General Motors is
ignoring one of the cardinal rules of the internet and is asking fans to help
name its upcoming eBike. Through November 26th, the automaker is asking people
to submit their suggestions at a specially designed website called eBikeBrandChallenge.com.
While previously attempts to crowdsource names have ended in spectacularly bad
fashion, you might want to skip on the Bikey McBikeface entries as GM is
actually giving away prizes for the best names.
The winning
submission will get bragging rights as well as US$ 10,000. Nine
finalists will also receive a runner up prize of US$ 1,000. As part
of the contest, fans are being asked to submit a name as well as a “50-100 word creative concept” for the bike. The latter will be pretty important
because the description will be the deciding factor if multiple people enter
the same winning name.
The entries will be
judged on a number of different criteria including everything from being
trademark-able to being meaningful in multiple languages. The company is also
looking for a name that inspires people to choose eBikes as their preferred
method of transportation.
The contest is open
to people in a number of countries including Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands
and the United Kingdom. US citizens are also allowed to enter and so are most
Canadians – except those residing in Quebec. After all the entries are
submitted, GM will judge them internally and select ten finalists. The company
then will determine the best name for the bike and make an official
announcement on January 31st, 2019.
GM didn’t say much
about the ebike, but said it was created as part of their commitment to an
all-electric future. That isn’t much to go on, but the pictures show the bike
is relatively compact and can be folded to easily fit in the back of a vehicle.
The bike also has a headlight and traditional pedals for when you don’t want to
rely on electric power.
