Apps for Metro Chicago Illinois Competition Rules and Regulations

Got a winning idea? This page has all the information you need to bring you up to speed on the rules and regulations, make sure you are in line with the judging criteria and submit your app on time.

Competition Structure: Explanation of the themes for each round.
Awards: How the $50,000 will be awarded.
Judging Criteria: What the judges are rewarding.
Key Deadlines: When to submit your app.
Submitting Your App: Ensuring your submission is complete.
Competition Rules and Regulations: The fine print.

1. Competition Structure

The competition has three sequential rounds of awarded prizes: the Transportation round, the Community round, and the Grand Challenge. The themes are purposefully broad in scope to encourage the submission of Apps in more than one round and provoke continuous improvement. Apps in all rounds must be built using Competition Data.

Round One: Transportation. June 24-August 15.

Transportation apps should improve the transportation experience for metropolitan Chicago residents and visitors and should touch the geography of the city of Chicago. Transportation is broadly defined to include all types of public and private modes of transportation: trains, subway, buses, highways, streets, autos, bicycles, pedestrian, taxi, water, etc. All submissions for the Transportation round should be received by 11:59 pm on August 15^th.

Round Two: Community. August 28 - September 30.

Community apps should help residents and visitors improve their experience of Chicago metropolitan communities and must touch the geography of the city of Chicago. Communities are broadly defined as neighborhoods, blocks, streets, parks, or any contiguous geographic area where individuals would collectively share experiences; or collections of individuals who share a common interest. All submissions for the Community round should be received by 11:59 pm on September 30^th.

Round Three: Grand Challenge. October 15 - December 2.

The Grand Challenge round has the widest scope: apps can be built along any theme as long as they benefit Metro Chicago. The Grand Challenge round will have twenty finalists. Ten of these finalists will consist of the Apps that won 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th place in the (previous) Transportation and Community rounds. Finalists are encouraged to improve upon their “previously winning” app for its consideration in the Grand Challenge. Five additional apps will be chosen by a panel of judges and another five apps by public voting. Feel free to re-submit your App for re-consideration in the Grand Challenge if it didn’t make it to the finals in the previous rounds, but there’s no “automatic entry” of previously-submitted apps. All submissions for the Grand Challenge should be received by 11:59 pm on December 2.

The twenty finalist apps will then be voted by a panel of Grand Challenge Final judges. Awards for these rounds are as follows:

2. Awards

For both the Transportation and Community rounds, a panel of judges will review all applications and choose ten finalists. In each round, the ten finalists will then be voted on by the public in order to determine first through tenth places. Awards for the three competition rounds are as follows,

Competition Round Awards

Winner	Prize	Quantity
Grand Challenge – 1^st Place	$10,000	1
Grand Challenge – 2^nd Place	$5,000	1
Grand Challenge – 3^rd Place	$3,500	1
Grand Challenge – 4^th Place	$2,000	1
Grand Challenge – 5^th Place	$1,500	1
Grand Challenge – 6^th Place through 10^th Place	$500	5
Inovate Illinois Grand Prize	$6,000	1
Green Opportunities Award	$2,000	1
Transportation Round – 1^st Place	$5,000	1
Transportation Round – 2^nd Place	$3,000	1
Transportation Round – 3^rd Place	$1,500	1
Transportation Round – 4^th Place	$1,000	1
Transportation Round – 5^th Place	$750	1
Transportation Round – 6^th Place through 10^th Place	$300	5
Community Round – 1^st Place	$5,000	1
Community Round – 2^nd Place	$3,000	1
Community Round – 3^rd Place	$1,500	1
Community Round – 4^th Place	$1,000	1
Community Round – 5^th Place	$750	1
Community Round – 6^th Place through 10^th Place	$300	5

Award winners that are residents of New York, Florida, or Rhode Island as well as other areas, are responsible for complying with all of their local requirements, leases, rules and taxes.

All award winners are responsible for and should contact their tax counsel regarding any tax impact of a prize.

There is no commitment to make all of the awards listed above.

Special Awards

Innovate Illinois (Round 1- Transportation, Round 2- Community, and the Grand Challenge)

The State of Illinois with support from Motorola Mobility and the Illinois Science and Technology is offering the Innovate Illinois Award for the application that most creatively uses a dataset or sets supplied by the State Portal. to benefit Illinois residents. The State is pleased to be a part of the Competition, an important initiative which provides residents incentive and opportunity to explore and utilize the State's recently launched open data portal (http://data.illinois.gov). To qualify for the State Prize an app must help Illinois residents and use a dataset or sets from the State Portal

Green Opportunities (GO) APP Award (Grand Challenge)

The Delta Institute is sponsoring the first-ever “Green Opportunities App Award,” in connection with the Apps for Metro Chicago project (A4MC). Delta is offering a $2,000 prize for the the best App designed to help users find, create, sustain or share green products, practices and programs in the City of Chicago. Applicants should utilize available city, county and state datasets to create an App that promotes one or more of the following goals:

Reduction of waste and pollution;
Increased material reuse and recycling;
Conservation and preservation of water resources;
Reduction in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions;
Increased consumption of local, sustainable, fresh foods and beverages;
Sustainable use of vacant, abandoned and underutilized properties;
Increased appreciation for and enjoyment of green attractions and recreation;
Increased knowledge about and understanding of environmental issues.

Submitted Green Opportunities Apps must comply with all A4MC requirements and relate to one or more of the above themes or other environmental goals.

The Delta Institute is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization dedicated to leading the transformation to the green economy in the Great Lakes region. Founded in 1998, Delta creates, funds and implements innovative programs that promote a healthy environment, a strong economy and thriving, vibrant communities – blazing a trail for the green economy so others can successfully follow. For more information, visit www.delta-institute.org or call (312) 554-0900.

Placemaking Category (Round 2- Community)

Placemaking is a multi-faceted approach to the planning, design and management of public spaces. Put simply, it involves looking at, listening to, and asking questions of the people who live, work and play in a particular space, to discover needs and aspirations. This information is then used to create a common vision for that place. In order to advance the principles of Placemaking in the Chicagoland area, the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) is offering a special IBM-sponsored prize of at least $2,500 in cash and prizes for the best Placemaking app or apps in the Apps for Metro Chicago (A4MC) competition.

In order to be considered for the Placemaking app contest, developers must check the box marked ‘Placemaking’ when submitting, create an app that helps users to find, create, sustain and/or share vibrant public spaces in metropolitan Chicago, and clearly demonstrate that their app helps people tap into the 11 principles of Placemaking. Placemaking apps must comply with all A4MC requirements and use data to spread the knowledge and use of public spaces in metropolitan Chicago.

For more information, see our blog.

Additional prizes may be added throughout the competition. Be sure to check the Updates page for the latest news!

3. Judging Criteria

The key to winning this contest is to demonstrate that you have created something useful for our community. The judges are looking for apps that are built with the input and support of not-for-profits, community organizations and businesses. If you can include a letter from a partner group saying "we've used this app and it furthers our mission and/or business" in your submission, you get extra points. If you work closely with a partner group to develop an app that helps them solve a problem and build a plan to integrate your app into their online presence, your app will automatically rise to the top of the pile. There is a space on the submission form to include partnership details, including the name and contact information of your partner.

Need help finding an organization to collaborate with? Join our Google Group or email Rachel Crosby at rcrosby at mcic dot org or Cecilia Donnelly at cdonnelly at mcic dot org.

In general, the Apps will be judged based on functionality, creativity, longevity, and usefulness.

Functionality: It has to work right. It must be functional across the platform(s) for which it was developed and the data sources it uses must be correctly analyzed. The highest scoring apps will be built for multiple platforms and that add analytical value to the data. Use our help system for both tech problems and data questions!

Creativity: At a minimum it has to be something new for Metro Chicago. We already have a bus tracking system – don’t replicate that! The highest scoring apps will emphasize innovative uses of technology and data in a way not seen anywhere else. There are unprecedented multiple levels of government data at your disposal – this is your chance to do it up.

Longevity: We’re encouraging Apps that will live beyond the competition. At a minimum, it has to be built to accommodate changes in data feeds. The highest scoring apps will include an outline for long-term business strategy. The competition is designed to encourage continuous improvement across multiple rounds – and we mean it.

Usefulness: At a minimum you must provide a use case scenario describing how the app will be of utility to citizens in and visitors to the city of Chicago. The highest scoring apps will be built in partnership with excited, potential long-term users of the app. Use our Ideas page and our Community/Developer connections to find a partner.

Additional prize judging: A separate slate of judges will choose three semi-finalists for any additional prizes. The Round judges will then choose among the three semi-finalists.

4. Key Deadlines

June 24: Transportation Round opens for submissions

August 15: Submissions for Transportation Round close at 11:59 pm

August 19: Finalists announced; public voting opens to determine the prizes

August 25: Public voting closes

August 27: Transportation Round winners announced!

August 28: Community Round opens for submissions

September 30: Submissions for Community Round close at 11:59 pm

October 7: Finalists announced; public voting opens to determine the prizes

October 14: Public voting closes

October 15: Grand Challenge Round opens for submissions

October 17: Community Round Winners Announced!

December 2: Submissions for Grand Challenge Round close at 11:59 pm

December 6: Finalists announced; public voting opens to determine the prizes

December 12: Public voting closes

December 16: Grand Challenge winners announced!

5. Submitting Your App

In order to be considered, each submission must include:

A link to the working software Application;
A text-based description of the Application not to exceed 4000 characters; and
At least one still photograph of the working Application not to exceed 1 MB.

To submit your app create an App Creator Profile on the Apps for Metro Chicago site and follow instructions.

6. Competition Rules and Regulations

Want to enter? Make sure you:

Use one of the 175 data sets our partners made public
Are 18 years old or older
Know which round you want to compete in: Transportation, Community, Grand Challenge, or all three!

And then check the fine print:

Apps for Metro Chicago Competition Rules and Regulations

Description

The Metropolitan Chicago Information Center (“MCIC”), with the assistance of the Supporters described below, is conducting the “Apps for Metro Chicago” Competition (the “Competition”). The Competition is intended to invite organizations recognized as tax-exempt by the Internal Revenue Service (“non-profit organizations”), individuals, groups of individuals, academic institutions, and for-profit businesses with less than forty (40) full-time employees (collectively, the “Applicants”) to create mobile and web-based tools (“Applications” or “Apps”) that display information collected by the City of Chicago (the “City”), the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (“CMAP”), Cook County, and the State of Illinois and enable the public to better understand their communities. The Competition will consist of three (3) rounds – (i) Round 1: Transportation; (ii) Round 2: Community; and (iii) Round 3: Grand Challenge. MCIC is collaborating with the City’s Department of Innovation and Technology, which has created a new website to share civic data. The Competition is supported by the City, Cook County, all governmental units associated with the City or Cook County (such as the Chicago Park District, Chicago Public Schools, Cook County Forest Preserve, etc.), the Civic Consulting Alliance, the Illinois Science and Technology Council, the State of Illinois, The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, the Chicago Community Trust and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation (collectively, the “Supporters”).

Who can enter:

Non-profit organizations, individuals, groups of individuals, academic institutions, and for-profit companies with less than forty (40) employees are eligible to enter the Competition. Individual applicants must be 18 years or older and legal residents of United States (including the District of Columbia).
Unincorporated groups of individuals (“Group Applicant”) applying must designate one individual, who is over the age of 18 and otherwise eligible as an individual, as their designated Applicant. In the event a Group Applicant is selected to receive a cash prize, such cash prize will be provided in the form of one check made payable to the group’s designated Applicant; therefore, it is recommended that a Group Applicant establish how it will distribute any cash prize among team members in advance of entering the Competition.
Non-profit organizations and for-profit companies must be domiciled in the United States (including the District of Columbia) and incorporated at the time of entry into the Competition.
For-profit companies with forty (40) or more employees are encouraged to partner with non-profit organizations and academic institutions to create Applications. In such partnerships, non-profit organizations or academic institutions are eligible to enter as the Applicant.
Current employees of the MCIC, the Supporters, or any of their respective affiliates, subsidiaries, or any other company involved in the design, production, execution or distribution of the Competition and their immediate family (spouse, partner, parents and step-parents, siblings and step-siblings, and children and step-children) and household members (people who share the same residence at least three (3) months out of the calendar year) of each such current employee are not eligible to enter the Competition.
Judges, their employers, employees of their employers and their immediate family (spouse, parents and step-parents, siblings and step-siblings, and children and step-children) and household members (people who share the same residence at least three (3) months out of the calendar year) of each judge and current employee of each judge's employer are not eligible to enter the Competition.
Applicants may enter each Round, subject to the restrictions provided below.
Applicants may provide multiple submissions, subject to the restrictions below.

What applications are eligible:

Applications must use at least one data set or data feed from any of the following websites referred to herein as “Competition Data”:
Applications can be web-based or client-based and written in any programming language;
The Application must be available to the public through the web or a mobile device and free to the public throughout the Competition and for at least twelve (12) months following the close of the Competition;
The Application must be of benefit to the residents of the City of Chicago or cover some geography within the city limits of the City of Chicago;
An Application must consist of original software applications (a) solely owned by the Applicant; (b) to which no other party has any rights or interest, whether known or unknown; and (c) that do not violate the Intellectual Property, common law or privacy rights of other parties;
The Application must contain the functions expressed in the text description of the Submission; and
Applications may combine Competition Data with other non-Competition data, provided the Applicant is authorized to distribute the non-Competition Data through a free, publicly available application.

How to enter:

1) Register for the Competition at http://www.apps4chicago.org (the “Competition Website”). Registration is free.

2) In order to be considered, each submission must include:

A link to the working software Application;
A text-based description of the Application not to exceed 4000 characters; and
At least one still photograph of the working Application not to exceed 1 MB.

3) Submissions must also:

Be in English, or if in a language other than English, the Submissions must be accompanied by an English translation of that text.
Not be indecent, defamatory, in obvious bad taste, which demonstrates a lack of respect for public morals or conduct or which adversely affects the reputation of MCIC or the Supporters;
Not: a) be illegal under applicable laws; b) depict hatred or contain text or images that defames, threatens a specific community in the society or that can incite violence; c) contain vulgar language or violence; or d) contain pornography, obscenity or sexual activity.
Eligibility of a Submission will be determined by MCIC. Applicants with ineligible Submissions will be notified via the e-mail address provided by such Applicant. Applicants who believe their Submissions were incorrectly designated as ineligible can submit to MCIC, in writing, a request for review with supplemental materials. Requests for review may be sent to [email protected]. All requests for review must be received at least five business days before judging begins in order to be reconsidered for the round in which the Applicant desires to participate. All decisions made by MCIC after a requested review are final.

Process & Deadlines

The Competition will commence on June 24, 2011 and end on or about December 16, 2011. There will be three rounds of the competition, each with a different theme (detailed below), application submission deadline, judging and public voting periods. Competition results will be posted on the Competition Website on or about December 16, 2011.

Round 1: Transportation.

Goal/Description: Applications submitted for Round 1 must utilize the Competition Data to help improve the metropolitan Chicago transportation experience for residents and visitors.
Round 1 Submission Period: The Round 1 Submission Period begins June 24, 2011 and ends on August 15, 2011 at 11:59 PM Central Daylight Time (C.D.T.).
Judging Panel: Round 1 Submissions will be judged by a panel of distinguished judges who will identify the top ten (10) Applications (“Round 1 Finalists”) according to a judging rubric published on the Competition Website. Additionally, a select panel of judges will select the top three (3) Applications that best meet the criteria for the State of Illinois category and prizes. The full panel of judges for this round will pick the winner of the State prize.
Public Voting: The Submissions from Round 1 Finalists will be made available to the public through the Competition Website. The public will then vote to rank the Round 1 Finalists. Public voting will open on August 18, 2011 and will close on August 25, 2011 at 11:59 PM Central Daylight Time (C.D.T.).
Round 1 Awards: Each of the Round 1 Finalists will receive a small cash prize (detailed below). Round 1 Finalists that receive the top five (5) most votes will be automatically entered as a Round 3 Finalist.

Round 2: Community.

Goal/Description: Applications submitted for Round 2 must utilize the Competition Data to help residents and visitors get the most out of Chicago communities.
Ineligible Submissions for Round 2 Applicants: Submissions selected as Round 1 Finalists are not eligible for consideration for Round 2.
Round 2 Submission Period: The Round 2 Submission Period begins August 28, 2011and ends on September 30, 2011 at 11:59 PM Central Daylight Time (C.D.T.).
Judging Panel: Round 2 Submissions will be judged by a panel of distinguished judges who will identify the top ten (10) Applications (“Round 2 Finalists”) according to a judging rubric published on the Competition Website.
Public Voting: The Submissions from Round 2 Finalists will be made available to the public through the Competition Website. The public will vote to rank the Round 2 Finalists. Public voting will begin on October 5, 2011 and will end on October 12, 2011 at 11:59 PM Central Daylight Time (C.D.T.).
Round 2 Awards: Each of the Round 2 Finalists will receive a small cash prize detailed below. Round 2 Finalists that receive the top five (5) most votes will be automatically entered as a Round 3 Finalist. .

Round 3: Grand Challenge.

Goal/Description: Applications submitted for Round 3 may have any focus and are not limited to transportation and/or community goals in their use of the Competition Data. There will be a total of twenty (20) Grand Challenge Finalists, ten (10) of which are automatic Round 3 Finalists chosen from Round 1 and Round 2.
Eligible Round 3 Submissions: Any Submission meeting the criteria described above and determined to be eligible by MCIC may be entered for Round 3.
- Submissions for Round 1 or 2 may be resubmitted for Round 3 if such Submissions have improved or expanded over the course of the Competition.
Round 3 Submission Period: The Round 3 Submission Period begins October 15, 2011 and ends on December 2, 2011 at 11:59 PM Central Standard Time (C.S.T.).
Judging Panel: All Round 3 Submissions will be judged by a panel of distinguished judges who will identify the top five (5) Applications (“Round 3 Judge-selected Finalists”) according to a judging rubric published on the Competition Website.
Public Voting: Round 3 Submissions, including the Round 3 judge-selected Finalists, will be made available to the public through the Competition Website. The public will then vote for its top five (5) Submissions.The Submissions receiving the five (5) highest number of votes will be considered for the Grand Challenge. . If any of the Judge-selected Finalists are among the top five (5) Submissions chosen by the public, the Submission(s) with the next highest vote count will be selected until five (5) Submissions total are selected as a result of the public voting. Public voting will begin on December 5, 2011 and end on December 12, 2011 at 11:59PM Central Daylight Time (C.D.T.).
Grand Challenge Final Judging Panel: The twenty (20) finalists in the Grand Challenge will consist of the Round 1 Finalists, the Round 2 Finalists, the Round 3 Judge-selected Finalists and the Round 3 Submissions selected through the public voting (collectively, the “Grand Challenge Finalists”). The Grand Challenge Finalists will be ranked by a panel of distinguished judges, according to a judging rubric published on the Competition Website.
Round 3 Awards: The top ten (10) of the Grand Challenge Finalists will receive cash prizes detailed below.

Public Voting

Anyone who is 18 years or older may register as a Public Voter on the Competition Website using a valid email address.
Each Public Voter may participate in each round of the Competition.
Each Public Voter must vote for a minimum of three (3) and maximum of five (5) projects to have a completed ballot. In the Transportation Round, each Public Voter must vote for a minimum of two (2) and maximum of five (5) projects.
Each Public Voter will be allowed only one ballot per round.
Any individual or Public Voter attempting to submit multiple ballots will have all of their ballots invalidated.
In the event the public voting results in a tie between or among any of any of the submissions in any round, the judging panel will break the tie.
Public Voters may not accept any form of payment in exchange for any votes on any ballots.

Prizes

Winner	Prize	Quantity
Grand Challenge – 1^st Place	$10,000	1
Grand Challenge – 2^nd Place	$5,000	1
Grand Challenge – 3^rd Place	$3,500	1
Grand Challenge – 4^th Place	$2,000	1
Grand Challenge – 5^th Place	$1,500	1
Grand Challenge – 6^th Place through 10^th Place	$500	5
Inovate Illinois Grand Prize	$6,000	1
Green Opportunities Award	$2,000	1
Transportation Round – 1^st Place	$5,000	1
Transportation Round – 2^nd Place	$3,000	1
Transportation Round – 3^rd Place	$1,500	1
Transportation Round – 4^th Place	$1,000	1
Transportation Round – 5^th Place	$750	1
Transportation Round – 6^th Place through 10^th Place	$300	5
Community Round – 1^st Place	$5,000	1
Community Round – 2^nd Place	$3,000	1
Community Round – 3^rd Place	$1,500	1
Community Round – 4^th Place	$1,000	1
Community Round – 5^th Place	$750	1
Community Round – 6^th Place through 10^th Place	$300	5

In order to comply with local laws, winners from the states of New York and Florida will only be eligible for a total of $5,000; winners from the state of Rhode Island will only be eligible for a total of $500. Applicants subject to these rules will not be considered for greater amounts.

Tax consequences and liabilities of award winners are the responsibility of each Applicant.

There is no commitment to make all of the awards listed above.

ADDITIONAL TERMS, LICENSING AND LIABILITY RELEASES The Competition is void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary to enter or win.

MCIC reserves the right in their sole discretion to cancel, suspend or modify the Competition or any part thereof if any fraud, technical failures or any other factor beyond the control of MCIC impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the Competition.
MCIC reserves the right in their sole discretion to disqualify any Applicant it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Competition or to be acting in violation of these Rules or in a disruptive manner. Any attempt by any person to undermine the legitimate operation of the Competition may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, MCIC reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law.
MCIC and/or the Supporters’ failure to enforce any term of these Rules shall not constitute a waiver of any of the provisions agreed to by the Applicants. MCIC is not responsible for, nor are they required to count, incomplete, late, misdirected, damaged, unlawful or illicit votes, including those secured through payment, votes achieved through automated means or by registering more than one e-mail account and name, using another Applicant’s e-mail account and name, as well as those lost for technical reasons or otherwise.
Applicants will own the intellectual property rights to the Submissions.
Applicants grant MCIC, Supporters, and their designees a perpetual, non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free, paid-up worldwide license to use, display, perform, reproduce, publish, copy, and distribute for non-commercial purposes any and all text, images, and electronic media uploaded to www.appsformetrochicago.org as part of a Submission;
MCIC, the Supporters, and their designees have a non-exclusive right to use submitted software Applications without charge for twelve (12) months from the close of the Competition or December 31, 2012, whichever is later...
Except where prohibited, participation in the Competition constitutes the Applicant’s waiver for MCIC, the Supporters, and their designees to use the Applicant’s name, likeness, photograph, voice, opinions, and/or hometown and state for promotional purposes in any media, worldwide, without further pay or consideration;
Each Applicant agrees by entering to release, indemnify and hold harmless MCIC, the Supporters, their designees, and their past and future officers, directors, employees, agents, and representatives (collectively, the “Released Parties”), from any and all claims, expenses, and liability, including but not limited to negligence and damages of any kind to persons and property, invasion of privacy, defamation, slander, libel, violation of right of publicity infringement of any intellectual property rights, property damage, or death or personal injury arising out of or relating to an Applicant’s Submission.
The Released Parties are not responsible for technical or human failures or errors of any kind, or unauthorized human intervention in any part the Competition.
By entering a Submission, Applicant agrees that any claims connected with this Competition shall be resolved individually (without resort to class action) by the United States District Court or the appropriate Illinois State Court. Applicant further agrees that any judgments shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, but in no event attorneys’ fees. By entering a Submission, Applicant hereby waives all rights to claim punitive, incidental and consequential damages, other than actual out-of-pocket expenses.
If any of the provisions within these Official Rules is or becomes illegal, invalid, or unenforceable in any jurisdiction, that decision shall not affect the viability or enforceability of any other provision of these Official Rules.
Comments, questions, blog posts, and other non-Submission content may be provided to the contact information on www.appsformetrochicago.org. Any such communications are governed under the Privacy Policy terms of MCIC.