February 2012
4 posts
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New Roadify app shines
NYC BigApps 2.0 Grand Prize winner Roadify has been hard at work at Version 2.0 of their popular iPhone app, adding new cities, new features, and integrating more relevant information to make it easier to find out when the next train, subway, bus, or ferry is coming.
Initial response of the updated app has been overwhelmingly positive. One user raved about replacing 11 existing apps on his iPhone...
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A fun, easy, and creative weekend project
The Healthy New Year Video Challenge is offering $5,000 in prizes for the best videos that show how you’ll use technology to achieve your health-related New Year’s resolution. All you have to do is make a short video (under 2 minutes), and submit it by February 16.
Check out the competition requirements, get tips on how to make a video, and register to enter...
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Announcing the winners of MTA App Quest!
(Photo: Grand Prize team Embark NYC with a custom 5’ subway sign at Vanderbilt Hall in New York City’s Grand Central Terminal.)
Earlier today, travelers strolling by Grand Central’s Vanderbilt Hall overheard something historic: the announcement of the winners of MTA App Quest, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s competition for software developers. The MTA...
January 2012
11 posts
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Joining Forces: finalists announced!
The Joining Forces Community Challenge, which launched in July 2011, recognizes citizens and organizations with a demonstrated commitment to serving military families. Hundreds of entrants shared their stories of service. Last week, 20 challenge finalists were announced (listed in alphabetical order):
Armed Forces Service Center
Birdies for the Brave
Canines for Veterans — Canines for...
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Save the planet, one line of code at a time
Want to change the world this coming weekend? Sign up for the Cleanweb Hackathon, which takes place Jan. 20–22 in NYC. Participants will build apps that tackle sustainability issues and resource constraints (issues related to energy, food, waste, water, and so on).
Bonus: if your Cleanweb hack uses NYC Open Data, your app can also be eligible for NYC BigApps 3.0 (the deadline is Jan. 25)!
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Jump-start 2012: Make an app for New York City
Join fellow software developers, designers, and innovators in NYC BigApps 3.0, New York City’s third annual competition for the best software applications that use city data to make NYC better.
The deadline’s 10 days away, but it’s not too late to start! Take a look at these apps that were made in just 27 hours at our hackathon back in November.
Test your skills. Register to...
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San Diego Apps Challenge opens: $50,000 in prizes
Announcing the AT&T San Diego Apps Challenge: Mayor Jerry Sanders and the City of San Diego are challenging software developers to create apps that use city and partner data to enhance services and quality of life for San Diegans.
Developers of all levels and backgrounds are welcome to submit apps. If you’re not ready to build an app but have a great idea for one, submit it to the...
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NYC BigApps infographic
From the nycedc:
How do you like them apps? Check out our infographic to see how past NYC BigApps winners branched out to serve the different needs of New Yorkers.
BigApps by the numbers:
60 agencies, commissions and bids
750 city datasets tapped
140+ apps generated
Nearly 14,000 voters and 5,000 followers
Over $100,000 awarded in prizes
The benefits of the BigApps challenge? Improved...
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NYC BigApps: Advice from past winner Abby Suckle
Reblog from the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC):
Making progress on your BigApps submission? The deadline for NYC BigApps 3.0 is January 25th! For inspiration, we checked in with previous BigApps winners for words of wisdom for this year’s competitors. Read on for insights from Abby Suckle, President of CultureNOW, whose Museum Without Walls app took Honorable Mention...
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A full house at NYC BigApps 3.0 Developer Day
Nearly 100 software developers, designers, and innovators joined us for NYC BigApps 3.0 Developer Day on Saturday, Jan. 7 at Pivotal Labs in Union Square.
NYC BigApps 3.0 participants coded, met new teammates, chowed down, and had a blast. Some were just getting started on their BigApps submissions (due Jan. 25!), while others shot their submission videos. One developer showed up with 3...
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$5,000 in prizes for the best New Year's...
Challenge: Healthy New Year Video Challenge
What: Make a short, compelling video (up to 2 minutes) — share a New Year’s resolution to improve your health or the health of a loved one, and show how you’ll use technology to accomplish your goal.
Deadline: February 16, 2012
Prizes: $2,000 First Prize, $1,000 Second Prize, $500 Third Prize, $750 Popular Choice Award, $250 Honorable...
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Samsung Free the TV Challenge: winners announced!
We’re thrilled to announce the winners of the Samsung Free the TV Challenge!
First prize: Party Shots
Second prize: Let’s Play Stop
Third prize: FREQSHO View the winners and all the other submissions in the Gallery.
Thanks again to everyone who participated and made the challenge a great success!
Follow @ChallengePost on Twitter, and like us on Facebook
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NYC BigApps: Advice from past winner Aaron Royston
Reminder: Spots still open for NYC BigApps 3.0 Developer Day this Saturday, January 7! Free registration here. Come work on your app, meet the NYC Open Data team, and collaborate with other developers and designers!
Reblog from the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC):
How’s your app coming along? The deadline for NYC BigApps 3.0 submissions is coming up January 25th. For...
December 2011
14 posts
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NYC BigApps: Advice from past winner Judy Wong
We love hearing success stories from past NYC BigApps winners! Check out Judy’s new iPhone app that helps tourists and residents explore the Lower East Side.
Reblog from the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC):
The deadline for NYC BigApps 3.0 submissions is less than one month away. For inspiration, we checked in with previous BigApps winners for words of wisdom for...
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MyPlate Fruits & Veggies Video Challenge winners...
This past September marked the launch of the MyPlate Fruits & Veggies Video Challenge, which encouraged individuals and teams to create short videos on how to add more fruits and vegetables to your diet without spending a lot of money.
The competition generated 142 eligible submissions from all around the country. Contestants got creative with the “Make Half Your Plate Fruits &...
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NYC BigApps: Advice from previous winner David...
Reblog from the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC):
The deadline for BigApps 3.0 submissions is less than one month away. For inspiration, we checked in with previous BigApps winners for words of wisdom for this year’s competitors. Read on for insights from David Mahfouda, co-founder of Weeels. The Weeels App offers people with mobile phones a fast, easy, and affordable way...
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A day for NYC BigApps developers
Trying to find time to work on your NYC BigApps entry? We’ve set aside a day for you to do just that!
Event: NYC BigApps 3.0 Developer Day
Date: Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. (ET)
Location: Pivotal Labs, 841 Broadway, Fl. 8, New York, NY 10003
Who’s invited: Anyone planning to participate in NYC BigApps 3.0 (Make sure you meet the eligibility requirements for the...
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2011's innovative citizen & government tech...
Congratulations to New York City and last year’s NYC BigApps participant CiviGuard on their wins in the 2011 GovFresh Awards! The GovFresh Awards honor the most innovative citizen and city/local government technology projects of the year.
The CiviGuard – Irene App won Best Emergency Management App
NYC won City of the Year and Best Use of Social Media
NYC Open Data was runner up for...
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Devs, designers, and techies: jump-start 2012
Looking to take your skills and ideas to the next level in the new year? Check out NYC BigApps 3.0 — New York City’s third annual competition for the best software applications that use city data to make NYC better.
Challenge: Create an app that utilizes NYC Open Data to help NYC residents, visitors, and businesses.
Data and resources:
More than 700 data sets from NYC Open Data
APIs...
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NYC BigApps: Checking in with Max Stoller
Reblog from the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC):
Max Stoller, center, won the BigApps 2.0 Student Award in March 2011.
The deadline for NYC BigApps 3.0 submissions is less than one month away. For inspiration, we checked in with previous BigApps winners for words of wisdom for this year’s competitors. Read on for insights from Max Stoller, creator of DontEat.at. His...
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NYC BigApps: Advice from previous winner Danny...
Reblog from the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC):
The deadline for NYC BigApps 3.0 submissions is less than one month away. For inspiration, we asked previous BigApps winners for words of wisdom for this year’s competitors. Read on for insights from Danny Moon, creator of UpNext 3D NYC and Co-Founder/CEO of UpNext. His team’s app gives users the scoop on the greatest...
NYC GovFresh Awards
ChallengePost is proud to power the NYC BigApps Challenge and NYC BigApps 3.0 Hackathon. Don’t forget to vote for us in the GovFresh Awards!
Reblog from the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC):
NYCEDC has entered the 2011 GovFresh Awards, which honor innovative city government technology projects over the past year. This is a great opportunity to recognize all the work...
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Awesome videos: how to add more fruits & veggies...
Can’t find the words to describe how excited we are about the results of the USDA’s MyPlate Fruits & Veggies Video Challenge… just watch!
“Tips for kids” videos
“Tips when eating at home” videos
“Tips when eating away from home” videos
Tell us which video(s) you like best by voting for your favorites daily on...
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Vote for the best new transit app
Public voting is now open for MTA App Quest! The New York State Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) challenged software developers to create apps that improve the transit experience of 8.5 million daily riders, and now you get to vote for your favorites.
Apps for Android, BlackBerry, iOS, Windows Mobile, and more
The 42 submitted apps cover all the ins and outs of getting around NYC —...
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Hack the New York Times
Software developers vying for the Best NYC Mashup Prize in NYC BigApps 3.0: join BigApps API partners Etsy, Foursquare, the New York Times, and Tumblr at the 2011 TimesOpen Hack Day this weekend (December 3)!
Andrew Nicklin, Director of Enterprise Architecture at NYC DoITT (Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications), will be there to talk about New York City’s open data...
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2011 Open Data Day Hackathon: Better tools. More...
This year’s International Open Data Day is happening on December 3rd. Citizens in cities around the world will be gathering to write applications, liberate data, create visualizations and publish analyses using open public data to show support for and encourage the adoption of open data policies by the world’s local, regional and national governments.
If you’re a software...
November 2011
4 posts
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Awesome NYC BigApps hacks
How was your weekend? If you were at the first-ever NYC BigApps Hackathon, it was pretty amazing! A diverse group of developers, designers, and visionaries collaborated on some incredibly innovative uses of NYC Open Data and APIs from participating companies. A stellar panel of judges ranked the submissions and awarded $2,500 in prizes.
Here’s a list of all the demoed hacks, including the...
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Cash prizes for food on film
Challenge: The USDA’s MyPlate Fruits & Veggies Video Challenge What: Make a 30-second video — showcase a practical tip on how to eat more fruits & veggies on a budget Deadline: November 15, 2011 Prizes: $1,500 First Prize (3), $1,000 Second Prize (3), $500 Popular Choice (3) Who should enter: People of all ages!
Most Americans don’t consume the recommended quantities and...
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Scientific research to the nth power
If you’re one of the 15 million science researchers, librarians, and developers worldwide who use SciVerse, your research experience just got better.
Back in April, Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical, and medical information products and services, launched the Apps for Science challenge. The challenge asked software developers to create apps that enhance scientific...
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Building a new era of TV apps
Are you a software developer? Love working with leading technology? Super into convergence? If you answered yes to any of these questions, check out freethetvchallenge.com.
Samsung is offering $225,000 in cash and prizes for the most innovative converged apps that enable an interactive home entertainment experience between a Samsung Smart TV and at least one other screen, such as a phone,...
October 2011
6 posts
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Challenge accepted!
If you’ve visited the NYC BigApps 3.0 site, you’ve probably noticed the Accept This Challenge button. This is a new button on our most recent challenges, and it means you now have a choice: accept the challenge, or follow it?
So what’s the difference, and why should you care? Well, we hope these buttons will allow you to express your interest in the challenge a little more...
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Know someone who has made a positive impact on the...
We’ve heard some amazing stories about neighbors and organizations supporting military families — whether it’s lending a hand with child care, helping out with tax preparation, or throwing a baby shower for an expectant military mom.
If you know someone who’s doing something extraordinary to help these brave families, nominate that person (or submit your own application!) to be...
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Get your app noticed: enter NYC BigApps 3.0!
Do you have a great idea for an app? Think it has the potential to be the next big thing? Check out NYC BigApps 3.0, the third annual contest for software developers (and anyone who loves to code) to create web or mobile apps using official New York City open data.
Whether you just want to make something that improves the daily lives of New Yorkers, or you aspire to launch your own startup,...
Making strides against breast cancer
If you read this blog regularly, you know that ChallengePost’s mission is to bring people together to solve problems and accomplish goals collectively. So when we heard about the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk happening in New York City on Oct. 16, we knew we wanted to do our part.
This 5-mile walk is a celebration of survivorship, an occasion to express hope, and a shared...
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Apps for job seekers
Whether you’re planning your education, exploring a career/location change, or negotiating pay and benefits, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) website from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is a fantastic resource.
I’ve used several BLS resources in my own career. When I was deciding on a major in college, I consulted the Occupational Outlook Handbook. Before applying for...
September 2011
13 posts
ChallengePost leads in the co-creation space
Here at ChallengePost, we are pleased to be ranked as a leader in the recent Forrester Wave: Co-Creation Contest Vendors report.
What exactly are co-creation contests, and how can they help you solve business challenges? To learn more, take a look at this Q&A between Forrester Analyst Doug Williams and ChallengePost CEO Brandon Kessler. And here’s an excerpt from the blog post...
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Battle of the best green apps
Over the summer, the Apps for the Environment challenge invited software developers to create innovative and widely useful apps that use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data to address health/environmental problems.
Here’s what the entrants whipped up: 38 green apps. Which ones do you find most useful, innovative, and user-friendly? Put on your critic hat, and vote for your favorite...
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Spruce up your résumé: become a Community...
How cool would it be to add the title “Community Ambassador” under one of these high-profile challenges on your résumé?
Apps for Development Competition by the World Bank
NYC BigApps by New York City Economic Development Corporation
Recipes for Healthy Kids Challenge by the USDA & First Lady Michelle Obama
Free the TV Challenge by Samsung
HackLolla by Lollapalooza
If you...
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Challenges roundup: do you like making videos?
Earlier this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched the Healthy Swimming 2011 Video Contest, and challenged the public to create a short, creative video that promotes the simple steps everyone can take to ensure a healthy and recreational-water-illness-free swimming experience. The result? This funny 60-second video shot by brothers David and Aaron Matthews of...
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The USDA Fruits and Veggies Video Challenge opens...
Think back to your last sit-down meal. What did your plate look like? Was it mostly protein? Mostly carbs? Mostly pizza?
Chances are, your plate didn’t measure up to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Here’s the new MyPlate icon that summarizes the USDA’s advice:
The goal is to make sure that half your plate consists of fruits and vegetables. If you find that inspiring (or...
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Scholarship prizes for data visualization products
Do you have what it takes to apply data visualization for transportation investment or policy decisions? The United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) wants to see what you can do!
The U.S. DOT, in partnership with the Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) Committee on Visualization in Transportation, is offering more than $4,000 in scholarship prizes to university students for...
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$50K VA challenge: Blue Button for All Americans
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) wants to encourage widespread use of Blue Button℠ personal health records outside Federal health care programs to benefit all Americans — including Veterans who receive care from non-VA providers.
Join the Blue Button for All Americans challenge to help make real and important changes in how all Americans get access to their own health data.
...
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Apps Against Abuse challenge: create innovative...
There’s still a month left to enter this meaningful challenge — join the fight against violence and abuse, and make an impact!
Challenge: Apps Against Abuse
Create: An easy-to-use application that provides college students and young adults with the tools to help prevent dating violence and sexual assault.
Submission deadline: October 17, 2011
Prizes: Winners will be honored in an award...
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From the White House: Be part of the Joining...
Reblogged from the White House Blog, a special post by Dr. Jill Biden, Second Lady of the United States:
I’m writing today about a very special project, the Joining Forces Community Challenge.
In that past few years, the First Lady and I have seen incredible examples of people and organizations reaching out to our military families in creative and meaningful ways. Individuals and groups are...
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MTA App Quest: extended deadline + new data
What’s better than data? More data! The MTA will soon release some new data on its website. And to give you time to work with the new goodies, we’re extending the MTA App Quest submission deadline to October 17.
The MTA hopes to post the new datasets by October 1. Stay tuned to the challenge website or this blog for updates. Better yet, follow the challenge and you’ll get an...
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Elsevier's Apps for Science challenge: last chance...
Check out these apps in Elsevier’s Apps for Science challenge that enhance scientific search and discovery, and vote for your favorite by 5 p.m. EDT today! The Popular Choice Award winner will take home a $5,000 USD cash prize.
Elsevier is a world-leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services.