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SustainaFest Tiny House Essay Contest: Deadline July 1!


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Would you like to win a tiny house of your own? SustainaFest, a non-profit organization in Maryland dedicated to sustainable community development, is hosting a tiny house essay contest. The prize is a 210-square foot, $76,000 energy-efficient home. You will love how sleek and modern this house is both outside and inside. It has a solar energy system, a rainwater collection/filtration system, a gourmet kitchen, and more!

To be eligible, you must submit an essay that is no longer than 350 words that answers the question: “What are your keys to living a sustainable lifestyle and how would owning the SustainaFest Tiny House help you realize your dream of living that lifestyle?” You will also need to include a $100.00 entry fee with an additional $5.00 processing fee.

The entries will be evaluated by celebrity judges and tiny house specialists, such as Merete Mueller, award-winning filmmaker of the documentary TINY: A Story About Living Small, and Derek “Deek” Diedrickson, host of HGTV’s Extreme Small Spaces.

SustainaFest Tiny House Essay Contest

SustainaFest Tiny House Essay Contest: Deadline July 1!

Images © SustainaFest/Sidecar Cinema

Tiny house essay contest Minim Tiny Home on Wheels Tiny house 4 Tiny house 5

Images © SustainaFest/Sidecar Cinema

Video: SustainaFest Tiny House Essay Contest

The deadline to enter is 5 pm EST on July 1, 2015—so if you are interested in entering, apply now! To learn more about the contest, see the house, and enter, click here.

You can share this tiny house essay contest with your friends and family for free using the e-mail and social media re-share buttons below. Thanks.

If you enjoyed this tiny house contest you’ll absolutely LOVE our Free Daily Tiny House Newsletter with even more! Thank you!

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Sabrena

Sabrena is a writer and blogger from Los Angeles, California and Tiny House Talk is excited to have her as part of the team to help us share more inspiring tiny homes and simple living stories with you.
{ 21 comments… add one }
  • Anna
    June 30, 2015, 10:27 am

    $76k??? there goes the affordability of the market. there is no need for this type of expense when constructing something of this size. that’s ridiculous.

    • David Feldman
      June 30, 2015, 1:46 pm

      Agreed!

    • Rick
      June 30, 2015, 2:25 pm

      The Sallys are right. A day to complete an essay? Please. What’s a more significant concern are the entry fee and processing fee. $100 to enter plus $5 to process. Again, please. Entrants are partially paying for the tiny house.

  • Darlene Wieliczko
    June 30, 2015, 10:51 am

    I absolutely love everything but I need a real sofa .

  • Max
    June 30, 2015, 12:08 pm

    This seems like a scam. If they get over 750 submissions they make money. They even extended the deadline to show that they are looking for more money to at least break even maybe. To separate out a processing fee wtf?
    The people wanting and deserving these homes don’t have money to be wasting like this in the first place. Celebrity judges? This whole contest is full of red flags and the wrong kind of message for me.

  • Sally Schrock
    June 30, 2015, 12:34 pm

    You’re just now bringing this to our attention the day before the deadline? I’m truly peeved. This doesn’t give me any time to whip up an essay. GRRRRRRR

    • Sally
      June 30, 2015, 12:43 pm

      This Sally agrees! One day’s notice??? >:(

    • Sally
      July 1, 2015, 6:16 am

      Just wondering, should I call myself Old Sally to differentiate, like the Lynnettes? :-O

    • Lynnette
      July 2, 2015, 2:35 am

      Lolol why can’t we have picture icons like some do? My mug isn’t too awfully offensive 😀

  • Judi
    June 30, 2015, 2:57 pm

    Is this a scam for the $100 ? I’ve seen this in CA?

  • kathy coxwell
    June 30, 2015, 4:12 pm

    Oh, so we all have to pay to enter a contest? Ridiculous and with only 24 hours from notification?! I am very interested in Tiny Homes and yours is beautiful but now knowing what a fraud contest u r running I don’t think this is the type of Company I want to do business with. There are plenty of other reputable companies that do not stoop to this type of shenanigans. Good bye.

  • Leeann
    June 30, 2015, 4:50 pm

    In what universe is it a good idea to share this information at such a late date?

    • Alex
      July 1, 2015, 10:35 am

      Sorry Leeann didn’t mean to peeve ya by sharing it so late. I had just found out about it and wanted to give a few people a chance just in case but I get it I wish I had gotten to share it way earlier!

  • Anne
    June 30, 2015, 7:23 pm

    Sorry…this certainly seems like a scam. Entry fee of $100 is ridiculous. Never heard of such a thing except fundraisers. This is a bunch of hooey.

  • Amy
    June 30, 2015, 8:51 pm

    Too many tiny house things cost too much money. Is this about affordable sustainable housing or getting money out of people’s dreams?

  • Varenikje
    June 30, 2015, 10:56 pm

    A long time ago a friend of my mother had (still has, I presume) a son who bought a house in Sacramento, California. I believe they paid $12,000 for it. It was a small house built before “tiny houses” were a buzz. But they worked and cleaned and added to that house and made a happy life for their family there. I am 50 something years old so this was probably about 40 years ago. Sigh. Those were the days (can’t you just hear Archie and Edith singing that song?).

  • Bonnie Marie
    June 30, 2015, 11:54 pm

    I entered the contest today after reading the notice this morning. I love the house and the concept, and the challenge. Good job guys.

    • Varenikje
      July 2, 2015, 3:02 am

      Good luck, Bonnie!

  • Chel
    July 1, 2015, 6:39 am

    This is really a lottery, with the Right Answer causing the judges to choose the winner. It would be more honest to lift names out of the hat.
    Personally, I wouldn’t take part even if I lived in the same country, as I wouldn’t trust the selection process.
    They probably are looking to recoup the cost of the build, but selling prices are normally double cost prices, including labour.
    Alex, you showed this house fairly recently with good reviews. I much preferred that one.

  • Michael
    July 1, 2015, 9:46 pm

    Yeah! What every body else said. I just built a tiny house sized shop. 16′ by 24′ with 9′ ceilings, a full loft 2×10 floor joists on 12″ centers. Fully sheaved, sealed, 100 amp electric, with a real stair, insulated, and air conditioned for less than $15,000. And, I paid a crew to build the shell. I only did the inside finish, insulation an utilities. So that is way over priced. Then to rip folks for a $100 entry? I’d be ashamed.

  • Susanne
    July 3, 2015, 11:34 am

    Truly enjoyed seeing this house as much as I did the first time Alex posted it…kitchen at one end wonderful change to the usual kitchen along the length of the Tiny House with narrow walk space. Pull out bed saves space and no loft ; space directly above hidden bed as office or extra sitting, or storage….or even small bed? 🙂
    But $75,000? 🙁 just as eating healthy, and driving cRs better for the environment, houses with small footprints can be very costly! 🙁
    Wonder how many years staying in my 2,100 square foot house I could stay with costs equal to the costs of this
    Tiny House?

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