{
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    "title" : "Challenge.gov Honors Federal Agencies, Staff for Raising the Bar on Public Sector Prize Competitions |Digital.gov",
    "description": "Challenge.gov Honors Federal Agencies, Staff for Raising the Bar on Public Sector Prize Competitions",
    "home_page_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/","feed_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/10/13/challenge-gov-honors-federal-agencies-staff-for-raising-the-bar-on-public-sector-prize-competitions/index.json","item" : [
    {"title" :"Challenge.gov Honors Federal Agencies, Staff for Raising the Bar on Public Sector Prize Competitions","summary" : "The biggest advocates for the use of challenges in the public sector gathered at the General Services Administration (GSA) headquarters, October 8, to acknowledge the remarkable rise of a community that has grown steadily in number and influence over the past five years. More than 300 federal employees representing agencies spanning government attended in person","date" : "2015-10-13T14:26:44-04:00","date_modified" : "2025-01-27T19:42:55-05:00","authors" : {"eric-beidel" : "Eric Beidel"},"topics" : {
        
            "challenges-and-prize-competitions" : "Challenges and prize competitions"
            },"branch" : "bc-archive-content-3",
      "filename" :"2015-10-13-challenge-gov-honors-federal-agencies-staff-for-raising-the-bar-on-public-sector-prize-competitions.md",
      
      "filepath" :"news/2015/10/2015-10-13-challenge-gov-honors-federal-agencies-staff-for-raising-the-bar-on-public-sector-prize-competitions.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2015/10/2015-10-13-challenge-gov-honors-federal-agencies-staff-for-raising-the-bar-on-public-sector-prize-competitions.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2015/10/2015-10-13-challenge-gov-honors-federal-agencies-staff-for-raising-the-bar-on-public-sector-prize-competitions.md","slug" : "challenge-gov-honors-federal-agencies-staff-for-raising-the-bar-on-public-sector-prize-competitions","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/10/13/challenge-gov-honors-federal-agencies-staff-for-raising-the-bar-on-public-sector-prize-competitions/","content" :"\u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2015/10/600-x-400-Oct8th2015%5c_GSAAwards%5c_PhotoByEllieVanHoutte-3953.jpg\"\n    alt=\"Audience\"/\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe biggest advocates for the use of challenges in the public sector gathered at the General Services Administration (GSA) headquarters, October 8, to acknowledge the remarkable rise of a community that has grown steadily in number and influence over the past five years.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMore than 300 federal employees representing agencies spanning government attended in person or watched via livestream to mark the five-year anniversary of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.challenge.gov/list/\"\u003eChallenge.gov\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“It is clear that open innovation is here to stay,” said Kelly Olson, director of the Challenge.gov program. “Incentivized challenges and competitions are changing the way we do business and expanding across federal agencies with sponsorship and support from the senior-most levels of government.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2015/10/600-x-400-Oct8th2015%5c_GSAAwards%5c_PhotoByEllieVanHoutte-3763.jpg\"\n    alt=\"600-x-400-Oct8th2015\\_GSAAwards\\_PhotoByEllieVanHoutte-3763\"/\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eManaged by GSA, Challenge.gov serves both as the official listing of challenges and competitions across government as well as a centralized platform for federal agencies to market and manage their problem-solving events.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSince going online in 2010, more than 80 federal agencies have run nearly 500 challenges with over $150 million in prizes. But the success of the program derives, in large part, from the agencies and personnel who first tested its waters and later advocated for its expanded use.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith the public’s participation, the U.S. government developed strategies to better predict the timing, peak and intensity of flu outbreaks; aid first responders in detecting gunfire and locating active shooters; devise solar-powered technologies to desalinate and disinfect water for use in rural areas and developing countries; assist human trafficking survivors with locating resources and shelters, and much more. (See a sample of prize competition \u003ca href=\"https://www.challenge.gov/success-stories/\"\u003esuccess stories\u003c/a\u003e.) \u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2015/10/600-x-400-Oct8th2015%5c_GSAAwards%5c_PhotoByEllieVanHoutte-0525.jpg\"\n    alt=\"Expo\"/\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“These people, these stories and this program have enabled federal agencies to engage civic innovators and entrepreneurs to help carry out agency missions and benefit society,” Olson said.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"recognizing-the-ambitious-firsts\"\u003eRecognizing the Ambitious Firsts\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMore than 50 awards in all were given to some of the federal government’s brightest stars in the challenge and prize field. Some were honored for being trailblazers, while others were recognized for being unsung heroes.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eProjects were recognized for their impact on both government missions and people’s lives.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere’s a glimpse of some of the winners:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGreatest Impact for Citizens\u003c/strong\u003e went to the Federal Trade Commission for its series of competitions to gain insight into honeypot information systems to \u003ca href=\"http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/feature-0025-robocalls\"\u003efight against robocalls\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGreatest Impact Worldwide\u003c/strong\u003e went to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for a \u003ca href=\"http://thetechchallenge.org/\"\u003echallenge using publicly available datasets\u003c/a\u003e to produce five diverse algorithms capable of predicting where violence against civilians might occur, using very different statistical methodologies.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBest in Technology\u003c/strong\u003e went to the USAID and the Bureau of Reclamation for the \u003ca href=\"http://www.securingwaterforfood.org/the-desal-prize/\"\u003eDESAL Prize\u003c/a\u003e, which sought cost-effective, energy-smart technologies to produce clean water for people and crops.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTwo winners of \u003cstrong\u003ePublic/Private Partnership Collaboration\u003c/strong\u003e awards spotlighted:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.challenge.gov/challenge/head-health-challenge-iii-advanced-materials-for-impact-mitigation/\"\u003eHead Health Challenge III\u003c/a\u003e, which saw the National Institute of Standards and Technology team with the NFL, GE and Under Armour to improve protective equipment for athletes, military personnel and those in dangerous occupations.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/content/asteroid-data-hunter-challenge-0\"\u003eAsteroid Data Hunter Challenge\u003c/a\u003e, which saw NASA team with partners in industry and academia to seek algorithms that can help identify asteroids in images captured by ground-based telescopes.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cstrong\u003eEdison Innovation Award\u003c/strong\u003e saluted to the Energy Department’s \u003ca href=\"http://catalyst.energy.gov/\"\u003eSunshot Catalyst Challenge\u003c/a\u003e, which accelerates the development of solutions and startups in the U.S. solar marketplace.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTwo of the \u003cstrong\u003eMost Groundbreaking\u003c/strong\u003e challenges included:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNASA’s \u003ca href=\"http://www.nasa.gov/cubequest/details\"\u003eCube Quest Challenge\u003c/a\u003e, which offered $5.5 million in prizes in the agency’s first completion actually held in space, with competitors getting the chance to fly their own mini satellite to the moon.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Department of Housing and Urban Development’s \u003ca href=\"http://www.rebuildbydesign.org/\"\u003eRebuild by Design Challenge\u003c/a\u003e, which called on teams of experts to create multi-faceted solutions to increase resiliency in the New York metro region battered by Hurricane Sandy.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn all, Challenge.gov presented nearly 50 awards recognizing individuals, agencies and teams for public-sector prize competions across categories ranging from creative and entrepreneurial to most groundbreaking and trailblazing. See the \u003ca href=\"https://www.challenge.gov/challenge-gov-celebrates-five-years-of-open-innovation/\"\u003ecomplete list of honorees\u003c/a\u003e, and our Facebook \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.936915249736288.1073741827.101849703242851\"\u003ephoto album\u003c/a\u003e for the event.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe awards came a day after the White House officials renewed their commitment to the 2009 Strategy for American Innovation and \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/10/06/celebrating-five-year-anniversary-challengegov-more-20-new-prizes\"\u003eannounced the kickoff\u003c/a\u003e of more than 20 new prize competitions across the public and private sectors.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2015/09/600-x-175-challenge-gov-5-years.jpg\"\n    alt=\"The Challenge.gov 5 years of excellence logo.\"/\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\n"}
  ]
}