The Obama administration is trying to make the federal government more tech friendly, especially in the consumer facing arena. When Vivek Kundra, the U.S. Chief Information Officer visited with us a few weeks ago he discussed the push to offer government agencies more technology options from the private sector. Probably the most startup friendly spot is the
apps.gov website, a marketplace where companies can offer their tech solutions to government agencies.
Well here is one more opportunity for developers to create an application for the government, and this one is expected to generate good publicity for the winner, not to mention a cash prize.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and First Lady Michell Obama are launching the
Apps for Healthy Kids competition to challenge software developers, game designers and other innovators to develop fun and engaging tools and games that will help kids eat better and be more active.
The thought behind it is that kids already average seven plus hours of screen time a day so why not make it fun and educational? The competition is offering prizes for the most creative means of using the USDA's recently released
MyPyramid 1,000 Database to teach kids about the importance of good nutrition and health.
"Maybe you've seen those dance video games or exercise games that families are playing together at home -- or ones kids play using their mobile phones or home computers -- those are the kinds of games we're talking about," said the First Lady in a written statement. "We're challenging software and game designers -- professionals and amateurs alike -- to come up with games that incorporate nutritional information and make healthy living fun."
There are top prizes of $10,000 each in the best tool and best game categories with lesser cash prizes for second and third place. Developers also maintain intellectual property rights, but agree to license the app to the government for a year. Although the cash itself isn't a jaw-dropper the competition's judges are well known including Steve Wozniak, Mark Pincus, and others. Full rules and details can be found at the
appsforhealthykids.com website. The entry deadline is June 30th, 2010.