Today we are happy to announce the first crowdsourced marketing project Steemit Inc. will be officially supporting! For the past few months we have been conducting our due diligence and conferring with the various people working on marketing projects. Lots of great people are working on lots of great things, but the project we have selected has the right combination of ambition, support, and return-on-investment. It’s also going live *very* soon. 

<h1>And the Winner is: STEEM PARK</h1>

<h1>https://steemitimages.com/0x0/https://steemitimages.com/DQmbxmh5BdbCw5jcGJ2eAT2LKF8WvjX2UrwT9hgbkmq572M/170625_HvKP-Render.jpg</h1>

The project Steemit will be supporting was proposed by the users @voronoi and @hansikhouse, two co-founders of the collective @hitheryon. That’s right, Steem Park is now OFFICIAL!

Michael and Kirk posted their proposal according to the guidelines set forth in our <a href="https://steemit.com/steemit/@steemitblog/crowdsourced-marketing-protocol-ideas-proposals-projects">Crowdsourced Marketing Protocol</a> two months ago and have been diligently at work moving the idea forward ever since. They are a fantastic example of the kind of creativity and ambition we are looking for from crowdsourced marketing efforts. If you're interested in launching your own effort, feel free to use their <a href="https://steemit.com/growth-projects/@hitheryon/project-power-up-your-neighborhood-introducing-sandbox">original post as a guide</a>.

<h2>Michael and Kirk</h2>

https://youtu.be/cUuTTe6E_aM

Kirk Finkel is a New York based architect and urban designer. His work focuses on environmentally collaborative design as it applies within a wide scope of master-planning to experiments of art and representation. Recent publications include Spatial Strategies for Manyatta and Alternative Futures For New Rochelle with the Urban Design Lab. He earned a Master’s degree in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University and a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Cornell University. Finkel currently practices as a designer at Cooper Robertson & Partners in New York City.

Michael S. Lee is a Korean-American architect and cultural programmer. Lee's work examines the cultural intimacy of a built environment with the individual. His involvement in social interventionist practice includes acting as a design researcher in the EXUMA lab, visiting lecturer at the Boston Green Academy, and collaboration with mARTadero for urban action in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Lee graduated with a Masters in Design Studies at Harvard University and a Bachelor of Architecture from Cornell University. Currently, Lee is a principal of the cultural development firm Base 15 Studio. Sample work at <a href="www.mikeslee.com">www.mikeslee.com</a> and <a href="www.base15studio.com">www.base15studio.com</a>. 

<h1>What is Steem Park?</h1>

“Steem Park” is an interactive community garden in the heart of Brooklyn, New York. Located within the historic Herbert von King Park: Steem Park is a pop-up installation that will be used to host Steemit and Steem meetups, local community events, workshops and dozens of activities throughout the year. Click <a href="https://steemit.com/growth-projects/@hitheryon/sandbox-site-herbert-von-king-park-history
">here to learn more about this historic hotspot of the community.</a> 

<h2>Steem Park is Coming This Summer!</h2>

Steem Park will be unveiled on July 16th! But Mike and Kirk are still accepting donations to help make the project even better.  All donations will go towards further development of the opening ceremony, public workshops, and overall quality of the project! You can also show your support by heading over to their @hitheryon blog, checking out their latest posts about Steem Park and giving them your upvote.

https://steemitimages.com/0x0/https://steemitimages.com/0x0/https://steemitimages.com/DQmPtZRSJxjCRVNWFvgKUVRuWKcChcNyVmmSTAW5PWPR1JQ/Steem-Park_Images-01.png
 
<h1>What Are We Giving?</h1>

We will be awarding Mike and Kirk $10,000! This will only account for a fraction of the costs of Steem Park. Kirk and Mike have been diligently posting to Steemit.com to fund the project and are applying for grants which should enable them to build a beautiful and permanent installation. This does not preclude us from giving and donating more in the future, but Mike and Kirk are being very impactful and conservative with their finances which makes this gift an easy investment for us to make, especially given what we are getting in return.

<h1>What Are We (the Steemit Community) Getting?</h1>

A pop-up Park called “Steem Park” located within the Herbert von King Park in New York, NY
- Large “Welcome to Steem Park” Bench ​
- Physical furniture and signage within Steem Park which mentions “Steemit” a minimum of 21 times: 
 A minimum of 16 QR code links in the park with links to Steemit.com pages and profiles (linking to sponsor profiles and signup page)
- 4 weekend public events (minimum) hosted at Steem Park: 
 Steem Park Opening Event (TBD July 2017)
 Artist Talk by @hitheryon (Discussing Steemit and the process of crowdfunding) and Herbert von King Park History Tour with HvK Conservancy 
 2 Steemit Summer Meetups / Workshops including an Introduction to Steemit (to be held both outdoor and the indoor community space at Herbert von King Park)

<h1>Crowdsourced Marketing in Action</h1>

Another reason we are funding this project is because we believe it exemplifies what we were hoping to encourage with our <a href=”https://steemit.com/steemit/@steemitblog/crowdsourced-marketing-protocol-ideas-proposals-projects”>Crowdsourced Marketing Protocol</a>. Mike and Kirk followed the protocol, developed their project, and are giving us the opportunity to help them bring it home! If anyone wants our support, we can’t find a better model to follow than theirs!

<h1>Congratulations Michael and Kirk!</h1>

We believe that the value that will accrue to the Steem Ecosystem by supporting this project is incalculable. The public relations and marketing potential alone are difficult to calculate, not just because of the press we expect to result from the events themselves, but because hundreds of people will be seeing Steem Park *every day*. For this reason we couldn’t be happier to make this gift to @voronoi and @hansikhouse. They’ve worked incredibly hard over the last few months to put this project together, demonstrate its value to us, and we couldn’t be more impressed. Great job!

- *Team Steemit*