The U.S. Energy Department’s Apps for Energy is offering $100,000 to software developers for the best new apps that help utility customers make the most of their Green Button electricity usage data.
Green Button is an open standard for sharing electricity data that is available to millions of utility customers, so mash it up with other public data sources to help homeowners and businesses take action, understand their usage and make better-informed decisions.
The app submission period runs from April 5 to May 15, 2012. A panel of judges will select a winner and one or two runners-up in two categories, Best Overall Application and the Student Award, one winner of the peak demand reduction prize, and the public will select a Popular Choice Award winner. Winners and runners-up will receive a cash prize from DOE or another Competition Administrator, and will be invited to Washington, D.C., to be honored at a recognition event and to demonstrate their apps. DOE will also feature the apps of the winners and runners up on the DOE website.
Schedule:
- Submission Period Begins: 2:00 pm ET, April 5, 2012
- Submission Period Ends: 8:00 pm ET, May 15, 2012
- Judging Panel and Public Voting Period Begins: 8:00 am ET, May 17, 2012
- Judging Panel and Public Voting Period Ends: 8:00pm ET, May 21, 2012
Prizes:
- Best Overall Application – Grand Prize: $30,000
- Best Overall Application – Second Prize: $15,000
- Best Overall Application – Third Prize: $7,500
- Student Award – Grand Prize: $15,000
- Student Award – Second Prize: $7,500
- Popular Choice Award – Grand Prize: $8,000
- Popular Choice Award – Second Prize: $4,000
- Peak Energy Usage Award: $6,000
Eligibility:
- Citizens or permanent residents of the United States who are at least thirteen (13) years old at the time of entry (or teams of eligible individuals)
- Private entities, such as corporations or other organizations, that are incorporated in and maintain a primary place of business in the United States.
- Individuals submitting on behalf of corporations, nonprofits, or groups of individuals (such as an academic class or other team) must meet the eligibility requirements for individual participants. An individual may join more than one team, corporation, or nonprofit organization. DOE employees, employees of sponsoring organizations, and members of their immediate family (spouses, children, siblings, parents), and persons living in the same household as such persons, whether or not related, are not eligible to participate in the Competition.
Application Details:
- Developers must submit their original application between April 5, 2012 and May 15, 2012. Submissions will be posted on a rolling basis after being screened by DOE for basic functionality, accuracy of messaging, and integrity (i.e., security), and appropriateness of content. The Administrator has the right to request access to the Application in person or via any reasonable manner to verify the Application functions and operates as stated in the Submission. Failure by a Contestant to honor such a request may result in immediate disqualification of the Submission. The members of the general public, including all Contestants, will have equal access to Submissions posted on the website. DOE reserves the right to extend the submission period at any time for any reason.
- Teams: Challenge submissions can be from an individual or a team. If a team of individuals, a corporation, or an organization is selected as a prizewinner, DOE will divide the prize equally among the team members identified at the time of Submission. It will be up to the winning team or organization to reallocate the prize money, if they deem it appropriate.
