RCJ Community Launch Challenge — How It Works

To help get the conversation started on RCJ Community, we're running a 4-week challenge that recognizes the most helpful contributions — not the most popular ones. Runs August 22 through September 19, 2026.

The prize: 10 winners, chosen four ways

Each winner receives 3 months of RCJ Pro, an ⭐ RCJ Community Contributor badge next to their name for 6 months, and a feature in the Daily Brief, the Community homepage, and the RCJ newsletter.

Posts and replies both qualify

A reply can win just as easily as an original post — in Q&A especially, the answer is often more valuable than the question. One great contribution can win. You don't need to post often, and posting volume is not a factor.

What counts as "helpful"

• Share an RHTP implementation lesson or field experience.
• Ask a thoughtful question others are likely struggling with.
• Answer someone else's question with practical, usable information.
• Share insight about an open opportunity, application process, or state implementation.
• Look for — or offer — a meaningful collaboration.
• Share a resource, template, approach, or lesson that helps a rural organization move forward.

Vendor Community Award — a separate $300 prize

If you're affiliated with a vendor in the RCJ Vendor Network, your contribution is also eligible for a separate award: the vendor-affiliated contribution that brings the most useful expertise to the community — answering a question, clarifying a complex topic, sharing an implementation lesson — wins 1 month of Featured Vendor placement, a $300 value. This is judged on usefulness, not promotion, and it stacks with a Top 10 win — one contribution, two awards.

Weekly Community Spotlight

You don't have to wait four weeks for feedback. Every Friday during the challenge, RCJ hand-picks 2–3 useful conversations and features them on the Community homepage and LinkedIn — no separate prize attached, just visibility.

Fair play

Helpful votes are a major factor, not the sole determinant. RCJ may exclude duplicate, promotional, spam, artificially boosted, or low-substance posts from consideration. Vendor participation is welcome — posts should include useful information, a concrete collaboration request, an implementation insight, or an answer to a community question, not just promotion.

Timeline