome: To ensure fairness, transparency, and the recognition of talented artists, thereby providing opportunities for them to showcase their skills and gain recognition.

4) Mint the winning art pieces as NFTs through NMKR

• Deliverables: Mint the NFTs through NMKR from the art posted on Goodwall's platform.
• Outputs: Minted NFTs representing the winning artworks, stored on the Cardano blockchain through NMKR.
• Intended Outcome: To convert the selected artworks into NFTs, enabling artists to establish ownership, provenance, and potential future sales on the NMKR marketplace.

5) Create the marketplace

• Deliverables: Development and deployment of the Art Beyond Boarders marketplace using the NMKR API, providing a platform for artists to showcase and sell their NFTs.
• Outputs: A functional and user-friendly marketplace interface, where artists can list and sell their NFT artworks, and buyers can browse and purchase them.
• Intended Outcome: To establish a marketplace that facilitates the monetization and visibility of artists' work, creating economic opportunities and fostering a thriving ecosystem for NFT art on the Cardano blockchain.

6) Digital Exhibit at the Cardano Summit

• Deliverables: Preparation of exhibition materials, including digital presentations, showcasing the Art Beyond Borders initiative, and selected NFT artworks. Cardano Summit will support with physical displays.
• Outputs: A presence at the Cardano Summit, where the project team can engage with attendees, showcase the initiative's impact, and promote the participating artists.
• Intended Outcome: To raise awareness about the project, present project results, attract potential buyers and collectors, and demonstrate the achievements and potential of integrating art with the Cardano NMKR ecosystem.

7) Live auction at Cardano Summit

• Deliverables: Organize and conduct a live auction event at the Cardano Summit, featuring a selection of NFT artworks from the challenge winners.
• Outputs: Successful auction sales, where buyers bid and purchase the NFT artworks in real-time.
• Intended Outcome: To generate income for the artists, increase the visibility and market value of their work, and demonstrate the demand for NFT art within the Cardano community.

8) Impact Report

• Deliverables: Provide success metrics on youth participation, reach and engagement
• Outputs: Qualitative and quantitative reporting and insights
• Intended Outcome: Reporting back to the community on the impact --> strengthen youth creativity, give young artists exposure and credit while educating and introducing them to NFTs and the Cardano NMKR ecosystem

[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] Please provide a detailed budget breakdown of the proposed work and resources.

Given that Goodwall is waiving important technical costs to make this initiative a reality, this should lead to strong value for money for the Cardano Ecosystem.

Download PDF of the Budget Proposal: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1f3Uo4TPXuBtVcM4QaUkUb_lNu2qdg_mD/view?usp=drive_link

[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

1. Strategic Investment: cost incurred by implementing Art Beyond Borders can be viewed as a strategic investment for the growth and development of the Cardano ecosystem. By supporting this initiative it promotes financial inclusion, empowers youth artists, and showcases a solid use of the Cardano NMKR platform.
2. Increase the visibility of the Cardano Ecosystem: Notably across the global south and to youth via the Goodwall platform. Instead of advertising or marketing about Cardano or NFTs, through Art Beyond Borders and experiential learning, we show the value and encourage organic growth and word of mouth.
3. Encourage Partnership Amongst the Ecosystem: Art Beyond Borders brings together Goodwall as a platform, alongside NMKR for minting the NFTs and hosting the marketplace, and the Cardano Summit and Foundation to showcase the use case results and auction the art. We would also invite the United Nations, notably UNICEF, UNHCR, and UNDP, with whom Goodwall is already a partner, to campaign for Art Beyond Borders together and therefore join the broader Cardano ecosystem.
4. Positive Social Impact: Empowering youth at scale, inspiring creativity and a better future beyond borders using art
5. Build Trust & Credibility for NMKR NFTs: amongst Gen Z and youth. We would also potentially display the exhibition at galleries such at the Tate London and Art Basel giving more credibility and introducing future partners to the ecosystem.

[IMPORTANT NOTE] The Applicant agreed to Fund10 rules and also that data in the Submission Form and other data provided by the project team during the course of the project will be publicly available.

I Accept