Important Dates
- March 27th: Submission Period Begins
- April 15th: Submission Period Ends
- April 21st: 1st Round Voting Begins
- April 27th: 1st Round Voting Ends
- April 29th: Finalists Announced
- April 29th: Judging Panel Begins
- NEW!May 12th: Winners Announced
The Judges
Ben Affleck
Steve Buscemi
Matt Damon
Donna Edwards
Michael Franti
Adrian Grenier
Ted Hope
Jesse Jackson
Rory Kennedy
John Legend
Lawrence Lessig
Moby
Markos Moulitsas
Tom Ortenberg
Heather Rae
James Schamus
Russell Simmons
DJ Spooky
Ricki Stern
Julia Stiles
Oliver Stone
Annie Sundberg
Eddie Vedder
Naomi Wolf
About Barack Obama
Here's an overview of nine of Barack Obama's most compelling positions, values, and messages to inspire your ads—each backed up with links to read, listen, or watch to learn more.
1. Iraq
Barack Obama was against the Iraq War from the beginning, and has promised he'll begin bringing our troops home as soon as he takes office.
- Read his prescient 2002 antiwar speech.
- See a video made of that speech.
- Read his Iraq policy plan.
- Hear his remarks at MoveOn's 2007 Virtual Town Hall on Iraq.
2. Diplomacy
Barack Obama understands that a foreign policy based on diplomacy, not bullying, is the best way to restore America's image with the world community and renew America's global leadership.
- Read his essay in Foreign Affairs "Renewing America's Leadership".
- Read this Atlantic piece about the symbolic significance of Barack Obama's presidency.
- Read his foreign policy plan.
3. Economy
Barack Obama has a plan to get our economy back on track by ending the war, protecting homeowners, providing middle-class tax relief, and investing in innovation.
- Watch his speech at the GM plant in Janesville, WI.
- Read his economic policy plan.
4. Health care
Barack Obama has pledged to make quality, affordable health care available to every American within his first term.
- Read his health care policy plan.
- Read his health care FAQ (in PDF form).
5. Ethics
Barack Obama seeks to reform government ethics and make Washington more transparent and accountable to its citizens.
- Read about the legislation he passed with Sen. Russ Feingold.
- Read about the "Google For Government" bill he co-sponsored with conservative Sen. Tom Coburn.
- Read his ethics and transparency policy plan.
6. Climate crisis
Barack Obama wants America to become energy independent, take the lead in fighting the climate crisis, and create millions of green jobs in the process.
- Watch his remarks at MoveOn's Virtual Town Hall on climate change.
- Read his energy and environment policy plan.
7. Grassroots
Barack Obama's campaign has been driven by unprecedented grassroots support, bringing hundreds of thousands of new people into the democratic process and attracting more than 1 million donors.
- Check out these amazing youth turnout numbers.
- Watch his victory speech in South Carolina.
8. Postpartisan
Barack Obama has tried to run a different kind of campaign symbolizing a new kind of politics: a unifying politics that rises above partisan bickering.
- Watch his 2004 DNC keynote address.
- Read his first book, Dreams from My Father (more focused on biography).
- Read his second book, The Audacity of Hope (more focused on policy).
9. Themes
Barack Obama has made change the theme of his candidacy, and argued that the choice this year is between the past and the future.
- Watch his announcement speech in Springfield, IL.
- Watch his Jefferson Jackson dinner speech.
- Watch his victory speech in Iowa.
- Watch his speech in New Hampshire.
- Watch his victory speech in South Carolina.