The aim of the project is to identify opportunities through innovative tools that promote intercultural dialogue, drawing on unique cultural resources and experiences of developers around the world. Five finalist apps and games will be selected by an international jury, awarded funds for producers to refine their creations and played by delegates of the 5th Annual UNAOC Forum in Vienna, Austria, 27-28 February 2013. The global competition will accept submissions through the end of November 2012.

The UNAOC and its organizing partners want to encourage developers to think of ways that new apps and games can be used to support such pursuits as gender equality, youth development, migrant integration, religious pluralism, better understanding among individuals of different cultural and religious backgrounds, biased media representation of cultures and religions, and education.

Apps and games submitted will be reviewed by an international jury and measured on whether: (1) potential users would be given a novel experience to creatively and thoughtfully share perspectives on intercultural and global issues; (2) how content and commentary relate to historical or current events, as well as (3) how the apps and games provide new perspectives that support intercultural dialogue.

Developers may register to participate in the competition between 27 July and 30 November 2012 at http://www.CreateUNAOC.org. Developers may register as an individual or as a team with a maximum of eight (8) collaborators. Registrants must be 13 years of age or older. A video walk-through (i.e., screen capture) or PowerPoint/Keynote presentation of a working app or game alpha or beta prototype built in HTML5 should be submitted for competition by 30 November 2012. Note: Developers are not required to submit actual working apps/games on authorized development devices to the UNAOC.

Five (5) apps/games in HTML5 will be selected as finalists by 3 January 2013. Developers will be notified and awarded $5,000 (US) per app to complete development of a fully functional app/game by 15 February 2013. Apps/games will be played and rated by participants during the 2013 UNAOC Forum in Vienna, Austria (27-28 February 2013). A Grand Prize will be awarded. All apps/games submitted to the challenge competition will be featured on the website before and after the Forum in Vienna.

International Jury and Outreach Partners

Create UNAOC jurors include: Deborah Bergamini, Member, Council of Europe (Italy), Jan Keulen, General Director, Doha Centre for Media Freedom (Qatar), Sanjana Hattotuwa, Senior Researcher, Centre for Policy Alternatives (Sri Lanka), Eric Klopfer, Professor, MIT (United States), Solana Larsen, Managing Editor, Global Voices (Switzerland), Anthony Lilley, Chief Executive Officer, Magic Lantern (United Kingdom), Alfonso Molina, Fundazione Mondo Digitale (Italy), Savita Nair, Professor, Furman University (United States), Wu Heping, Dean, College of International Exchanges, Northwest Normal University (China).

Initial outreach partners include: Global Voices (Netherlands), Fundazione Mondo Digitale (Italy), Voice of America (United States), ICT for Peace (Switzerland), John Lennon Educational Tour Bus (United States), Doha Centre for Media Freedom (Qatar).

Create UNAOC Submission Deadline: November 30, 2012