What Is It?

The ASOT Advocacy in Action competition is a hackathon-style event designed to encourage creative problem solving to address current issues in ocular trauma. Randomly-assigned teams will collaborate virtually to produce a 4-minute TEDx style talk that will be delivered at Eye Trauma 2025 in Houston, TX. The winning team from each category will have access to a $500 grant to support their project.

Prompt:

Teams are encouraged to identify a problem within ocular trauma and propose a specific, actionable solution. Potential areas include preventing sports-related ocular injuries, training first responders, enhancing ocular trauma education, etc.

How to Participate:

• Indicate your interest in the event when registering for Eye Trauma 2025.
• Receive your assigned team on March 1st, 2025.
• Meet with your team virtually, select a prompt, and begin brainstorming solutions. Prepare a 4-minute TEDx style talk to be delivered at Eye Trauma 2025.
• At Eye Trauma 2025, deliver your pitch to a committee of judges.
• On Saturday (May 10th), the winning team for each category will be awarded.

The Grant Award:

The winning team from each category will be given access to a $500 grant from ASOT. The funds must be used toward direct project expenses (not used for travel or compensation) and will be reimbursed through submitted receipts to the ASOT executive committee. It is expected that winning projects will be presented at Eye Trauma 2026 Annual Meeting.