YouTube Stars Compete Against Athletes, TV Hosts In ‘Charity Champions League’

A new competition is pitting influential people against one another to see who can marshal the most support for an important cause. It’s called the Charity Champions League (CCL), and its participants include YouTube stars, TV hosts, and professional athletes.

In terms of its design, the CCL resembles another crowdsourced charity drive: The YouTube community’s annual Project For Awesome. As with P4A, each of the CCL’s 12 participants has thrown his or her support behind a specific charity. As their respective followers read, watch, and share content related to their organizations of choice, they accumulate points. On June 15, the participant who has scored the most points will win $250,000 for the charity he or she has sponsored.

The social media stars involved in the CCL are beauty vloggers Weylie Hoang, Nika Erculj, and PrimroseMakeup, as well as singer Christina Grimmie. Grimmie, who is supporting The Human Society of the United States

, has quickly rolled up more than 20,000 points.

“Because of the work I do, I’m very fortunate to have a platform to support the causes and nonprofits I care about, like The Humane Society of the United States,” said Grimmie in a press release. “What I love about Charity Champions League is that it gives everyone the chance to give back, including young people of my generation who might not have the money or know, on their own, how to get involved. I’m really excited to be playing, and I hope everyone will join me!”

The CCL is organized by CBS EcoMedia, which has championed education, wellness, and environmental protection programs since its 2001 inception. More information about EcoMedia’s “Viewers to Volunteers” initiative — which encompasses the CCL — can be found here.