Sunlight Labs recently announced their latest contest — “Design for America.” This 10 week long design and data visualization extravaganza is focused on connecting the talents of art and design communities throughout the country to the wealth of government data now available through bulk data access and APIs, and to help nurture the field of information visualization. The goal is simple and straightforward — to make government data more accessible and comprehensible to the American public. They hope to enliven and engage new communities — just as they did with Apps for America 1 and 2 — as partners and participants in making government information more engaging to the American public.The  contest will end with a public announcement of the winners at Gov 2.0 Expo here in Washington, DC in May, in partnership with O’Reilly and TechWeb, and with a public gallery showing of the winners.

Presently, they’re securing sponsorship for each category, and will be announcing our sponsors as agreements are made. When those agreements are made, they will announce the prize money for each category.

There’s an “artist” inside all of us so they are creating multiple entry categories so that contestants have an opportunity to show off their skills wherever they are most comfortable. There’s room for all kinds of folks to participate — artists, data visualizers, specialists in info graphs and usability experts — to name a few.

Here are the Categories:

Data Visualization

Data Visualizations distill complex datasets into easily understandable graphics, pictures, or videos. The Data Visualization category is about taking large datasets provided by the Sunlight Foundation or by the Federal Government and making compelling visual stories out of them.

Process Transparency

“Process Transparency” is about showing citizens how the process of our government works. There are lots of arcane rules and processes inside our government that need visual reference or better understanding by citizens to improve the debate.

Redesigning the Government

Government isn’t accessible enough to the public online. If we’re going to advocate for government to be open with data, we need the intake and output of government to be designed well. This means well designed government websites and well designed government forms.

Check Us out: http://sunlightlabs.com/people/GripAgency/

About Sunlight Labs:

Sunlight Labs is part of the Sunlight Foundation a non-profit, non partisan Washington, DC based organization focused on digitization of government data and making tools and websites to make it easily accessible.

Sunlight Labs is an open source community of thousands dedicated to using technology to transform government. We focus on transparency- the idea that government can be more effective, more honest, and more accountable when it makes data about its process, operations, and influences available to the public. Our work revolves around opening up government data of all forms. Paid staff of Sunlight Labs are employees of the Sunlight Foundation a 501c(3) non-partisan non-profit organization. The Sunlight Foundation is:

• A think-tank that develops and encourages new policies inside the government to be more transparent and accountable
• A campaign to engage citizens to change government’s transparency policies.
• An investigative organization that uses the data and applications to demonstrate why we need those policies
• A grant giving institution that gives grants to organizations using technology to further our mission and create community
• An open source technology community that revolves around the Sunlight Foundation’s core mission