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.

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Should you use Actionable Content or a Custom Activity Challenge?

### When creating an activity challenge, it’s important that you take the time to set an appropriate goal. You want it to be challenging for your participants, but not so difficult that it discourages them.

A good challenge goal goes a long way. It encourages users to incorporate more activity into their day and helps to maintain engagement throughout your program. On the other hand, a poorly chosen challenge goal can cause users to lose interest in the challenge, which can increase participant drop-off and decrease engagement.

Whether it’s your first step challenge, or your 100th challenge, you can follow along with our best practices below. 

### Three factors to consider when creating a fitness challenge goal

Take the following factors into account when creating an activity challenge goal:

1.  **Average daily activity of your participants**
2.  **Challenge mode**
3.  **Duration of the challenge**

### Use our benchmarks as a guide for your first activity challenge.

For your first challenge, you’ll need to estimate your participants’ average daily activity. As you may not have historical activity data to reference, you can use the ranges below. These represent a common range of average daily activity among users on our platform. 

![](https://cdn.cosmicjs.com/ffcf7ea0-0344-11eb-9528-f5a6da2be217-Activity-Level-Benchmarks.png)Your average daily activity estimates will be used to set your challenge goal. Each MoveSpring challenge mode is scored differently. Some have a daily goal, while others are based off of a cumulative goal to reach by the challenge end. Try our suggested goals by challenge mode. 

![](https://cdn.cosmicjs.com/143f6da0-0345-11eb-9528-f5a6da2be217-Challenge-Goal-Matrix.png)

### Or, use prior challenge data to calculate your new goal.

When you’ve hosted at least one activity challenge, you can reference your past participant data to calculate your new goal. There are a few ways you can do this using the MoveSpring platform.

#### 1\. Dashboard quick view

Use the dashboard in the MoveSpring Admin Center to view graphs of your participants’ overall progress and activity levels. Filter the date range of the **Step Ranges** and **Activity Distribution Chart** to your most recent challenge dates.

*   Reference the **Step Ranges ****pie chart**. Which activity range shows the largest percentage? 
*   Then, reference the **Activity Distribution bar chart** to determine where the majority of users fall within that pie chart range. This helps you identify outliers and choose a number that works for the largest volume of participants. 

A major benefit to this method is the ability to quickly find your group’s daily activity without having to pull a report. Additionally, these charts automatically filter out any users who didn’t sync, or reported zero activity during the selected date range.

![](https://cdn.cosmicjs.com/36805960-0345-11eb-9528-f5a6da2be217-Both-dashboard-charts.png)

#### 2\. Pull a report

For a more detailed approach, utilize the Reporting tab in the MoveSpring Admin Center, and follow the steps below. 

*   Pull a **User Report** for the date range of your most recent challenge. 
*   Delete any users who have zero or no data populating in the total activity columns.
*   Calculate the total number of users remaining in the report to get an **Active User Count**. _Note: be sure you’ve omitted any users that scored zero data._
*   Locate the **Total Steps**, **Total Minutes** or **Total Distance **column. Calculate the **Activity Grand Total** of all users’ total steps, minutes or distance.
*   Divide the **Activity Grand Total** by the number of days in the challenge (or date range you filtered by). This will calculate the **Group Daily Activity Average**. 
*   Divide this number by the **Active User Count** to see the daily activity average for an individual participant.

To assess outliers, sort the **Average** **Steps, Minutes or Distance** column in descending order. This will show you individual daily activity averages from high-to-low. If notice many outliers that are either highly active or inactive, consider making two different challenges that can better cater to each group.

![](https://cdn.cosmicjs.com/52cd38e0-0345-11eb-9528-f5a6da2be217-User-Report---EXCEL.png)

 **Pro Tips**

*   Use the date range of your most recent challenge, as users consistently sync their data during a challenge period. 
*   If you adjust your goal before the challenge starts, be sure your communications and instructions reflect your latest challenge goal.

### Setting goals by challenge type

Now you know how to determine your participants’ average activity level, let’s break down how to use that information to calculate the best challenge goal for each type of MoveSpring activity challenge.

#### Streak Challenge

With the Streak mode, participants track the number of consecutive days they meet a daily step or active minutes goal. You, the admin, will choose the daily goal during challenge setup. Reference the daily activity averages you calculated to determine an achievable daily goal. Best practice tip: start low and increase over time! 

As you gather more data with each step challenge, you can explore [segmenting challenges to accommodate a group with a wide range of activity levels](https://movespring.com/blog/how-to-accommodate-a-group-with-a-wide-range-of-activity-levels-5c7a01d25ced0b51dd83d720).

#### Example

Reference the **Activity Distribution Chart **in the MoveSpring Admin Center dashboard. In the scenario below, we’d suggest a 30 active minutes/day goal.

![](https://cdn.cosmicjs.com/939786a0-0345-11eb-9528-f5a6da2be217-Minutes-Distribution-chart.png)

#### Stick to It! Challenge 

With our Stick to It! challenge mode, you set a daily steps or active minutes goal. Then, you decide how many times each participant needs to meet this goal over the course of the challenge. As your participants don’t need to hit this goal everyday, you can set the daily steps or minutes goal higher than you would in a Streak challenge. 

Further adjust the difficulty by increasing or decreasing the number of times the participant has to meet this daily goal throughout the course of the challenge. Reaching 10,000 steps/day 10 times over the course of a 20-day challenge is a lot easier than hitting it 15 times over the course of a 20-day challenge.

1.  **Average daily activity of your participants**

Reference the **Step Range** and **Activity Distribution charts **in the MoveSpring Admin Center. In the example scenario below, we’d suggest an 8,000 steps/day goal, achieved for at least 75% of the total days in the challenge.

![](https://cdn.cosmicjs.com/b0393ce0-0345-11eb-9528-f5a6da2be217-Both-dashboard-charts.png)

#### Target Challenge

Set an individual total steps or active minutes goal to be achieved over the duration of the challenge. Participants will pace themselves to make sure they can reach the cumulative target goal before the end of the challenge. As this is a cumulative goal, it requires an additional calculation step.

#### Calculation

**Daily steps or active minutes average x Total days in challenge = Target goal**

 #### Example 

Reference the same **Step Range** and **Activity Distribution Charts **in the MoveSpring Admin Center (shown above). In the example scenario above, we’d use a **7,000 steps/day average** to calculate our goal. If the challenge is **21 days**, then the Target goal would be **147,000 total steps****:**

7,000 daily step average x 21 days in challenge = 147,000 total steps

### Journey Challenge

In the MoveSpring Journey challenge, participants compete in a virtual, long distance race. Set a total distance goal for participants to reach by challenge end. As participants move in real life, they progress through a virtual map in the app. Along the way, they’ll unlock new map scenes and milestones. Similar to Target, this is a cumulative goal, and requires an additional calculation step.

#### **Calculation**

**Daily distance average x Total days in challenge = Journey distance goal**

 #### Example

Reference the **Activity Distribution Chart in the MoveSpring Admin Center. In the scenario below, we’d use a 3.5 miles/day average to calculate our goal. If the challenge is 14 days, then the Journey goal would be 49 total miles.**

3.5 Daily Distance Average x 14 days in challenge = 49 total miles

![](https://cdn.cosmicjs.com/406e3310-0346-11eb-9528-f5a6da2be217-Distance-Distribution-chart.png)

_Note: Journey and Group Journey are distance-based challenge modes. You also have the option to turn off Journey milestones._

### Group Challenges

Our Group Journey and Group Target challenges allow you to set a collective goal for all users to achieve together. This challenge type requires you to calculate both the daily activity average and an estimated participant count. Our group challenges engage the entire office, and get everyone working together towards a common goal. 

#### Calculation

**Daily activity average x Estimated total participants x Total days in challenge = Group challenge goal**

#### How to estimate your total participants

How many users do you anticipate participating in this challenge? 

*   **If this is your first challenge**, estimate that 40% of the people you invite will ultimately participate in the challenge. If you find that many users are signing up, that's great! You can always adjust your goal based on the final participant numbers a day or two before the challenge starts. 
*   **If you’ve run a challenge before**, check out the Challenges tab in the MoveSpring Admin Center. What is the average number of participants you see across all the challenges you've run? You can also run Challenge Reports to average out an exact participant count.

#### Pro tip 

We suggest using the lower end of your average participation numbers. It’s easy to increase your goal once you know how many people have joined.

![](https://cdn.cosmicjs.com/85f608e0-0346-11eb-9528-f5a6da2be217-Admin---Challenges-tab.png)

### Setting an activity challenge goal is a science and an art. 

As you host more challenges, you’ll hit your stride in setting the best goals for your group! The MoveSpring Customer Success and Support teams are a great resource for any goal setting questions, suggestions, and advice. We’re always happy to help!

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How to set a goal for your next activity or step challenge

Wondering how to get your employees moving at home? Try our Daily Workout module in your next challenge.

### A 5-minute workout automatically posted to your challenge, every day.

The Daily Workout module automatically posts a new workout video every day of your challenge. Each workout consists of five exercises. Users are encouraged to do each exercise for one minute for a quick, five-minute workout. Or, users can repeat the circuit for a longer, full body routine. 

Daily Workout helps your participants find small ways to get more steps. With a new workout every day, challenge participants always have inspiration on how to get moving. Best part? It requires zero work from you, the admin!

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/5mt1hnm3Sgk?wmode=opaque" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>

### Add Daily Workout to your next challenge

When you’re [creating a challenge](https://youtu.be/S94skdlOtnM), be sure to add the Daily Workout module. You can find Daily Workout listed alongside the Content and Quote modules. Once your challenge starts, we will auto-upload a new workout daily. 

![](https://cdn.cosmicjs.com/0cb82d00-6d41-11ea-bdec-17825bae7e90-Add-Daily-Workout-MAC.png)

### Try out these virtual health challenges to get started

[Check out our line-up of remote working challenges](https://movespring.com/blog/health-fitness-challenges-for-remote-workforce-5e73b493f1a2760008a32bac), organized by a variety of employee health goals: 

*   Encourage consistent movement
*   Maintain a sharp and productive mind
*   Promote employee connection and engagement

In these challenges, **content is key!** Educate and inform your employees on remote working best practices, staying active, and meal prepping with pantry staples. View our [content library](https://movespring.com/blog/supercharge-your-program-with-our-content-library-5c7a01d25ced0b51dd83d71b), sub-topic: COVID-19, for some inspiration on what content to share in your challenge. 

### Already have an employee health & fitness challenge planned? Try one of these timely challenge names: 

*   Digital Nomads: Work around the globe!
*   We’re all in this together!
*   Hibernation Health Nuts
*   Let’s stick together–yeah, yeah, yeah!
*   Brighten your mood with gratitude!
*   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

Loving these challenge name ideas? Check out our best tips on creating an enticing challenge name [here](https://movespring.com/blog/its-all-in-the-name-creative-challenge-names-5d729f499b14297ba6fc4bb2).

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?

How to set a goal for your next activity or step challenge

Try our Daily Workout module for simple, at-home exercises

Download the MoveSpring Playbook

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