Challenge.

gov
Connecting Agencies and Citizens Around Our
Nation’s Challenges

Center for New Media and Citizen Engagement

Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies
U.S. General Services Administration
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 Why Challenge.gov?
March 8, 2010

Guidance on the Use of

Challenges and Prizes to
Promote Open Government

“To support agencies in the execution of prizes that further the

policy objectives of the Federal Government, the Administration
will make available a web-based platform for prizes and
challenges within 120 days. This platform will provide a forum for
agencies to post problems and invite communities of problem
solvers to suggest, collaborate on, and deliver solutions.”
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 Why Challenges?
• Raise awareness and generate enthusiasm
• Identify the goal without first choosing the approach or
team most likely to succeed
• Find more innovative solutions to problems
• Change perception of what’s possible
• Pay only for performance
• Attract new entrants
• Stimulate private sector investment

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 What’s Out There?
• USDA Apps for Healthy Kids http://www.appsforhealthykids.com
• DOL Career Video Challenge
http://www.dol.gov/dol/videochallenge.htm
• ED Open Innovation Portal https://innovation.ed.gov/
• EDA i6 Challenge http://www.eda.gov/i6
• NASA Centennial Challenge
http://www.nasa.gov/offices/ipp/innovation_incubator/

+ more at http://go.usa.gov/OZq

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 Using Challenge.gov
The Public
Agencies Can
Can
Post challenges quickly and Find challenges by topic or
easily with workflow “wizard” agency, or just search

Feature challenges hosted on Quickly share innovative ideas

other platforms with government

Add blogs, discussion, analytics Submit solutions in the form of

with one click text, video, files, or links

Use public voting, expert Support challenges to receive

judging, or both updates and follow progress

Provide winners and supporters Win prizes, recognition, and

with strong social incentives social rewards

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Clean, Inviting Design

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 Find Challenges
• Screenshot forthcoming

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 Learn The Rules
• Screenshot forthcoming

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 Support
Display total amount of prize money at stake for winner(s)

Time-box periods for submission, voting, judging, etc.

• Receive newsletter updates about the challenge
• Be notified when winners are chosen
• Write congratulatory notes to winners

Citizens can “support” the challenge in order to:

• Promote to their friends and networks
• Recruit new solvers
• Build awareness and buzz

Supporters can spread the word to their networks

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Easy Challenge Creation Flow

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 Out-Of-The-Box Policy Support
• We have taken care of:
• Fed-compatible Terms of Service
• Privacy Impact Assessment and Privacy Policy
• Security of Amazon cloud and application layer
• Section 508 and accessibility testing
• Persistent cookies
• Paperwork Reduction Act
• You should think about:
• Records management
• Challenge authority
• Creating an awesome challenge

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 User Roles
• Select Featured Challenges
Challenge.gov

Permissions Cascade Downward

• Add Departments & Agencies
Administrators • Add Dept/Agency Admins

• Control Agency Page Content

Department/Agency • Select Featured Challenges
Administrators • Add Challenge Posters

• Create Challenges
Challenge Creators • Moderate Submissions
• Invite Judges & Moderators

• Expert Judges
Challenge • Citizen Solvers
Participants • Challenge Supporters

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 Our Next Steps
• Challenge.gov is currently in agency-only beta
• Looking for “a few good challenges”
• Using Staging.Challenge.gov to learn and experiment
• Featuring current challenges on other platforms
• Finding agency and department POCs
• Next, we’ll open to the public
• Celebrate the challenges, not the website
• Acquisition strategy to help locate and get expertise
• Features: Social activity feed, “Suggest a Challenge”

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 Your Next Steps
• Request access at govaccess@challenge.gov
• Let us know: E-mail, agency, are you an admin?
• Access staging: username gov / password earlyaccess
• Indentify your agency’s challenge POCs
• One or many, no special technical skills
• Departments and sub-agencies
• Get training!
• General challenges July 16; Challenge.gov July 22
• In-person training for POCs July 23
• Get your challenges onto Challenge.gov!
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