Social media marketer Brickfish has designed and is managing a search for America’s premier eco-warriors, in an online contest sponsored by outdoor apparel maker The North Face and textile manufacturer Polartec.

The competition asks people to submit content—blog posts, photos or videos—that documents the passion of someone they know for environmental causes. The winner, chosen around May 13, will be rewarded with a $1,000 shopping spree and a $15,000 donation to the green cause of his or her choice.

First-round nominations in the “Eco Champion” contest can be submitted at http://www.brickfish.com/Lifestyles/EcoChampion until March 25, 2009. From those nominees 25 finalists will be selected by North Face and Polartec to advance to round two of the contest. Visitors to the Brickfish Web site will get the chance to vote for the finalists they consider most worthy to win the Eco Champion challenge.

Around April 15, judges will select the ten finalists with the highest popular votes. From that group of ten, they will then choose one grand prize winner on criteria of creativity and ecological impact, along with a second and third place winner by May 13, 2009.

The social media ad network Brickfish will allow visitors to share the Eco Champion Web page virally via e-mail or instant messaging or by embedding or posting the URL to a personal Web page. Rather than forcing entrants to funnel content into a central location, Brickfish can monitor the votes received at multiple locations across the Web, allowing the campaign to spread very virally across Facebook and even Twitter.

In addition, Brickfish’s “viral MAP’ tech platform will show how many views the content has garnered at each posting location across the social Web and correlate that map to the number of votes the entry has received, measuring the reach engagement and viral activity of the campaign. That ability will help North Face and Polartec pinpoint their most effective and influential brand fans among the social media commenters.

Back at the contest, the top Eco Champion will get a $1,000 gift certificate to be used at http://www.TheNorthFace.com and a $15,000 check with which to make a contribution to their favorite environmental charity. The second prize winner will get a $2,500 donation to the green cause of their choice; third prize, a $1,500 charitable donation.

The 25 finalists who make it to the first judging round will each receive a 2009 Denali thermal jacket from The North Face. Made since 1989, this year’s Denali uses a new Polartec fleece that contains 87% recycled content. According to the companies, that saves the equivalent of .8 gallons of gasoline and 33 pounds of carbon dioxide per jacket versus using virgin polyester fleece.

In every case, prizes will go to the nominees, not the contest entrants—although entrants can nominate themselves.

“The Eco Champion campaign is a celebration of those individuals who dedicate their lives to making a difference in our world,” Polartec marketing director Nate Simmons said in a statement. “Both Polartec and The North Face are committed to reducing their environmental impact through programs like the recycled Polartec fleece in the North Face Denali jacket, and we are thrilled to recognize others who embrace the world we live in.”

Social media marketer Brickfish has designed and is managing a search for America’s premier eco-warriors, in an online contest sponsored by outdoor apparel maker The North Face and textile manufacturer Polartec.

The competition asks people to submit content—blog posts, photos or videos—that documents the passion of someone they know for environmental causes. The winner, chosen around May 13, will be rewarded with a $1,000 shopping spree and a $15,000 donation to the green cause of his or her choice.

First-round nominations in the “Eco Champion” contest can be submitted at http://www.brickfish.com/Lifestyles/EcoChampion until March 25, 2009. From those nominees 25 finalists will be selected by North Face and Polartec to advance to round two of the contest. Visitors to the Brickfish Web site will get the chance to vote for the finalists they consider most worthy to win the Eco Champion challenge.

Around April 15, judges will select the ten finalists with the highest popular votes. From that group of ten, they will then choose one grand prize winner on criteria of creativity and ecological impact, along with a second and third place winner by May 13, 2009.

The social media ad network Brickfish will allow visitors to share the Eco Champion Web page virally via e-mail or instant messaging or by embedding or posting the URL to a personal Web page. Rather than forcing entrants to funnel content into a central location, Brickfish can monitor the votes received at multiple locations across the Web, allowing the campaign to spread very virally across Facebook and even Twitter.

In addition, Brickfish’s “viral MAP’ tech platform will show how many views the content has garnered at each posting location across the social Web and correlate that map to the number of votes the entry has received, measuring the reach engagement and viral activity of the campaign. That ability will help North Face and Polartec pinpoint their most effective and influential brand fans among the social media commenters.

Back at the contest, the top Eco Champion will get a $1,000 gift certificate to be used at http://www.TheNorthFace.com and a $15,000 check with which to make a contribution to their favorite environmental charity. The second prize winner will get a $2,500 donation to the green cause of their choice; third prize, a $1,500 charitable donation.

The 25 finalists who make it to the first judging round will each receive a 2009 Denali thermal jacket from The North Face. Made since 1989, this year’s Denali uses a new Polartec fleece that contains 87% recycled content. According to the companies, that saves the equivalent of .8 gallons of gasoline and 33 pounds of carbon dioxide per jacket versus using virgin polyester fleece.

In every case, prizes will go to the nominees, not the contest entrants—although entrants can nominate themselves.

“The Eco Champion campaign is a celebration of those individuals who dedicate their lives to making a difference in our world,” Polartec marketing director Nate Simmons said in a statement. “Both Polartec and The North Face are committed to reducing their environmental impact through programs like the recycled Polartec fleece in the North Face Denali jacket, and we are thrilled to recognize others who embrace the world we live in.”