WASHINGTON, October 29, 2010 - The World Bank Group has launched the “Apps for Development” competition, the first global contest of its kind. This competition aims to bring together the best ideas from both the software developer and the development practitioner communities to create innovative apps using World Bank data.
The Competition challenges participants to develop software applications related to one or more of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Submissions may be any kind of software application, be it for the web, a personal computer, a mobile handheld device, console, SMS, or any software platform broadly available to the public. The only other requirement is that the proposed application use one or more datasets from the World Bank Data Catalog. Applications submitted to the Competition should address at least one of the following objectives:
1. Raise awareness of at least one of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), or
2. Contribute to progress toward meeting one of the MDGs by 2015.
Applications which best satisfy the competition criteria will receive cash prizes and the opportunity to have their apps featured on the World Bank Open Data website. Competition participants are encouraged to also use other relevant indicators and datasets, and to be creative in exploring approaches for realizing the goals.
About the Millennium Development Goals
The MDGs represent a collective ambition for our world. Simply put, the MDGs express a vision of a world in which extreme poverty and hunger have been eliminated, and the economic and human welfare of poor people worldwide has been tangibly improved. The MDGs articulate specific targets to be reached by 2015 related to poverty and hunger, universal education, child health and other crucial dimensions.
How to enter
Interested participants must register for the contest on Apps for Development webpage by creating an account between October 7, 2010, and January 10, 2011. Registrants will receive an email, which they must use to verify their account. Once registered, participants may enter their submissions via the Submit Application tab. In order to be considered, each submission must include: a link to the application, a video of the application, a text-based description of the application, and at least one still photograph of the working application.
The Challenge is open to all individuals from member countries of the World Bank who have attained the age of majority in their individual nations at the time of their entries, as well as companies with fewer than fifty employees. Organizations employing fifty or more employees are eligible for the Large Organization Recognition award.
In order to be considered for prizes, submissions must be original software applications solely owned by the entrant(s), which must use at least one of the World Bank datasets. We encourage you to view the Resources Page to find more information on the data and the MDG's. The text descriptions in the contest submission must accurately describe the functionality of the application, and all submitted materials must be in English, or include an English translation. Submissions must eschew indecency, defamation, violence, pornography, and obvious bad taste.
All entrants will retain all intellectual property ownership in their submissions. All interested applicants must read the complete version of the Official Rules document. The rules listed here provide only a brief introduction and overview, and do not constitute a complete list of all requirements and restrictions that apply to this competition.
| Prizes | |
| First Prize | $15,000 USD |
| Second Prize | $10,000 USD |
| Third Prize | $5,000 USD |
| Honorable Mentions (5) | $2,000 USD each |
| Popular Choice Award | $5,000 USD |
Large Organization Recognition Award
The Large Organization Award winner will receive public acknowledgement, but no cash prize.
