Posted by Merrin
The Apps for Healthy Kids competition is an important new element of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign, a nationwide initiative to fight childhood obesity across America. A total of $40,000 in prizes is being offered for the most innovative, engaging, and fun software tools developed to encourage children to eat healthier foods and to be more physically active. The competition opened on March 10th and will close on June 30, 2010 at 5pm EDT.
Developers, game designers, innovators, and students are being asked to use theUSDA Nutrition Dataset to create software tools or games that incorporate at least one of many health topics listed in the abbreviated rules. A qualified USDA panel will perform the initial screenings, and the top submissions will be judged by an expert panel on the basis of the submissions’ potential impact on the target audience (kids aged 9-12), quality and accuracy of the message, creativity and originality, and potential for further development and use. Ten prizes and awards will be given, and winners will be honored at a White House event with judges, White House members, USDA staff, and media representatives in attendance. Interested competitors should consult the list of official rules, resources, FAQs, and registration page.
Michelle Obama knows how difficult it can be for parents to make the time to encourage their kids to eat well and exercise, which is why “Let’s Move! is going to take families out of their isolation and give them the nationwide support that they need in a whole range of industries to get their kids on track to live healthier lives, to eat right, to get more exercise, and to be ready to face the challenges of the future.”
Mar 17