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Entry Period Now Open for $10,000 Co-Op Think Prize 14 Competition

Hopefuls Have Until October 15 to Complete On-line Application

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA (August 1, 2013) — The entry period is now open for the CO-OP THINK Prize 14, with entrants having until October 15 to complete their round one application and become eligible for the $10,000 grand prize sponsored by MasterCard.

CO-OP THINK Prize 14 contestants can find complete details and apply here: http://co-opthink.org/think-prize.

“The purpose of the CO-OP THINK Prize competition is to inspire innovative solutions to issues facing the credit union movement,” said Stan Hollen, President/CEO, CO-OP Financial Services. “We encourage everyone to consider entering, for their own professional development, to make their credit unions better, to help our industry, and perhaps to win a nice sum of money.”

The solutions put forward in the competition can take any form – such as an innovative application of technology, a new process for back office efficiency or a fresh approach to industry advertising and marketing. Though the ideas can vary widely, the judging criteria for entries are based on four main standards – impact, creativity, aggregation (the application of the idea across the industry) and implementation (the ability to be adopted).

For CO-OP THINK Prize 14, red letter dates are:

Oct. 15, 2013. Deadline to complete an on-line entry application.
Nov. 15, 2013. Semi-finalists will be notified, and invited to produce a detailed business plan, on or about this date.
Dec. 18, 2013. Semi-finalist business plans are due.
Feb. 15, 2014. A total of three finalists will be notified on or about this date.
May 19-22, 2014. The CO-OP THINK Prize 14 winner is announced at the THINK 14 Conference in New Orleans, La.

The CO-OP THINK Prize winner is awarded $10,000. The money goes to the individual entrant, who may use it toward executing their idea, though they are not obligated to do so.

The 25 semi-finalists and then the three finalists are selected by judges from CO-OP Financial Services and an industry panel.

For more information, visit: http://co-opthink.org/think-prize.

About CO-OP Financial Services
Based in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., and founded in 1981, CO-OP Financial Services is the nation’s largest credit union service organization in terms of number of credit unions, assets and members. The company helps credit unions thrive by providing products and services that make it more convenient for members to do business with them. With a motto of “Be There. Be More,” CO-OP’s products fall into three business lines, including “Locations,” (ATM, shared branching and call center services); “Card Payments” (debit and credit processing) and “Mobile/Virtual” (mobile, online, check imaging, bill pay services). To learn more visit www.co-opfs.org.