### Communication is crucial to a successful wellness program. 
Fortunately, MoveSpring makes communication easy to manage, from announcements to [chat](http://help.movespring.com/en/articles/2961997-should-i-enable-chat) and [content](http://help.movespring.com/en/articles/1868596-upload-and-manage-content-within-the-content-module)! In this blog post, we’ll be highlighting how to creatively use the [announcements feature](http://help.movespring.com/en/articles/3854206-how-to-use-the-announcements-feature) throughout your wellness program. 

## Why do we love announcements?

Announcements take up valuable real estate on the MoveSpring dashboard, placing relevant information right in your employees' hands. Push notifications ensure no one misses an important update, and adding an optional call to action makes announcements flexible and interactive.

![MoveSpring dashboard - img 1.png](https://res.cloudinary.com/movespring/image/upload/v1647449787/blog/Move_Spring_dashboard_img_1_73c2e4cdf8.png)

### Customize announcements to fit your every need

To access announcements in the admin center, select Campaigns from the top navigation bar and make sure you’re viewing the [Announcements tab](https://admin.movespring.com/campaigns/announcements). 

All announcements in MoveSpring require a title and description. Beyond that, you can fully customize your announcement to fit your needs! Choose to include an image and a custom call to action directing users to a URL. Then, select your recipients and include an optional push notification to alert users through the app.

![program tip GIF.gif](https://res.cloudinary.com/movespring/image/upload/v1647449787/blog/program_tip_GIF_100e459cb4.gif)

You can also schedule out your announcements in advance to save time later! Learn more about creating and scheduling announcements [here](http://help.movespring.com/en/articles/3854206-how-to-use-the-announcements-feature).

## Getting creative with announcements

The announcements feature is fully customizable, which means you can get creative with your communications! We’ve highlighted our best recommendations for using announcements below to help you make the most of the feature.

### Give challenge updates & reminders

Ready to announce a new challenge, or hoping to drum up some excitement during the final week of your event? Announcements are a great resource. You can send announcements to all users in your account or just to your challenge participants depending on what you’re sharing. 

In addition to building the hype for your challenge, remember to also use announcements as a tool to remind users to join teams, sync, or set a personalized goal. Access announcement templates for sharing challenge updates [here](http://help.movespring.com/en/articles/4270417-announcement-templates-for-challenge-updates-and-new-features#h_56819e1b44).

### Share company reminders

Remind your employees of important dates and reminders for your wellness program and related benefits, such as when to get your free on-site flu vaccination or where to complete your health risk assessment (HRA).

### Encourage employees

Looking for a fun way to check-in with employees? Create an announcement highlighting users who have been going above and beyond! If you don’t have an active challenge, shoutout employees who have been moving the greatest distance over the past week, or call out the most improved users in your account over the past month. This information can be accessed through [Reporting](http://help.movespring.com/en/articles/1828030-how-to-pull-a-report). Access templates to help inspire your user shoutouts [here](http://help.movespring.com/en/articles/5728686-announcement-templates-for-user-stat-shoutouts).

![program tip img 3.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/movespring/image/upload/v1647449787/blog/program_tip_img_3_571d0a8cef.jpg)

### Educate employees

Use announcements as a way to educate your employees on relevant wellness topics, such as sleep or nutrition. Employees will benefit from the reminder to prioritize their health. Access general health and wellness engagement announcement templates [here](http://help.movespring.com/en/articles/5728666-announcement-templates-for-general-wellness-engagement).

### Celebrate events and holidays

Sharing timely reminders related to events and holidays is a simple way to engage employees throughout the year. Provide tips related to building healthy habits around New Year’s or remind employees to take care of their hearts in February for American Heart Health month. Access seasonal announcement templates [here](http://help.movespring.com/en/articles/5811542-announcement-templates-for-seasonal-events-holidays).

### Highlight features

Another great use of announcements is to highlight MoveSpring features to encourage usage. For example, you may have enabled [user created challenges](http://help.movespring.com/en/articles/3028113-should-i-enable-user-created-challenges), but employees may not be aware that this feature is available to them. To help build excitement and encourage usage, send a quick message sharing that the feature is live! Access announcement templates to highlight new features [here](http://help.movespring.com/en/articles/4270417-announcement-templates-for-challenge-updates-and-new-features#h_d0aaaa02ae).

### Gather user feedback

Announcements can also be used collect user feedback. Send out a short survey link via the custom Call to Action button. You can gauge employee satisfaction with your wellness programming, poll participants on what they’d like to see next, and more.

## Ready to get started? Use our announcement templates as inspiration:

[Announcement Templates for Challenge Updates and New Features](http://help.movespring.com/en/articles/4270417-announcement-templates-for-challenge-updates-and-new-features)

[Announcement Templates for General Wellness Engagement](http://help.movespring.com/en/articles/5728666-announcement-templates-to-promote-wellness-topics)

[Announcement Templates for User Stat Shoutouts](http://help.movespring.com/en/articles/5728686-announcement-templates-for-user-stat-shoutouts)

[Announcement Templates for Seasonal Engagement](http://help.movespring.com/en/articles/5811542-announcement-templates-for-seasonal-events-holidays)

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Get creative with announcements

## Sometimes coming up with a name is the hardest part of creating a step challenge.

Picture this: You’ve planned your step challenge dates, you know the challenge modes you want to run, and you’ve even thought through the content you want to post in your challenge. You’re all ready to create your challenge except for one small detail: your step challenge still needs a name!

Here at MoveSpring, we aim to make the challenge admin’s life as simple as possible. Our Admin Center is a user-friendly way to manage your client account. Our [Help Center](http://help.movespring.com/en/collections/854648-admin-resources) provides tons of great resources and tips for guidance. Also, we’ve got the best support team (okay we may be biased) that can step in when more help is needed.

In addition to all of these resources, we continue to look for new ways to help you, as an admin, create a successful and engaging step challenge. We recently received a request for challenge name inspiration; your wish, our command. We’ve got you covered with some great challenge names that will knock your users’ socks off!

## Follow our definitive guide for creative challenge names

![Challenge names - img 1 v2.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/movespring/image/upload/v1644259515/blog/Challenge_names_img_1_v2_920cf813c5.jpg)

### Tip Number 1: Use Alliteration

Alliteration can be an easy way to make a challenge name more fun! For instance, Get Moving with MoveSpring, Stridekick Super Streak, Walgreens Walk-a-thon, or Journey with Jewel are just a few examples. Try using fun, action words like race or zoom and combining them with your organization name or the dates of your challenge to find something that works for your group.

### Tip Number 2: Draw Inspiration from Your Organization

Draw inspiration from your organization. For instance, if your organization is an animal hospital, have fun with some animal-themed names.

- Take a Walk on the Wild Side
- Get Meow-ving with MoveSpring
- Purr-fect Pacers
- The Doggy-Dash
- Paw Patrol
- Puppy Marchers
- The Funny Bones
- Dawg Pound

### Tip Number 3: Think about the Time of Year

![Challenge names - img 1.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/movespring/image/upload/v1644258866/blog/Challenge_names_img_1_423f374655.jpg)

There are lots of ways you can use the time of year to name your challenge. We’ve come up with this list to start you off, but feel free to get creative with a particular season or month to inspire your challenge name.

#### January Challenge Names

- Step into the New Year
- January Journey
- January Jammin’
- January Jostle
- Press Pause on Your Pint (Dry January)

#### February Challenge Names

- Cupid Shuffle
- February Fitness
- Fit Fab Feb
- Get Fit for Feb

#### March Challenge Names

- March to Fitness
- March Madness
- Strides of March
- Spring Sprint
- Step into Spring
- Spring Forward
- Shamrock Shuffle

#### April Challenge Names

- Adventure through April
- Active April
- April Acceleration

#### May Challenge Names

- May Muscle Hustle
- May-rathon
- Movin’ May

#### June Challenge Names

- Jump Start June
- Summer Stepping
- Sand-Sational
- Summer Strides

#### July Challenge Names

- Jump into July
- Jog into July
- Just Do It July
- Summer Shuffle

#### August Challenge Names

- Athletic August
- Walking on Sunshine
- Summer Days
- A Slice of Summer

#### September Challenge Names

- STEPtember
- September Steps
- September Strides
- Falling into Fitness

#### October Challenge Names

- WALKtober
- Halloween Hustle
- Skele-fun Run

#### November Challenge Names

- Turkey Trot
- Fall into Fitness
- MOVEvember

#### December Challenge Names

- The Reindeer Games
- Holiday Hustle
- Winter Winners
- December Dash

### Tip Number 4: Let your Challenge Mode Inspire Your Name

If you know what challenge mode you want to use, you can use that particular mode to inspire your challenge. For example, if you know you want to use a leaderboard mode, you can name your challenge Follow the Leaderboard or Race to the Top (of the Leaderboard). For a Virtual Race, you could name your challenge Trot Across the Globe or Journey through January. For a Stick to It challenge, try Daily Dash or for a weekend-long streak challenge, use It’s the Streaking Weekend.

### Tip Number 5: Stay on Theme

Remember that your goal for this challenge is to get people moving, so use that to your advantage when naming your challenge. You can keep your challenge name on theme by incorporating action-oriented words like step, sprint, move, stride, or walk into your challenge name. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

- One Step at a Time
- One Step Ahead
- One Small Step for Man, One Giant Leap for (Your Company)
- Let’s Get Moving with (Your Company)
- Sprint for Success with (Your Company)
- Diving into Wellness with (Your Company)
- Walk for Wellness
- Walking towards a Healthier Lifestyle

### Tip Number 6: Use Running Team Names for Inspiration

![Challenge names - img 3.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/movespring/image/upload/v1644258866/blog/Challenge_names_img_3_ba10f12d29.jpg)


Another great way to come up with a fun challenge name is to do a quick search for “running team names.” You’ll find some great options there, including We're Making Great Strides, Legs Miserables, Cirque Du Sore Legs, Scrambled Legs, Not Fast But Furious, and Easier Said Than Run. If you don’t end up using these challenge names, you can also use them for naming teams in a Team Leaderboard challenge!

### Tip Number 7: Let Our Challenge and Team Names Inspire Yours

At MoveSpring, we’re always coming up with new team names for our own company challenges! Take a look at some of our most recent team names below for ideas for your next challenge.

March into wellness this spring with team names that are sure to grow on you:  

- Spring Forces
- Cherry Blossoms
- Working Bees
- Crazy Daisies

Make a big splash this summer with these cool team names:

- Tropic Like it’s Hot
- Hot Shots
- Seaside Treasures
- HydroHomies

Here are some Halloween-themed team names that are truly bewitching:

- We're Horror-ble
- Scream Team
- Squad Ghouls
- Toil & Trouble
- Hotel Fit-sylvania
- Cereal Killers
- The Boo Crew
- Monsters Inc.

Keep the fun going this November with these Thanksgiving-themed team names:

- The Galloped Potatoes
- Can't Stop This Gravy Train
- Green Bean Casserole Machine
- Will Run For Pumpkin
- The Gravy Gang
- The Angry Birds
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turkeys
- Gobble Gobble, Run and Wobble

This December, keep things festive with some Holiday-themed team names:

- Jingle Joggers
- Tinsel Toes
- Little Saint Quick
- Run Run Reindeer
- The Slay Bells
- Polar Express
- Silent Knights
- Candy Canes
- The Nice List
- The Naughty List
- Santas Little Helpers
- Santas Little Trotters

### Tip Number 8: Set Your Challenge Up For Success

Last but not least, remember that your challenge isn’t successful on it’s name alone! It’s most important to create a challenge that’s engaging for your users and inspires them to get moving. Taking the time to craft a challenge that will encourage participation and some friendly competition along the way will ultimately bring the greatest reward.

To learn more about creating a successful and engaging challenge, check out our MoveSpring [Playbook](https://movespring.com/resources/playbook) for visual, step-by-step guidance and tactical ideas for your challenge from our team of experts and [this blog post](https://movespring.com/blog/focus-on-engagement-in-your-wellness-program-5c7a01d25ced0b51dd83d71e) for tips on engagement in your challenge.

### Special Edition: Remote Working and COVID-19 Themed Step Challenge Names

![Challenge names - img 4.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/movespring/image/upload/v1644259369/blog/Challenge_names_img_4_ba8a99adcf.jpg)

#### Challenge Names

*   Brighten your mood with gratitude!
*   Let’s stick together–yeah, yeah, yeah!
*   Hibernation Health Nuts
*   Digital Nomads: Work around the globe!
*   We’re all in this together!
*   United We Step
*   Walking on Sunshine & Sanitizer
*   Between a walk and a hard pace
*   Stepping from a Distance
*   Happy & Healthy Together
*   Keepin' it together, from afar
*   Stepping for a better tomorrow
*   Can't catch us!
*   Social Distancing, but Stepping Together

#### Team Names 

*   Netflix and Chill
*   Book Clubbers
*   Movie Buffs
*   Lego Masters
*   Yogi Bears
*   Personal Chefs
*   Master Crafters
*   Masked Steppers
*   Sanitary Steppers
*   Pandemic Pros
*   Vivacious not Infectious
*   Wiping Away Competition
*   Can't Contain These Steps
*   Going the Social Distance
*   Corona Crushers
*   Quarantine Quilters
*   Confined Cardio Queens

Check out our list of remote working and COVID-friendly employee health challenges [here](https://movespring.com/blog/health-fitness-challenges-for-remote-workforce-5e73b493f1a2760008a32bac).

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It’s all in the name: creative step challenge names

So you've decided to run a corporate step challenge and need some great prize ideas to go along with it. You've come to the right place! 

We'll be covering 70 prize ideas for any budget to help you find the right rewards for your company step challenge.  Incentivizing with rewards and prizes is a great way to motivate your participants to do their best and have some fun.

After years of running challenges for companies of all sizes at MoveSpring, we've discovered 4 key points about rewarding and employee recognition:

 - Rewards can help to drive engagement.
 - Rewards work best when they are customized & thoughtful.
 - Rewards should be available to more than just the top steppers.
 - Rewards can fit any budget!

Rewards are a cornerstone of a successful wellness program and can incentivize habit change and health engagement. While the saying goes "cash is king", prizes actually work best when they're uniquely curated to your challenge theme or organization itself! When you take the time to reward participants based on their interests and goals, it helps to foster appreciation between employer and employees. 

If you're feeling worried that you don't have a large budget to spend on prizes, no sweat! You can show recognition to your participants with any budget. Really!

![prize-ideas-4.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/movespring/image/upload/v1634073064/blog/prize_ideas_4_00d8246f7a.jpg)

In this blog post, we'll be covering creative ways to reward your participants that go beyond recognizing top steppers. In addition, you'll find our favorite 70 prize ideas for a corporate step challenge broken down by category and budget.

If you're ready to create a reward strategy for your challenge that ensures participants are engaged, excited, and ultimately more active, read on!


## Rewards: The Basics


Let's start off with the basics. When creating a reward strategy for your company step challenge, you'll want to decide on a couple of key points upfront:

### What's your overall budget & how many prizes will you be offering?

Budget is a big thing to consider starting out. By identifying your total allocated budget, you'll be better prepared to figure out what kinds of prizes you can offer for your step challenge!  If you're only running one challenge, we recommend offering around 5-10 different prizes for participants to win. If you're running company step challenges often, 2-3 prizes should be enough per challenge to keep competition and excitement high. Keep in mind, prize number recommendations might vary based on the size of your organization.

With the prizes we've listed below, we're sure you'll find some great options, no matter what your budget may be.

### How will you structure your rewards strategy?

Next, you'll want to decide how you'll structure your rewards strategy. Rewards can be based on the entire duration of the challenge, or you can make users eligible for different rewards weekly for more fun! 

For example, include smaller weekly prizes for participants who average a certain amount of steps. Then, announce the grand prizes after the challenge ends based on total challenge stats. Participants will have something to look forward to every week!

Looking for an extra-exciting option? Create a raffle where participants become eligible for entry when they meet certain challenge goals or maintain activity averages. This keeps anticipation high and ensures everyone has a chance to win while they're crushing their goals. 

### How will your participants qualify for prizes?

Finally, you'll want to determine exactly how participants qualify for prizes. While you may feel tempted to reward the top steppers on the Leaderboard, this method can be a bit disheartening! You may inadvertently discourage other participants who are trying their best, but ultimately can't compete with your most athletic employees. After all, the goal is to be inclusive and reward everyone who is working hard to be engaged and more active!

There are many ways to recognize participants that go beyond just recognizing your top steppers. We recommend giving participants a few different ways to earn a reward to diversify your reward strategy. The more ways they have to participate and engage, the more chances they have to win! 

![prize-ideas-7.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/movespring/image/upload/v1634073218/blog/prize_ideas_7_194582cd94.jpg)


## Ways to Reward Participants

Below, you'll find four ways to reward your participants creatively, whether you're using the MoveSpring platform or not:

### **Achievement**

Reward top-stepping participants as one part of your overall reward strategy. We also recommend recognizing users who are most improved over the course of the challenge. Additionally, you can recognize participants who made new personal records (like most activity in one day)!

**For example, reward a few users who are most improved from weeks 1-2 to weeks 3-4 with PTO half day passes.**

*💡The Leaderboard, Journey, and Target modes on MoveSpring are ideal to measure individual achievement.*

### **Teamwork**

Reward winning teams in competitive challenges or celebrate goal completion in collaborative challenges.

**For example, reward the team with the highest average steps with a team pizza party.**

*💡Try the Team Leaderboard, Group Journey, Group Target, or Group Target Fundraiser modes on MoveSpring to recognize teamwork.*

### **Consistency**

Reward participants who consistently meet their activity goals over time. Those who average a certain number of steps, distance, or active minutes throughout the duration of the challenge become eligible for prizes.

**For example, create a raffle to reward users who maintain a 5k step average for 30 days with a $20 gift card to a local grocer.**

*💡The Streak & Stick to It modes in MoveSpring are a great way to measure consistency and stay on top of your goals.*

### **Participation & Engagement**

Reward participants for joining the challenge and actively syncing. With the help of MoveSpring admin reports, you can also recognize those who engage with the app, content, or chat on a regular basis.

**For example, reward the most engaged user in the MoveSpring app with a healthy snack box.**

*💡With MoveSpring’s Engagement Reports, you’ll have access to engagement stats from the MoveSpring Admin Center.*


## Reward Ideas for Any Budget

Now that you've got your reward strategy basics down, let's get to the fun part: prizes! 

Sure, we all love an Amazon gift card, but there are plenty of other outside-of-the-box prize options for you to choose from as well. We recommend tailoring your rewards specifically to your challenge theme or your employees' goals and interests. Your employees will appreciate the personal touch, and they'll be more motivated to engage with your challenge and ultimately their health.

Our favorite 70 prize ideas are broken down into five main reward categories: wellness prizes, prizes beyond wellness, experiences, corporate benefits, and recognition. Each category has options for any budget; the opportunities to get challenge participants pumped are endless!

### Budget Key:

🆓 ($0 per participant)

💲 ($1-$50 per participant)

💲💲 ($51-$100 per participant)

💲💲💲 ($101+ per participant)

---

## **Wellness Prizes**

![prize-ideas-1.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/movespring/image/upload/v1634073340/blog/prize_ideas_1_3f9efda559.jpg)

*This is a fitness challenge after all! Your participants will feel motivated to keep up the investment in their health and wellbeing with these wellness-themed rewards.*

### 💲

**1** Yoga mats  

**2** Workout equipment (for example: weights, resistance bands, or foam rollers)  

**3** Mini desk humidifier  

**4** Insulated water bottles  



### 💲💲

**5** Healthy snack boxes  

**6** SodaStream machines  

**7** Corporate care packages 

**8** Blender or smoothie-maker  

**9** Light therapy desk lamps  


### 💲💲💲

**10** Free workout or personal training passes  

**11** Bikes  

**12** Standing desks or ergonomic chairs  

**13** Weighted blankets  

**14** White-noise sleep sound machine  


### 💲 -💲💲💲

**15** Subscriptions to health & wellness apps (for example: Headspace, Calm, or Noom)  

**16** Food kit subscriptions (for example: Blue Apron, HelloFresh or Daily Harvest)  

**17** Gym memberships or fitness subscriptions  

**18** Fitness trackers  


---

## **Prizes Beyond Wellness**

![prize-ideas-6.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/movespring/image/upload/v1634073384/blog/prize_ideas_6_7f16b97dec.jpg)

*There are endless options of prizes beyond wellness that you can purchase for your participants! Go with the theme of your challenge or something unique to your organization. By customizing, you'll get folks excited to participate in future challenges!*

### 💲

**19** Company swag (Go with practical options! For example: Water bottles, shirts, hoodies, coffee cups, Moleskin notebooks, or backpacks)  

**20** Sunglasses  

**21** Small potted plants or flowers  

**22** Golf umbrellas  

**23** Scratch-off tickets  

**24** Dry cleaning gift certificates  

**25** Gourmet olive oil or spice sets  

**26** Books  

**27** Paid subscriptions to media (for example: The New York Times, New York Magazine, Tech Crunch, or Audible)  

**28** Adjustable laptop stands  


### 💲💲

**29** Themed gift baskets  

**30** Kindles  

**31** Coolers  

**32** Upgraded office supplies (For example: a new keyboard, mouse, monitor, or speakers)  

**33** Air Fryers  

**34** Outdoor hammocks  


### 💲 -💲💲💲

**35** Gift cards (For example: large retailers or grocery stores. Support your local businesses by opting for gift cards to local shops, restaurants, or cafés)  

**36** Tech (For example: headphones, portable charging batteries, Bluetooth speakers, instant cameras, or tablets)  


---

## **Experiences**

![prize-ideas-5.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/movespring/image/upload/v1634073419/blog/prize_ideas_5_5db11222d4.jpg)

*Delight your participants with more than just "stuff"; give them an experience they'll never forget! Experiences can be especially effective in team challenges as an additional team-building exercise that's sure to be a good time.*

### 🆓

**37** Host a potluck  

**38** Host a spirit day. Pick a fun theme like costumes, sport jerseys, or fun socks!  


### 💲

**39** Catered/ food truck team lunch (if you have a remote team, try offering delivered lunches via a courier service like Postmates or Uber Eats)  

**40** Host an office party or picnic!  


### 💲💲

**41** Professional development courses (For example: LinkedIn Learning)  

**42** Cooking class passes  

**43** Museum or art exhibit tickets  


### 💲💲💲

**44** Local boat cruise tickets  

**45** Food or brewery/winery tours  


### 💲 -💲💲💲

**46** Spa experience certificates (For example: massages, facials, or manicures/pedicures)  

**47** Local event tickets (For example: concerts, festivals, movies, or sporting events)  

**48** Airbnb experiences  


---

## **Corporate Benefits**

![prize-ideas-3.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/movespring/image/upload/v1634073457/blog/prize_ideas_3_2d29b3f2e4.jpg)

*If your company offers benefits to employees, why not include those options to reward your challenge participants? A practical solution that is sure to be exciting.*

### 🆓

**49** PTO day pass  

**50** One-on-one mentoring with a fellow employee  


### 💲 -💲💲💲

**51** Company stock  

**52** Student loan contribution  

**53** Transit benefits (For example: Uber/Lyft credit or credit towards local public transportation)  

**54** Session with a financial advisor  

**55** Pay one month of a utility bill  

**56** Donate to a charity of your participant's choice on their behalf  

**57** Bike share credits  

**58** Subsidize one month of health insurance premiums  

**59** HSA contribution  

**60** One-time monetary bonus  


---

## **Recognition**

![prize-ideas-2.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/movespring/image/upload/v1634073491/blog/prize_ideas_2_8aa61c658a.jpg)

*You don't always have to shop or spend for the perfect reward! Leverage existing resources or individuals in your organization to recognize participants uniquely.*

### 🆓

**61** Feature in a company newsletter or signage around the office  

**62** Standing ovation during a meeting  

**63** Entry into an employee hall of fame  

**64** Temporarily re-name a conference room (or something else in your office) after the participant for bragging rights  

**65** Video shout-out or handwritten note by CEO or other company executive  

**66** Extra long lunch pass  

**67** Create a custom Slack emoji with a company-wide shoutout  

**68** Give a professional endorsement on LinkedIn  


### 💲 -💲💲💲

**69** Dinner with the CEO or other company executive  

**70** Order a Cameo of someone famous in your industry (or a favorite celebrity)  


---

So there you have it! The most important rule is to have fun with creating your rewards strategy and give it a personalized touch. We're certain your fitness challenge participants will appreciate the uniqueness you've added to the experience. Aside from bragging rights, they'll sure have a lot more to brag about. 😉 Happy Stepping!


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70 Prize Ideas for a Corporate Step Challenge

Workplace wellness is having a moment in the spotlight. The pandemic turned the world on its head and gave companies a chance to rethink how they operate. It also gave employees time to consider what benefits they value and desire in their place of work. Employees increasingly expect more than gym stipends and the occasional fitness class from their employers. This is especially true as more companies shift to fully or partially remote work. Employees are looking to their companies to go the extra mile and offer encompassing benefits that support their physical, mental, and social wellbeing.

If you're not offering wellness programming as a benefit, you're missing the boat! According to [SHRM](https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/benefits/pages/employers-broaden-wellness-and-well-being-programs.aspx), around 80% of employers now offer wellness programs as part of employee benefits.  Corporate wellness programs are increasingly becoming an expectation. 

If you're looking to recruit and retain your top quality workforce, [wellness programs](https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/worksite-pa/index.htm) are an essential tool in your toolbox. In addition to helping your employees be healthier, wellness programs ideally also offer opportunities for fun competition. They can help combat employee loneliness in a remote or hybrid workforce by creating [meaningful social interaction amongst employees](https://www.forbes.com/sites/alankohll/2018/07/30/your-employee-engagement-strategy-needs-more-wellness/?sh=2d470c9842b5).

We recommend incorporating physical activity in your wellness program by starting off with a classic: the step challenge!

## What is a step challenge?
![success-1.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/movespring/image/upload/v1634227657/blog/success_1_16dbcfd189.jpg)

A step challenge tracks participants' daily step totals over a set period of time. Users typically track their steps using a wearable fitness device or the built-in step tracker on their smartphone. There are lots of different ways to set up a step challenge! For example, participants can compete to earn the most steps and top the leaderboard. Or, they can build a streak by reaching a minimum number of steps each day. Regardless of how you set up a step challenge, it can help get your employees moving!

Walking has [proven health benefits](https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/walking/art-20046261), and has been shown to [help reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1470658/). It is accessible to almost everyone, and users of various fitness levels can join in. Folks with limited mobility can [convert other activities](http://help.movespring.com/en/articles/2056408-how-to-convert-non-stepping-activities-to-steps-and-manually-add-them-into-movespring), such as using a wheelchair or swimming, into steps. Step challenges are easy to join and require almost zero equipment or expertise. With such a low barrier to entry, no one will be left on the sidelines and everyone can reap the benefits of moving!

Step challenges also naturally build community. Participants can encourage each other and compete against each other, share pictures of their walks, and chat about how the challenge is going. Running a company step challenge can help bring your workplace together with fun competition!

### Why should I run an office step challenge?

At MoveSpring, we believe in making fitness fun for everyone. A company step challenge, done well, does just that! It's engaging, it helps employees be healthier, and it creates community.

[Research from Gallup](https://www.gallup.com/workplace/236483/enhances-benefits-employee-engagement.aspx) has found that engagement and wellbeing are the two most important factors influencing employee performance. **An office step challenge is the go-to strategy for tying employee engagement and wellness together.** It builds relationships between employees and gets them moving at their own pace.

Do you want to help your employees focus on their physical and mental wellbeing? Interested in improving social connections at work? If the answer is yes (we sure hope it is), then a company step challenge is probably for you!

### Where do I start?
![success-2.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/movespring/image/upload/v1634227708/blog/success_2_6c371c3968.jpg)

*Not sure where to start? We'll help you get going in no time! Follow our steps to success.* 

First, decide what platform you want to use to run your challenge. You can track steps **manually** or use a **step-tracking platform.** 

Manual tracking is the old school method of running a step challenge. The pro of manual tracking is that it is free. You can use your preferred technology to keep track of steps (Excel, Google Sheets, etc.). The con is that it can take a lot of time and energy to manage. If you're curious to learn more about manual tracking, we tested various methods and have advice for you [here](https://movespring.com/blog/step-challenge-using-spreadsheet-75). 

Using a step-tracking platform is a breeze compared to manual tracking! These platforms sync user step totals directly in from a connected device, which saves loads of time for admins and users. Users typically prefer this experience as they don't have to remember to send their totals to an admin every day. 

There are a few different step-tracking platforms out there, so we suggest thinking through some of these considerations when you're researching options:

- What [devices](http://help.movespring.com/en/articles/1419827-what-fitness-trackers-and-smartwatches-can-play) does the platform connect to?
- What [challenge modes](https://movespring.com/product/challenge-types) does the platform offer?
- How user-friendly is the platform?
- What [support](https://movespring.com/product/admin-support) does the platform offer?
- Does the platform offer [manual entry](http://help.movespring.com/en/articles/1868647-should-i-allow-manual-entry-for-my-users) or [conversion](https://movespring.com/resources/activity-converter) from other activities?
- Does the platform offer [reporting](http://help.movespring.com/en/articles/1885101-get-creative-with-reporting) options?
- How can users [engage with each other](https://movespring.com/product/chat) on the platform (via chat or messaging, etc.)?
- How can you as an admin [communicate with users](https://movespring.com/product/announcements) on the platform?

Once you've decided on a platform, it's time to plan your challenge! 

## **7 Steps to Success:**

An office step challenge is only as successful as every participant stepping in it is. Set your employees up for success and avoid common pitfalls by investing some time up front to build out a fun and engaging challenge. 

We've distilled our experience from 5+ years of running step challenges into 7 key areas to focus on when running your step challenge.

**The 7 steps to running a successful company step challenge are:**

1. Set Simple, Clear Goals 
2. Choose a Challenge Structure that Works
3. Share Expectations Up Front
4. Communicate with Users
5. Recognize and Reward Participants
6. Get Your Timing Right
7. Make it Fun and Have Fun!

Let's dive in!

### 1. Set Simple, Clear Goals

First thing's first: Set goals for your step challenge. 
![success-3.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/movespring/image/upload/v1634227757/blog/success_3_61d9db63ee.jpg)

You need to know why you're running an office step challenge before you can put one together. Are you interested in bringing the company together for some friendly competition? Do you want to encourage folks who usually don't move as much to get excited about stepping?

Whatever your goals, it can help to start with the people who will be stepping—your employees. Run a formal or informal survey to see who is interested in participating in a step challenge and why. Do they want to get to know their coworkers better, step for a cause, or move for rewards? Knowing what will help drive engagement can help you design your challenge around goals that matter to your company. 

This is especially important if your organization is new to step challenges!

Here are some common reasons companies get stepping together:

- Get employees moving and active
- Encourage participants to spend more time outside in nature
- Build community and friendly communication
- Step for a charity or cause
- Celebrate company holidays
- Create a culture of valuing physical, social, and mental health
- Have fun!

Whatever your goals, keep your challenge **simple, custom, and values-driven.** Don't just invite your participants to your step challenge. Tell them why they should participate and what they're going to get out of it. Share your goals with your employees to show them the value of joining in.

Need help setting a realistic step goal? [We've got you covered.](https://movespring.com/blog/how-to-set-a-goal-for-your-next-activity-or-step-challenge-18)  

### 2. Choose a Challenge Structure that Works

Next up? Decide how you want to run your challenge! 

There are tons of great ways to structure a challenge. Start by deciding if you want it to be competitive or collaborative. Think through how to be inclusive to your employee population. You might consider creating "tiered" challenges for your beginner, intermediate, and more advanced steppers. You can also choose a group goal, or reward for more than just the top steppers.

- **Want to fire up the competition?** Choose a classic Leaderboard or Team Leaderboard challenge, where users compete for the top spot!
- **Want to step together?** Have participants travel together in a [virtual race](http://help.movespring.com/en/articles/4201968-guide-to-virtual-race-themes). We love seeing companies travel from office to office, moving the distance from a New York to a Boston office for example!
- **Want to step for a cause?** Pick a total amount of steps that will unlock a donation to a chosen charity!

Plan ahead and set up your challenge early to avoid last-minute scrambling. If you don't have a lot of time to plan, just stick to a simple challenge structure that lets you hit the ground running!

### 3. Share Expectations Up Front

When you're running a step challenge, you get to be the ref on the sidelines making sure everything is running fairly and smoothly. Share your expectations with your users before the challenge begins. Make sure you also share the goals and prize structure, so they know what they will get out of participating. This helps drive them to engage and see value in joining in. 

Here are some common expectations to share:

- How users can join the challenge and participate
- Important dates and deadlines for your challenge
- If users can convert activities other than stepping (i.e. biking, yoga, bungee jumping, the usual)
- How you'll handle non-syncing users (if you're running a team challenge) and user questions
- How you'll manage any suspected cheating (check out our [blog post](https://movespring.com/blog/how-to-deal-with-cheating-in-a-step-challenge-38) if you want some tips for this!)

It can be helpful at this stage to also get leadership buy-in to your challenge. We've seen that some of the most successful challenges are driven by company leaders engaging actively by stepping and chatting with other participants. Leadership buy-in helps set the stage that your challenge is aligned with your company values. And who doesn't think it's fun to try to out-step the boss? 

You should engage actively in the challenge as the admin as well. This will allow you to monitor how the challenge is going. You'll also show your users that you aren't just setting this up and forgetting it. Your participation shows users you care.

### 4. Communicate with Users
![success-4.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/movespring/image/upload/v1634227784/blog/success_4_8259b7ffe3.jpg)

One of the most important parts of a successful company step challenge isn't actually the stepping! It's **communicating**. Sending well-timed communication with reminders and instructions is critical to the success of your challenge.

We get questions from admins about communicating with users all the time! Here are the key questions to consider:

***How often should I communicate with users?*** 

During a challenge, we suggest communicating at least 2-4 times per week! The key is keeping participants motivated and informed.

***What venue should I use for communication?*** 

This will vary by company, but we recommend having a few highly trafficked and visible venues for communicating. Identify the places you know your users check often. Communication options in MoveSpring include [announcements](http://help.movespring.com/en/articles/3854206-how-to-use-the-announcements-feature), [challenge content](http://help.movespring.com/en/articles/1868596-upload-and-manage-content-within-the-content-module), [content campaigns](http://help.movespring.com/en/articles/4913331-how-to-create-a-content-campaign), and our beloved [in-app chat feature](http://help.movespring.com/en/articles/3204481-using-the-chat-feature-in-movespring). Outside of MoveSpring you might have email, Slack, Teams, Zoom, WhatsApp, and the list goes on.

***What should I communicate?*** 

Think about what you want to communicate before, during, and after the challenge wraps up. Focus on keeping things fun and motivating. Here are some examples. 

- **Build the hype!** Before the challenge, let your users know how to join the challenge, when they'll need to join by, and how the challenge will run.
- **Call out stats, shout-out users, and keep everyone engaged.** During the challenge, share updates on how the challenge is going. Keep the comms light-hearted and fun to drive participants to keep engaging with each other and stepping to the end.
- **Announce winners and recap.** Make sure you end the challenge strong by showing everyone how they did! Announce how many steps were moved overall, who topped the leaderboard, and any prize winners.

With the Ultimate plan on MoveSpring, we provide email and print communication templates. These are easy to customize by inserting your organization details, such as company name or challenge start date. Don’t fret about the timing—our set of templates come with a recommended schedule.

### 5. Recognize and Reward Participants

One of the most important parts of any good step challenge is recognition! Rewards and prizes incentivize participation, drive engagement, and acknowledge everyone's hard work.
![success-5.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/movespring/image/upload/v1634227834/blog/success_5_c5dc11d3f7.jpg)

We have a whole [blog post](https://movespring.com/blog/70-prize-ideas-for-a-step-challenge-74) with ideas on rewards, but the most important things we suggest are:

- Reward more than just the top steppers. Especially if you have some really high achievers or ultra-athletes. Even the playing field by rewarding users for consistency and participation, and by running raffles!
- Resist the temptation to reward with extravagant or expensive prizes. This can lead to high levels of cheating. There are better, scientifically supported ways to motivate people. Intrinsic motivation, such as recognition or a fun experience, is highly effective and can lead to stronger, longer lasting engagement.
- Get creative with your [prize ideas](https://movespring.com/blog/70-prize-ideas-for-a-step-challenge-74), and theme them to your company or challenge!

### 6. Get Your Timing Right

There are a couple of common timing blunders that can get in the way of a successful challenge. Here are some mistakes we've seen over the years that you can avoid:

- **Keep the challenge under 45 days.** When you drag a challenge on for too long, your users will lose steam. Keeping challenges to a few weeks actually increases engagement as users can stay focused the whole time.
- **Pay attention to the calendar.** If you run a challenge in your company's busiest season, it won't matter how exciting it is. Your users will be distracted with goals and deadlines and might not have the time to prioritize getting their steps in. Fit your challenge in when the most people can participate.
- **Avoid back-to-back-to-back challenges.** Users can experience burnout after a series of consecutive challenges. If you want to run an annual wellness program with multiple step challenges, build in breaks. Our most successful clients run between 2-6 company-wide challenges a year.

If you build out an annual wellness plan, you can always build hype for future challenges in your off-challenge times. 

### 7. Make it Fun and Have Fun!

Last but definitely not least, the most important part of any step challenge is the fun! We believe workplace initiatives should be fun above anything else. Why? If a challenge isn't engaging, users won't stick with it. 

Some of our favorite tips for keeping the stepping fun are:

- Create silly and fun themed [challenge and team names](https://movespring.com/blog/its-all-in-the-name-creative-challenge-names-27)
- Encourage everyone to share photos of their walks, and react with emojis in the chat
- Call out user stats (along with some lighthearted smack talking 😅)
- Come up with [creative prizes](https://movespring.com/blog/70-prize-ideas-for-a-step-challenge-74)

A lighthearted step challenge can have positive ripple effects through your whole company. It will lighten the tone at your office, help employees de-stress, and give everyone a way to socialize in a low pressure way.

**A step challenge isn't a silver bullet, but it can go a long way in creating a thriving, happy, and connected workforce.** 

## Keep the fun going!

One-time office step challenges can be a blast, and you might be wondering what comes next? Go beyond a one-time event with holistic wellness and annual wellness programming!

### Wellness challenges beyond stepping

If you want to keep the momentum going, think beyond just stepping! Focus on employee wellbeing with holistic health challenges. Some of our favorite examples of daily holistic challenges are:

- Meditate for one minute
- Drink 64 oz of water
- Get 8 hours of sleep
- Write down 3 things you're grateful for

We make it easy to [run a challenge based on any activity](https://movespring.com/blog/run-a-challenge-based-on-any-activity-introducing-custom-activity-challenges-1) on MoveSpring. You can [use our actionable content feature](https://movespring.com/blog/promote-and-track-a-variety-of-health-actions-through-our-latest-feature-actionable-content-6) to promote and track a wide variety of healthy actions. 

Need inspiration? [Check out our ideas](https://movespring.com/blog/custom-activity-challenge-ideas-4) for custom activity tracking challenges. 

### Stay active all year long

Build out a whole year's worth of programming! You can mix activity challenges with more holistic wellness challenges. Create a schedule that works for your company and focus on wellness all year long.

### Still not sure where to begin?

At MoveSpring, we offer complimentary onboarding to help you work through each of these steps! We want everyone to develop the most successful challenges possible for you and your employees.

We have the platform and the people standing behind you cheering you on every step of the way, regardless of your plan type. You can also take advantage of our program planning and guidance in our Ultimate plan if you want to leave the creative heavy lifting to us.

[Contact us](https://movespring.com/request-demo?path=nav) to learn more about what our platform can offer to your organization. We'd love to chat more about how MoveSpring can make a positive impact at your company. 

From all of us at MoveSpring, happy stepping! 👟

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7 Steps to Running a Successful Company Step Challenge

<p class='large'>MoveSpring offers two ways to track activity that is not collected through a wearable device: <a href='https://movespring.com/blog/promote-and-track-a-variety-of-health-actions-through-our-latest-feature-actionable-content-5f99a56440e4ca00087226cf'>Actionable Content</a> or <a href='https://movespring.com/blog/run-a-challenge-based-on-any-activity-introducing-custom-activity-challenges-5ff4ba3430b74400086f3056'>Custom Activity Challenges</a>. Both features enable you to track and incentivize a variety of customizable health actions inside the MoveSpring app.</p>

**Custom Activity Challenges** allow you to run a Streak or Stick to it! challenge based on any custom activity you specify, such as water consumption, meditation, sleep, or eating vegetables. This feature asks users to complete the same recurring, daily goal. Learn more about Custom Activity Challenges [here](https://movespring.com/blog/run-a-challenge-based-on-any-activity-introducing-custom-activity-challenges-5ff4ba3430b74400086f3056).

**Actionable Content** allows you to upload a prompt, video, article, or task that users mark as complete. This feature allows you to create a list or series of different actions to complete. Unlike Custom Activity Challenges, users do not have to repeat the same action every day. Learn more about Actionable Content [here](https://movespring.com/blog/promote-and-track-a-variety-of-health-actions-through-our-latest-feature-actionable-content-5f99a56440e4ca00087226cf).

While you can always use both Actionable Content and Custom Activity in the same challenge, we created this guide to help you determine when to use each feature in a variety of scenarios.

### **I want to track an activity outside of steps, distance, and active minutes.**

#### Solution: Either Feature

You can use either Actionable Content or Custom Activity Challenges. The most important difference between these features is whether or not you want your participants to complete the same, consistent activity each day. If that's the case, then use Custom Activity Challenges. If you want users to complete a variety of different activities, use Actionable Content.

### **I want the user to complete the SAME action every day.**

#### Solution: Custom Activity Challenges

Custom Activity Challenges require participants to complete the same, single action each day, or for a set number of times throughout the challenge. This feature is great for building habits and consistency around a very focused goal.

### **I want the user to complete a DIFFERENT activity each day.**

#### Solution: Actionable Content

Actionable Content allows you to upload a totally different action or prompt each day of the challenge. Additionally, you can upload more than one prompt per day. Option to link out to a video, article, or webpage as well. This feature is great for completing a series of different actions.

### **I want the user to build up a skill or behavior gradually.**

#### Solution: Either Feature

With Actionable Content, you can upload a series of prompts that increase in difficulty or skill. For example, in a meditation challenge, you can post a 1-minute meditation prompt on the first day of the challenge. On day 2, you can post a different, 5-minute meditation prompt, and on day 3, you can post a more difficult 10-minute prompt. These prompts can link to a video or article.

With Custom Activity Challenges, build up a skill or advance a habit by creating a series of challenges. For example, you may want to run a water challenge that increases the consumption goal over time. In this scenario, create three, week-long Streak or Stick to it! challenges in a row. Week one, the daily water consumption goal can be 3 glasses of water each day. Week two can be 6 glasses of water each day. Week three can ask users to drink 8 glasses of water each day.

### **I want employees to complete a list of various activities.**

#### Solution: Actionable Content

Actionable Content allows you to upload and schedule many different prompts throughout the course of a challenge. Additionally, you don't need to upload a new prompt each day, you can schedule a few prompts or tasks for strategic times throughout the challenge. Users can review completed content or prompts in a list-view, making it easy to see which actions are outstanding and which have been completed.

### **I want to reduce the amount of admin work involved.**

#### Solution: Either Feature

Custom Activity Challenges are quick to set-up and don't require any work once configured. All you need to do is pick your challenge mode (Streak or Stick to it!), fill in your recurring daily goal, then wait for the challenge to start.

Set up an entire Actionable Content program in just a few clicks by using MoveSpring [Content Collections](http://help.movespring.com/en/articles/4106367-adding-collections-to-your-content-module). Content Collections include 10-20 curated articles, videos, and prompts focused around a variety of health topics, such as mindfulness, stress management, meal planning, and more. Pick and choose specific pieces to upload, or evenly distribute an entire collection throughout the course of a challenge in just a few clicks. We offer many Content Collections specifically designed for Actionable Content, which include more action-focused posts and prompts.

### **I want this challenge to feel competitive.**

#### Solution: Custom Activity Challenges

Custom Activity Challenges are compatible with two challenge modes: Streak and Stick to it! When users mark their activity as complete, they are scored into the challenge, allowing users to track other participants' progress and follow their own stats in detail. This allows for a very engaging competition among participants.

### **I want this challenge to feel more passive.**

#### Solution: Actionable Content

Actionable Content allows users to focus on their own progress in a non-competitive experience. Users can see who has completed each post, but they cannot see other participants' overall score and detailed stats. Actionable Content also doesn't require the user to complete an action daily, rather, they just need to complete all the prompts you post before the challenge is over. Additionally, Actionable Content includes the ability to like and comment on posts, which enables for a passive, but socially motivating experience.

Not sure what's right for your program goals? Let's chat about the best solution for you! Contact your dedicated client success manager or reach out to our support team ([help@movespring.com](//help@movespring.com)) for additional assistance.

Get creative with announcements

It’s all in the name: creative step challenge names

70 Prize Ideas for a Corporate Step Challenge

7 Steps to Running a Successful Company Step Challenge

Should you use Actionable Content or a Custom Activity Challenge?

Download the MoveSpring Playbook

More Resources

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