Challenging the People with Challenge.gov

Earlier this month the website challenge.gov went live to the public.  A forum for citizen engagement, Challenge hopes to turn the typical participatory paradigm on its head.  Bev Godwin, director of new media and citizen engagement at U.S. General Services Administration equates it to the next form of citizen engagement; going beyond participation to co-creation.   

The challenges hosted on the website are a type of public competition in which the general public is tasked in helping our nation’s leaders solve some of the most pressing issues of our generation.  Michelle Obama’s Apps for Healthy Kids is a prime example of the strategy Challenge has adopted.  The theory hinges on a centralized clearinghouse imparting more creative solutions arising from a greater foundation of brainstorming.  Other challenges include the Department of Energy soliciting designs for a more energy efficient light bulb and challenges from NASA to develop better astronaut gloves and space food. 

The challenges posted don’t rely solely on goodwill from the people in devising solutions; prizes are involved.  Prizes range from special recognition to monetary compensation.  Challenges such as the current one posted by the U.S. Navy are offering upwards of $100,000 in compensation for further development of innovative ideas and technologies.   

With that much money at stake, the question of cost is unavoidable.  Is this the best avenue for generating innovative ideas?  The federal government seems to think so.  They estimate the manpower required to compose an RFP and then issue, manage, collate, review, interview and deliberate on the proposals received is on average $50,000.  Bypassing the entire process with Challenge.gov, even when offering monetary awards, is far more cost effective.  Not only are they receiving a solution, but they’re also receiving free marketing.  Challenge is tapped into social networks to aid in promoting challenges and to better connect those brainstorming for solutions.  In less than one year over one-hundred challenges have been posted.  With any luck, the solutions found will be by the people, for the people, and more creative than the people in charge could have ever imagined.   

Check our current challenges here: http://challenge.gov/