Waste solutions
#WasteNot Competition – Terms & Conditions
- Organiser
The organisers are Hold My Hand (HMH) and the DG Murray Trust (DGMT). DGMT incubates the HMH campaign.
- Competition Overview
The Waste Not competition celebrates people who are already reducing, reusing and recycling and those with big ideas. It aims to encourage people to get creative about reducing, reusing and recycling, especially since kerb-side recycling is not widespread and landfills are overflowing. It aims to show how people are getting creative and resourceful with their waste, reward them as they are leaders, and use their stories to inspire others. This is a competition for everyone: children, teens, parents and caregivers, teachers and schools, community members and organisations. We want to see what you are doing to lead the way in reducing waste in our communities and playing a part in reducing the impact on climate change and environmental pollution.
- Eligibility
- The competition is open to all South African residents.
- Submissions by or featuring minors (under 18 years) must have parental or guardian consent.
- Employees of DGMT, their immediate family members, and contracted consultants and DGMT project staff are not eligible to enter.
- Competition Timeline
- Start Date: 21 July 2026
- Closing Date: 21 August 2026
- Entries submitted outside of these dates will not be considered.
- How to Enter
- WhatsApp: Send your entry to 0600 411 111 with your photo or video along with a short voice note or text explaining what you made or did.
- All entrants take the Create Change pledge.
- Languages: Entries are welcome in any of South Africa’s 12 official languages.
- Formats: You may submit a 30-second video, or a photo with a short story.
- Multiple entries are allowed, provided each submission contains unique content.
- Social Media: To encourage the entrant to post on their own social media and tag both @holdmyhandsa (Instagram, Facebook or TikTok) and @createchange_sa, (on Instagram or TikTok) and use #WasteNot. HMH and DGMT track eligible posts that get bonus points. Entries must be publicly visible to qualify.
- Submission Themes
Participants enter by doing one or both of the following:
Track A: Make something
- Show us something you have made or repurposed from recycled or reused materials. It can be clothing, a toy, a planter, a piece of furniture, art, jewellery — big or small, it counts. Post your photo or video, tell us:
- What you made
- What it came from (the original material or object)
- Who it’s for
Track B: Do something
- Show us what you do to reduce waste, care for your community or cut down on plastic. A clean-up, a sorting system, composting, a refusal of single-use plastic. Show us your action.
Track C: Say something
- Tell us why we need to reduce waste and litter, how it impacts your life and community and what our leaders need to hear.
Ideas Include:
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- How you avoid single-use plastic
- Recycling and sorting
- Creative reuse
- Environmental health and children
- Prizes
- Prizes: Ten (10) prizes ranging from R1 500 to R5 000 and totalling R26 000 will be awarded in total.
- Prizes are non-transferable, non-refundable, and cannot be exchanged for other alternatives.
- Winners must provide necessary documentation (such as ID and banking details) for prize processing, which may take up to three weeks.
- Judging Criteria
Entries will be evaluated by a panel based on:
- Creativity and ingenuity: How imaginative is the transformation or action? Does it surprise us?
- Neighbourhood impact: Does it meaningfully reduce, reuse or recycle? Is it genuinely good for the environment?
- Story and authenticity: Is the story behind the entry clear, real and relatable?
- Inspiration factor: Would this entry make someone else want to do the same?
- Accessibility: Could an ordinary South African replicate or be inspired by this (regardless of income or resources)?
- Content Guidelines & Safeguarding
- Originality: Submissions must be your own original, unpublished work.
- No AI: No AI-generated content is permitted.
- Safeguarding: Do not include sensitive personal details such as home addresses, school names on uniforms, or personal IDs in your photos or videos.
- Appropriateness: Content must be respectful, inclusive, and child-friendly. Harmful or discriminatory content will be disqualified.
- Permissions and Rights
- By entering, you grant DGMT and the Hold My Hand, Create Change and Keready campaigns and DGMT projects a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual license to use, modify, and publish your content for campaign and educational purposes.
- Participants retain their intellectual property rights.
- Winners consent to the publication of their names and likenesses on campaign platforms.
- Privacy & Data Protection
The competition adheres to the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). Personal data will be used solely for competition purposes.
- General
The organiser reserves the right to amend or cancel the competition if necessary. The organiser’s decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into.
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