Challenges and Prizes Community of Practice

News and Events on Challenges and Prizes Community of Practice

36 posts

White House and GSA Celebrate Record Years in Prize Competitions, Citizen Science Efforts

White House & GSA Celebrate Record Years in Prize Competitions, Citizen Science Efforts—On July 20, GSA’s Open Innovation Program and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) co-hosted the Open Innovation Forum in partnership with Digital.gov. The event was themed around building equitable partnerships and it celebrated OSTP’s biennial report to Congress that covers the federal government’s prize competitions, crowdsourcing and citizen science initiatives in fiscal years 2019 and 2020. — via General Services Administration

Aug 03, 2022

Spotlight Chat

Challenge and Prize Spotlight Chat with National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

Hear from NIST Innovation and Legal teams on the benefits of engaging legal counsel and establishing a legal framework for challenges and prize competitions in an agency.

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Hosted by Digital.gov and the Challenge & Prize Community of Practice

Posts by Dr. Jarah Meador Posts by Craig Connelly Posts by Jeremy Glenn Posts by Emily Parkhurst

Apr 21, 2021 2021

Federal Crowdsourcing Webinar Series, Episode 1: Citizen Science

This is the first installment of GSA’s Federal Crowdsourcing Webinar Series, where we look at how to use crowdsourcing to reach beyond your walls and source talent and enthusiasm.

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Hosted by Digital.gov and the Challenge.gov

Posts by John McLaughlin Posts by Sophia B. Liu

Apr 09, 2019 2019

Federal Challenge & Prize Community of Practice Quarterly Meeting

Crowdsourcing experts from around the federal government come together to discuss trends, success stories and lessons learned in the use of competitions.

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Hosted by Digital.gov and the Challenge & Prize Community of Practice

Posts by Andrew Hait Posts by Craig Jolley Posts by Debbie Bucci Posts by Elizabeth Cain Posts by Eric Mill Posts by Jennifer Shieh Posts by Jim Thompson Posts by Joseph Castle Posts by Kate Appel Posts by Nathan Dietz Posts by Toby Egan

May 15, 2018 2018

Federal Challenge & Prize Community of Practice Quarterly Meeting

This quarterly meeting brings together federal employees from a range of agencies to discuss trends, success stories and lessons learned in the use of crowdsourcing competitions.

Hosted by Digital.gov and the Challenge & Prize Community of Practice

Feb 27, 2018 2018

​Want to Expand Your Innovation Base? Dive In, Run a Challenge, and Listen to Your Customers

The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) is a small agency in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) whose mission is to increase the interoperability and use of electronic health records and health IT. We don’t have the funding and personnel of larger agencies, and, for the most part, this is fine. The

Posts by Adam Wong

May 24, 2017

A New Prize Challenge for Virtual and Augmented Reality Learning Tools

Summary: The Administration has launched a new competition for virtual and augmented reality developers to create learning tools to support career and technical education. “I’m calling for investments in educational technology that will help create. . . educational software that’s as compelling as the best video game. I want you guys to be stuck on

Posts by Erik Martin Posts by Albert Palacios

Nov 18, 2016

GAO to Congress: Federal Agencies Are Making a Difference Through Open Innovation

Federal agencies confront tough problems every day. In searching for solutions, agencies will want to attract different perspectives, test new products, build capacity and communities, and increase public awareness. How do they do it? The answer: open innovation. Federal agencies need to engage and collaborate with all sectors of society, a task made easier by

Posts by Eric Beidel

Oct 21, 2016

Another Year, Another Leap Forward for Prize Competitions

If federal agencies need an incentive to be more open and innovative in addressing critical issues, they need look no further than news this week from the White House. On August 10, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy issued its Implementation of Federal Prize Authority Progress Report for fiscal year 2015, and

Posts by Eric Beidel

Aug 11, 2016

DARPA: A Case Study in Open Innovation

You may not know it, but the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, has changed your life. There’s the Internet, for starters. And if that isn’t enough, the agency also has played a pivotal role in shaping GPS, stealth aircraft and drone technology. In fact, ever since its creation under President Eisenhower, DARPA has

Posts by Eric Beidel

Jul 25, 2016

The Content Corner: How to Leverage User-Generated Content to Resonate With Your Audience

User-Generated Content (UGC) is a buzzword as of late, popularized recently due to the ever increasing demand for new content.

Posts by Kyle S. Richardson

Jul 11, 2016

White House: Challenges, Citizen Science Among Top Innovation Efforts of Past 8 Years

The White House this week released a report detailing the impact of 100 initiatives that have expanded U.S. capacity in science, technology and innovation over the past eight years. Evident throughout the report is the influence of Challenge.gov and CitizenScience.gov, two open innovation programs managed by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). In fact, among

Posts by Eric Beidel

Jun 24, 2016

700 Strong: Challenge.gov Crosses New Milestone in Open Innovation

Challenge.gov, the official website for crowdsourcing and prize competitions across government, celebrated its five-year anniversary in October 2015. Now, not even one year later, the site has reached another milestone. On Monday, two agencies launched new challenges, bringing the total

Posts by Eric Beidel

Jun 15, 2016

A Problem Without Definition Is a Challenge Without a Solution

A prize competition often starts with a problem. In order to get help to find a solution, people need to clearly understand your problem. Understanding and effectively communicating your problem isn’t easy, but it’s necessary. Problems are like spaghetti—messy and complex, says Denys Resnick, Executive Vice President of Strategic Programs at NineSigma Inc., which provides

Posts by Eric Beidel

Jun 08, 2016

Open Data Democratizes Innovation

Americans Use Public Data to Improve the Lives of Fellow Citizens Data is one of our most important national assets. It informs our policy and our national priorities. But as we have seen time and time again, the most effective way to govern is to engage with the public directly. Thanks to the President’s Executive Order requiring

Posts by Robin A. Thottungal Posts by Kris Rowley

Jun 02, 2016

The Challenge of Partnerships: ‘The Good, Bad and Ugly’ of Prize Collaborations

Well-executed partnerships can create better solutions and place them on a bigger platform. Poorly executed ones, on the other hand, can send federal agencies into a bureaucratic tailspin. To partner or not to partner: That is the question. “If you are going to do one, don’t do it because it seems like a good idea,”

Posts by Eric Beidel

Apr 29, 2016

Challenges, Crowdsourcing, Citizen Science: What’s the Dif?

There’s more than one way to harness the wisdom of the crowd. In honor of December’s monthly theme, we’re diving into and defining the various ways that federal agencies use public contributions to meet real needs and fulfill important objectives. Crowdsourcing Two’s company, three’s a crowd—and getting input from many is crowdsourcing. A White House

Posts by Ashley Wichman

Dec 16, 2015

Challenges & Crowdsourcing: A Quick Overview and Look Ahead

This month we’re highlighting articles about challenge competitions and crowdsourcing across the federal government. Federal agencies can gain a wealth of ideas, services, solutions and products by asking a large, diverse crowd to contribute their talents and skills. Simply put, crowdsourcing means engaging the crowd. Often referred to as a form of open collaboration or

Posts by Eric Beidel

Dec 08, 2015

New White House Innovation Strategy Promotes Increase in Challenges and Prizes

The White House released an updated Strategy for American Innovation last week, calling again on government to tap the American public’s brain trust

Posts by Kelly Olson

Oct 29, 2015

Training Series Offers Marketing Tips for Prizes & Challenges

Marketing and public education is an essential part of any successful prize competition. The good news for federal agencies working with tight budgets is that both can be accomplished without breaking the bank. “We have found other ways than spending a lot of money,” said Denice Shaw, senior advisor to the Chief Innovation Officer at the

Posts by Eric Beidel

Oct 28, 2015

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