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A smartphone app is offering to fund a General Election campaign for one of its users as part of a prize giveaway.
Augmented reality treasure hunt app Snatch, where players find, steal and protect virtual parcels in order to win prizes, will select a winner from 20 candidates who find special packages within the free game.
The parcels must be found by Saturday, when Snatch will ask each of the candidates to submit a video manifesto by May 1, before selecting a winner and funding their campaign to become an MP in the election on June 8, in a constituency of the winner’s choice.
Snatch creator Joe Martin said the scheme was created with the hope of encouraging young people to engage in politics and pursue what interests them.
“It’s quite open and that’s the whole point. Like all the stuff that we do, it’s about telling users that this is a possibility and anyone can do this if they are that way inclined.
“If they want to have their say, they want to challenge what’s going on around us every day, then anyone can do it.”
The app has previously offered prizes such as live music tickets, holidays and a year’s worth of university fees paid off by the app.
“We’re in a place now where regardless of what you did at university, every channel is open if you can get your foot in the door and get that experience,” Martin, a former forensic scientist, said.
“My background isn’t in this kind of stuff, but it’s what I wanted to do so I made it happen.
“This is our fist in the air to say ‘go and do what you want’, even if you didn’t do politics at school or elsewhere, then you can absolutely go and do it.
“We’ve seen that in recent months – you might not have a background in politics, but you can certainly do it.”
Snatch says it is following Electoral Commission guidelines on candidate eligibility, with those hoping to claim the prize needing to be over 18 and a British citizen, not a member of the Armed Forces, civil service or either House of Parliament.
They must also not be subject to any bankruptcy restrictions.
The app has said it will also award a “special bonus prize” to any candidate who is willing to change their name by deed poll to “Margaret Snatcher”.
