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Challenge.gov a One-Stop Shop for Government Contests

by Terrence O'Brien on September 8, 2010 at 10:50 AM

Challenge.gov Screencap
Challenge.gov is a new site, created by the U.S. General Services Administration to serve as a one-stop shop for government-run contests, challenges and prizes. Federal agencies are able to post contests to the clearinghouse in an effort to increase visibility and increase citizen engagement. Most of the challenges offer prize money to citizens who are able to provide compelling content, such as healthy school lunch recipes or anti-distracted driving PSAs, or innovative solutions to problems. The platform is open and free to use for government agencies, and any citizen is able to visit and enter the various contests. At launch, 16 agencies have presented 40 challenges, including seven brand new contests, like the call for child-created infographics about how to become President.

The challenges are not new, but having them all in one place is. Challenges.gov should save time and effort by allowing agencies to focus on judging the quality of submissions instead of worrying about the submission methods and IT infrastructure. It also bolsters awareness. Citizens may have heard of the Automotive X Prize, but significantly fewer know of the Game Day Challenge, which challenges college football teams to reduce the amount of waste produced during games. Check out the source link for more contests. Who knows, maybe you'll have the answer to one of the government's many burning questions.

Tags: challenge.gov, citizen, concept, contest, crowdsourcing, government, top

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