The availability of public information enables people, and society as a whole, to take responsibility and apply conscientiousness in decision making processes. On the other hand private citizens and organizations have a great deal of detailed information waiting to be delivered to the public sector organizations in a useful manner. We want to use software to help address these issues.

The "Apps for Democracy Finland" is your chance to wow the world with your ideas; your chance to build better systems on top of public data; your chance to demonstrate the value and the power of public data when it is set free; your chance to take public information and display it in exciting new ways; and your chance to walk away with a range of prizes.

Developers and designers will compete by creating ideas and functional web applications, widgets, mashups, iPhone apps, Facebook apps, and other digital utilities that make use of some public data and facilitate the collaboration between citizens and public organizations.

Forum Virium Helsinki is confirmed as one of the official competition partners. More to be announced later!

Final submission deadline for all entries is 31st of August 2009 at 14:00 (+2 GMT).

Read more here.