Eligibility & IP
Who is eligible to enter the competition?
We are an organization. Can we enter?
Do the submitted apps have to be newly created for this competition, or can they be preexisting applications?
Can more than one person work on an application and receive credit for it? And if the application wins a prize, how will the prize money be split among the creators?
Can my application win more than one prize?
Can I enter more than one application?
Do I retain intellectual property ownership?
What will Ford and ChallengePost do with my submission?
Submission Requirements
What do I need to use to build my application? Where can I find it?
Can I include other APIs or datasets in my app?
Why do I have to upload a video?
Does my application need to be submitted to an online store?
Judging Process
What are the criteria for judging the submissions?
General Questions
What are the key competition dates?
How do I enter?
How do I follow the challenge and get updates?
Who can I contact if I have questions about the Ford Personalized Fuel-Efficiency App Challenge?
Public Voting
How does public voting work?
Do I need a ChallengePost account to vote?
How do I vote?
Do tweets and Facebook likes count as votes?
Can I create more than one account to vote?
Can I pay people to vote for me?
Are votes checked for eligibility before the Popular Choice Prize winner is determined?
What do I do if I think someone is cheating to get more votes?
Who is eligible to enter the competition?
The challenge is open to individuals, and teams of individuals, who have reached the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence at the time of entry. The challenge is also open to legally registered corporations or organizations that employ fewer than 50 people at the time of entry. (See the next question for large organization eligibility.)
We are an organization. Can we enter?
Organizations with 50 or fewer employees may enter and compete for cash prizes. Organizations with more than 50 employees may enter and compete only for the Personal Fuel-Efficiency Recognition Award, which has no cash prize.
Do the submitted apps have to be newly created for this competition, or can they be preexisting applications?
A submission must either be a new application or, if the application is not new, it must be novel in its features, implementation or both AND it must not have previously used OpenXC-formatted vehicle data.
Applications which were publicly accessible prior to the start of the competition submission period that have not been substantially modified to use OpenXC-formatted vehicle data are not eligible.
Can more than one person work on an application and receive credit for it? And if the application wins a prize, how will the prize money be split among the creators?
Yes, teams are encouraged. If a team of individuals or an organization is selected as an award winner, the full prize amount will be sent to the submitter. It will be up to the winning team or organization to reallocate the prize money between the team members, as they deem it appropriate.
Can my application win more than one prize?
Yes. All submissions entered by eligible individuals, teams of individuals, and organizations with 50 or fewer employees can compete for the Best Overall App awards (including Honorable Mention awards) and the Popular Choice award.
Can I enter more than one application?
Yes. There is no limit to how many times an eligible person, team or organization may enter. An individual may also participate on behalf of more than one team, corporation, or nonprofit organization. However, if you submit two or more applications that are identical or substantially similar, Ford and ChallengePost reserve the right to disqualify all the submissions or require you to choose one submission to enter into the competition.
Do I retain intellectual property ownership?
Yes. By submitting an application to the challenge, you do not transfer any intellectual property rights to Ford or ChallengePost. Ford and ChallengePost will have the right to feature all applications entered in the competition for promotional purposes. See the Official Rules for details.
What will Ford and ChallengePost do with my submission?
Ford and ChallengePost will have the right to publicly display your submission on the challenge website. They will also be allowed to publicize your name on the challenge website in connection with the submission and the challenge during the competition and for 36 months after its conclusion. For more information on publicity rights, please see the Official Rules.
What do I need to use to build my application? Where can I find it?
Your app must use OpenXC-formatted vehicle data, and should illustrate how driving style and other factors (such as weather and location) can affect fuel economy and should also empower drivers with knowledge about their personal fuel-economy performance in order to help them improve fuel efficiency.
To be eligible, your fuel efficiency app must use data provided by the OpenXC platform. Android apps must access data directly from the vehicle using the provided OpenXC platform libraries. Web apps must accept streamed OpenXC-formatted vehicle data over a network connection (e.g., TCP, HTTP) or use re-played trace data from a previously recorded drive. All submitted apps must also conform to Ford’s In-Vehicle Approval Criteria for safe and non-distracting in-vehicle interfaces, if the intent is to use the app while driving.
Review the OpenXC site to get access to OpenXC-formatted vehicle data, important documentation, and OpenXC FAQs. For tips and links to instructions, code examples, and more – check out the Resources page.
Can I include other APIs or datasets in my app?
Yes. You may use additional APIs and datasets as long as you are authorized to use and distribute them.
Why do I have to upload a video?
The Popular Choice award is determined by public voting. A video helps ensure that all users can view and experience your application. The video will also be helpful to the panel of judges. You may create a screencast or use a handheld video camera to make your video, or choose any other method that captures the application’s value and user interface.
Does my application need to be submitted to an online store?
No, your app cannot be submitted to an online store (per the OpenXC Developer Agreement). OpenXC is currently a research platform, and as such, is not yet intended to be used for public apps. However, you must provide access to your app for testing and judging. You must do so by including a URL to access your app (if a web app), or an uploaded .apk file (if a native Android app) on the submission form.
What are the criteria for judging the submissions?
All submissions will be judged based on the following criteria for the Best Overall App, Honorable Mention, and Personal Fuel-Efficiency Recognition Awards:
- Use of Vehicle Data (Submissions will be evaluated for their depth of use of vehicle data. Strong submissions will include fusion of multiple data types, novel algorithms and data aggregation techniques.)
- User Interface Design (Strong submissions will go beyond basic visualizations of data streams and provide user interfaces tailored to assist users in changing their behavior.)
- Viability (Strong submissions will stress automated data capture and analysis vs. self-reporting and minimize the amount of additional infrastructure required, lowering the barrier to entry for users.)
Popular Choice awards will be determined by public voting. For full details, review the Official Rules.
What are the key competition dates?
The submission deadline is July 24, 2013, at 5 p.m. EST. Judging and public voting will begin on August 5, 2013 at 10 a.m. EST, and will end August 23, 2013 at 5 p.m. EST. Winners will be announced on or around September 10, 2013.
How do I enter?
- Create a ChallengePost account and click “Register” to sign up for the challenge.
- Review the OpenXC site to get access to OpenXC-formatted vehicle data, important documentation, and OpenXC FAQs.
- Create your personal fuel-efficiency Web or native Android app using the OpenXC platform.
- If you submit a Web or mobile Web app, provide a URL where we can access your app for testing and judging purposes. If you submit a native Android app, upload your .apk file for testing and judging.
- Confirm you have read and agree to the Official Rules and submit your app by completing the submission form including: access your app (via URL or .apk file), screenshots of your working app, and a video (YouTube or Vimeo) demonstrating your working app.
How do I follow the challenge and get updates?
When you register for the challenge, you’ll automatically be signed up to receive updates regarding the challenge. To be notified when voting begins and the winners are announced, click the “Notify Me” link. Follow us on Twitter at @Ford or join the conversation with #FordAppChallenge.
Who can I contact if I have questions about the Ford Personalized Fuel-Efficiency App Challenge?
Email Support@ChallengePost.com
How does public voting work?
Visitors to the site can vote for as many submissions as they like, but no more than once for a single submission. At the end of the public voting period, the votes will be tallied and verified to determine the Popular Choice award winner.
Do I need a ChallengePost account to vote?
Yes. Before you can vote for a submission, please sign up or log in to your ChallengePost account.
How do I vote?
Log in to your confirmed ChallengePost account, go to the submission you’d like to vote for, then click on the VOTE button to vote.
Do tweets and Facebook likes count as votes?
No, they do not.
Can I create more than one account to vote?
No, the use of multiple email addresses or any form of automated vote processes will subject all votes from the person to disqualification.
Can I pay people to vote for me?
Solvers may not pay or otherwise compensate anyone or provide any other type of consideration in exchange for votes.
Are votes checked for eligibility before the Popular Choice Prize winner is determined?
We take the integrity of the competition extremely seriously, and verify all votes using a variety of methods before a Popular Choice Award winner is determined.
What do I do if I think someone is cheating to get more votes?
Send us an email at support@challengepost.com and include a link to the submission in question.