Hello, Ukulele

A new endeavor to give ukuleles to people who don't already have them.

[helloukulele]

March 2016 Ukulele Giveaway

Hello, Ukulele dreamers! We decided not to announce the February winner until the uke is presented to the recipient, to keep the surprise intact. So that will come soon, but in the meantime: time to give away another ukulele!

March brings with it the start of Spring, where you can shake off the winter blues and be your brightest self again. So for this month’s contest we want to know: how would a ukulele make your life better? Tell us through poem, song, drawing, photo, prose, or anything else you can think of. Multimedia entries are strongly encouraged!

Send your entries to [email protected]. The more creative, the better.

The rules:

You must include a United States mailing address with your entry to be considered.

You can only enter if you do not already have a ukulele.

By submitting, you give us permission to post your entry here on HelloUkulele.com.

If you win a ukulele, you must never throw it away - only pass it on to someone else.

That’s it! Submissions must be received by March 20, 2016 and must include your mailing address. The winning entry will be posted on this blog by March 27, 2016. Just e-mail your submission to [email protected] and a brand new soprano ukulele could be yours!

Good luck!

[helloukulele]

February 2016 Ukulele Giveaway

Hello, Ukulele is a project devoted to putting more music in the world by giving ukuleles to people who don't have them. This month, we’re bringing back our favorite challenge: letting you suggest our winner! 

Send us an email at [email protected] nominating a person you believe should have a ukulele. Tell us (or show us) why you think they need a uke in their life - be creative! Responses can be in any media (words, video, audio, visual art), as long as you can submit your entry via e-mail. Have fun with it! The winning submission gets a brand new soprano ukulele, perfect for any beginner.

The rules:

Your nominee must have a United States mailing address. Your nominee must not already own a ukulele. You must include your mailing address when you enter (we can either mail the uke to you to hand-deliver, or ship directly to your nominee). Ukuleles must never be thrown away - only passed on to someone else.

That's it! So simple. And if you’re reading this thinking, “I wish someone would nominate me to win a ukulele,” just ask your friends or family to nominate you. That’s totally cool. Ukuleles bring people together!

Send your submissions to [email protected] by February 21, 2016. The winner will be announced by February 27. Best of luck!

[helloukulele]

Our January Winner!

Congratulations to Lani Mai-Nguyen, the first winner of the new year! Lani wrote a beautiful piece of practice, determination and piano playing that perfectly captured the spirit of the prompt: tell us about your favorite musical experience. Here's an excerpt from the winning submission:

“I slowly walked up to the stage careful not to fall in my heels. My hands were sweaty and shaking. My legs seemed like they were about to collapse underneath me. I felt even more exposed because I wasn't holding any sheet music. It was just the stage and I. At last, I got to the bench and sat down. I double checked to make sure my feet could reach the pedal and took a deep breath. It was my time.

As the first note filled the hall, everything was quiet. The notes followed smoothly after each other and no mistake was made. I felt so consumed by the music even though my hands were shaking and eyes were all staring at me. This time the ending sounded exceptionally beautiful. When I released the final key, everything seemed so surreal. I did it. I actually did it!

As soon as I finished, the cheers were heard. Some people stood up and the clapping sounded so loud in my ears. My teacher was smiling wildly at me and my family looked so proud. I don't even remember if I bowed properly or not. That moment felt like a dream come true. I never felt like that before. It was such a high that I'll never forget.”

That feeling of joy is contagious, and we thank Lani for sharing it with us. Enjoy your beautiful new ukulele - may it bring you similar moments of triumph in the future!

And in just two short days we will have a new contest, so check back on Feb. 1 for another chance for ukulele joy!

[helloukulele]

January 2016 Ukulele Giveaway

Welcome to Hello Ukulele, a project to give a ukuleles to people who don’t already have them. Ukuleles are easy to learn, easy to play and a great way to bring people together. So to start off a new year, we’re giving away a brand new soprano ukulele to one lucky winner!

Here’s how to win:

Send an e-mail to [email protected] and tell us about your favorite musical experience. Maybe it was a concert you attended, a choir you sang in, the first time you held a pair of drumsticks or a great night doing karaoke with friends. Whatever your favorite music memory is, we want to hear it.

Responses can be in any media (text, video, audio, photos, drawings, etc) as long as you can submit your entry via e-mail. The more creative, the better!

The rules:

You must have a United States mailing address to enter.

You can only enter if you do not already have a ukulele.

You must include your mailing address when you enter.

If you win a ukulele, you must never throw it away - only pass it on to someone else.

It’s that simple! Submissions must be received by January 23, 2016 and must include your mailing address. By submitting an entry, you give us permission to share your story on this blog. The winning submission will be posted on HelloUkulele.org on January 30, 2016. 

So, what are you waiting for? E-mail your entry to [email protected]. We can’t wait to hear your stories! Good luck!

[helloukulele]

Here’s why we do what we do. Meet some of our previous winners, who made this beautiful video. We thank them so much for sharing their love!

Your chance is coming soon... the January contest starts tomorrow!

[helloukulele]

Hello again, Hello Ukulele!

This ukulele giveaway project is coming BACK TO LIFE this year! Get ready!

[helloukulele]

February 2014 Ukulele Giveaway!

Hello, Ukulele is a project devoted to getting more ukuleles into the hands of the people. We had an awesome trial run in 2013, and we're committing now to a full year of ukulele giveaways.

To kick-off the project, we’re bringing back our most popular challenge: nominate a person you believe should have a ukulele! Tell us (or show us) why you think they need a uke in their life - be creative! Responses can be in any media (words, video, audio, visual art), as long as you can submit your entry via e-mail to [email protected]. The more imaginative, the better.

One winner will receive a brand-new ukulele, chosen to match the spirit of the entry. Feel free to let us know why a certain color ukulele would brighten your loved one's life - we want to give away a ukulele that matches your nominee's soul!

The rules:

Your nominee must not already own a ukulele.

You or your nominee must have a United States mailing address.

You must include your mailing address when you enter (we can either mail the uke to you to hand-deliver, or ship directly to your nominee).

Ukuleles must never be thrown away - only passed on to someone else.

And if you’re reading this thinking, “I wish someone would nominate me to win a ukulele,” just ask your friends or family to nominate you. That’s totally cool. Ukuleles bring people together!

Send your submissions to [email protected] by February 22, 2014. The winner will be announced by February 28. Best of luck, and thanks to those who have supported the project so far!

[helloukulele]

Is this still going on? I really want to have a ukelele but I'm shy to ask my mom and dad to buy one. I want to find my own way, and it's hard to save because they won't let me work. I hope this is still on <3 I'll be looking forward! God Bless everyone!!! :)))

Yes indeed! The project is going to relaunch on February 1 - we took some extra time to raise some funds for the new year, since all of our ukuleles are donated with love by anonymous awesome-hearts. We can't wait to put more ukes into the world, and we hope one finds its way to you one day! Never be too shy to ask! :)

[helloukulele]

Meet our latest Hello, Ukulele winner! We loved the art and can't wait to see how Nicole brightens the world with her new uke.

See you in 2014 for a new year of ukulele giveaways!

[helloukulele]

November 2013 Ukulele Giveaway!

Hello, Ukulele dreamers! We're back, after a brief inspiration-gathering hiatus. That means it’s time for us to give away another ukulele! This month we’re giving away an Hola! HM-21 Soprano Ukulele in a color of your choice!

November is a great month to reflect on the good things in life, so to win this month's contest simply show or tell us: how would you use your ukulele to make the world a bit nicer? Send your entries to [email protected]. Multimedia entries are strongly encouraged! The more creative, the better.

The rules:

You must have a United States mailing address to enter.

You can only enter if you do not already have a ukulele.

You must include your mailing address when you enter.

By submitting, you give us permission to post your entry here on HelloUkulele.com.

If you win a ukulele, you must never throw it away - only pass it on to someone else.

Submissions must be received by November 23, 2013 and must include your mailing address. The winning entry will be posted on this blog by November 30, 2013. Please e-mail your submission to [email protected]. Good luck!

[helloukulele]

How are you supposed to make a Uke video if you are "not allowed to already own a Ukulele"?

The video was just supposed to be about what inspires you, as we believe great music comes from great inspiration. But apparently people had some trouble with the prompt, so we're starting off November with a new and much easier contest! Details will be up a little later today. Thanks!

[helloukulele]

Is this still a thing? Such a great idea!

It is, we'll be starting up again today! Thanks for the encouragement!

[helloukulele]

September 2013 Ukulele Contest

It’s September 1, and that means it’s time to give away another ukulele! This month, we’re issuing a video challenge: show us what inspires you. Put your creation online and send us the link, or send the video to [email protected].

Have fun with it! Responses can be silly, serious, beautiful, simple or anything else that strikes you. We’ll help feed the muse of the winner with a brand new ukulele that we’ll choose to match the spirit of the winning entry. Exciting!

So, onto the rules:
 Your must have a United States mailing address.
 You must not already own a ukulele.
 You must include your mailing address and phone number in your entry e-mail, to ensure delivery.
 Ukuleles must never be thrown away - only passed on to someone else.

Send your original video (either a link or the actual file) to [email protected] by September 21, 2013. The winner will be announced by September 30. We can’t wait to see what you create! Best of luck!

[helloukulele]

"I would spend all day practicing till I could play beautifully enough for the birds to join in!"

So writes Jordan, our August ukulele winner and the artist behind this wonderful drawing. We can't wait to hear your sweet notes. Congratulations!

Check back on September 1 for our next contest - it's going to be fun.

[helloukulele]

August 2013 Ukulele Contest

Hello, Ukulele dreamers! It's August, which means it's time for us to give away another ukulele. This month we're giving away an Okina UK100 Soprano Ukulele with a bonus tuner, so your notes may ever stay sweet!

To try and make your ukulele dreams come true, send an e-mail to [email protected] showing or telling us: what would you do first with your new ukulele? Multimedia entries are strongly encouraged! Be creative.

The rules:

You must have a United States mailing address to enter.

You can only enter if you do not already have a ukulele.

You must include your mailing address when you enter.

By submitting, you give us permission to post your entry here on HelloUkulele.com.

If you win a ukulele, you must never throw it away - only pass it on to someone else.

Submissions must be received by August 17, 2013 and must include your mailing address. The winning entry will be posted on this blog by August 31, 2013. Please e-mail your submission to [email protected]. Good luck!

[helloukulele]

We have a July winner!

Firstly, thank you so much for all of your incredible submissions this month. There was so much creativity, energy and honesty in your entries! Videos, photos, drawings, songs and exceptional stories truly warmed our hearts and showcased your love for friends, family and near strangers. Thank you so much for your nominations!

We have chosen and contacted our winner, and we are sneakily keeping that winner's name a secret until the ukulele has been presented to the nominee at the appropriate time. You'll get to meet our July winner later this summer - but in the meantime, get ready for a new contest to begin!

Our August contest starts tomorrow, so we'll see you then. Best of luck!

[helloukulele]

July 2013 Ukulele Contest

Hello, Ukulele is a project devoted to getting more ukuleles into the hands of the people. This month, we're taking your suggestions for who to give a ukulele to! Send us an email at [email protected] nominating a person you believe should have a ukulele. Tell us (or show us) why you think they need a uke in their life - be creative! Responses can be in any media (words, video, audio, visual art), as long as you can submit your entry via e-mail.

This month, the winning submission gets a Mahalo U-30 soprano ukulele in the color of your choosing. Feel free to let us know why a certain color ukulele would brighten your nominee's life!

The rules:

Your nominee must have a United States mailing address.

Your nominee must not already own a ukulele.

You must include your mailing address when you enter (we can either mail the uke to you to hand-deliver, or ship directly to your nominee).

Ukuleles must never be thrown away - only passed on to someone else.

And if you're reading this thinking, "I wish someone would nominate me to win a ukulele," just ask your friends or family to nominate you. That's totally cool. Ukuleles bring people together!

Send your submissions to [email protected] by July 20, 2013. The winner will be announced by July 31. Best of luck!