[okfn-discuss] APPS4ITALY – new deadline April 30th 2012

[Maurizio Napolitano]

Dear sponsors, developers, local authorities and all those following the 
APPS4ITALY contest,

The APPS4ITALY contest, the first national initiative of its kind to 
take place in Italy, has received great interest in recent months from 
all those who believe in the centrality of Open Data. The prize has 
risen from €5,000 to €45,000. The organisers of the initiative hoped in 
a small way to contribute towards the developing culture of open data in 
Italy by attending conferences, writing posts, and promoting the 
contest. It is certainly true to say that the atmosphere is changing; 
barely a week goes by without an announcement that new data sets are to 
be opened up by the Italian government.

As is well-know, the Apps4Italy contest has been initiated from below by 
individuals, associations and companies who have identified open data as 
a theme of common interest. But the initiative also received the 
recognition of the previous government, who became its patron. This 
attention has now been even more vigorously confirmed by the present 
government, who consider open data to be one of the key levers for 
intervention in the coming months.

As a direct result of this institutional handover, we have been 
requested to postpone the deadline of the Apps4Italy contest, in order 
to strengthen the initiative and put it in a context designed to promote 
the Digital Agenda and Open Data in our country. The new deadline will 
be April 30th 2012.

We believe this is a great opportunity to ensure that the objectives we 
set are made even more effective. We wish to thank all those who are 
supporting the initiative and particularly all the many who have already 
submitted proposals. We propose to keep you updated on future 
developments. You can follow developments on the website, or request 
further information from info at apps4italy.org