REDWOOD CITY, California, September 18 /PRNewswire/ --

How can we begin to reverse the devastating effects of childhood obesity?
Start a movement. HopeLab today announced the launch of Ruckus Nation, an
international online idea competition to get kids moving. People of all ages
are invited to submit ideas for new products that will increase physical
activity in kids. More than US$300,000 in prizes will be awarded, including a
grand prize of more than US$75,000.

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Why Raise a Ruckus?

Research shows that physical activity can help address poor health
outcomes associated with childhood obesity. In addition, physical activity is
associated with better mental and physical health. With this in mind, the
goal of Ruckus Nation is to find great ideas for fun, engaging new products
that will increase physical activity among middle school-aged kids (ages 11
to 14).

Can a Competition Make a Difference?

"Ruckus Nation is catalytic. Great ideas will be transformed into real
products that get kids moving," said HopeLab President Pat Christen.
"Experience tells us that combining great ideas with top-notch research leads
to innovative solutions."

HopeLab will develop one or more of the winning ideas from Ruckus Nation
into prototypes that can be tested to determine their effectiveness.
Successful prototypes will be turned into real products and distributed
broadly.

Chinwe Onyekere, Program Officer of the Pioneer Portfolio of Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation, which is co-sponsoring Ruckus Nation, explained, "The
Pioneer Portfolio supports innovative ideas and projects like Ruckus Nation
that may lead to important breakthroughs in health and health care. This
online competition throws the search wide open for dynamic new products that
kids will like and use to be more physically active."

Competition Details

Competition entry requirements, rules and judging criteria are available
at http://www.ruckusnation.com. Prizes will be awarded to contestants in four
categories -- middle school, high school, college and other. Participants
(teams of one to six individuals) must register no later than October 15,
2007; registration is limited to 1,000 teams. Registered contestants must
submit their ideas online no later than November 20, 2007. Entries must be
submitted in English. Semifinalists will be announced in February 2008;
category winners and one grand prize winner will be announced at an event in
March 2008.

About HopeLab

HopeLab, founded in 2001 by Pamela Omidyar, is a non-profit organization
committed to combining rigorous research with innovative solutions to improve
the health and quality of life of young people with chronic illness. HopeLab
introduced its first product, the Re-Mission video game for adolescents and
young adults with cancer, in 2006. Re-Mission was developed with the input of
young people with cancer and was shown in a randomized, controlled research
trial to improve key health outcomes among young people with cancer who
played the game. HopeLab is now applying its customer-focused, research-based
approach to develop new interventions for young people suffering from chronic
illness. For more information, visit http://www.hopelab.org.

About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and
health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy
devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans,
the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to
identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change.
The Foundation's Pioneer Portfolio supports innovative ideas and projects
that may trigger important breakthroughs in health and health care. Projects
in the Pioneer Portfolio are typically future-oriented and look beyond
conventional thinking to explore solutions at the cutting edge of health and
health care. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get
the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your
lifetime. For more information, visit http://www.rwjf.org.

Web site: http://www.hopelab.org
              http://www.ruckusnation.com
              http://www.rwjf.org