Prizes

Finalist Prizes (5)

$10,000

$10,000 will be awarded to the first five contestants to meet the selection criteria during the submission period that begins March 13 and ends July 27. See contest rules for details.

Grand Prize Winner

$25,000

The Grand Prize winner will be selected from among the five finalists following a beta test phase. The Grand Prize will be awarded to the entrant that receives the highest score from the Competition panel of judges during the final presentation following the beta test phase. See contest rules for details.

About the Challenge

Winners TBD (view all dates)

The five Finalists have been selected and will be announced June 5th!

And the momentum continues:

Two terrific apps that submitted after the finalists were selected are now up on the Gallery page for folks to use.  As the Finalists make their way to debut on June 5, we will keep adding submissions to the Gallery.  

To those who have submitted, please respond to our request to add you to the Gallery.  (We need your permission first!)

To those yet to submit, please finish up your apps and get them in so we can add them to the Gallery.  The benefit is that even though you're not in the running for the cash prizes, your app is still available to people who want to reach the homeless with services they need.

Thanks again for your participation and keep watching for the June 5th announcement!

The VA Innovations Team

Judges

Jon Bon Jovi

Founder of JBJ Soul Foundation

W. Scott Gould

W. Scott Gould

Deputy Secretary of VA

Shaun Donovan

Shaun Donovan

Secretary of HUD

Todd Park

Todd Park

Current CTO of the United States

Aneesh Chopra

Aneesh Chopra

Former CTO of the United States

Dr. Peter Levin

Dr. Peter Levin

Chief Technology Officer of VA

Vincent Kane

Vincent Kane

Director of the National Center Homelessness Among Veterans

Dr. Susan Angell

Dr. Susan Angell

Executive Director for Veterans Homeless Initiatives at VA

Jonah J. Czerwinski

Jonah J. Czerwinski

Director VA Innovation Initiative

Ann Oliva

Ann Oliva

Deputy Assistant Secretary (Acting) for Special Needs Director, Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs for HUD

Judging Criteria

Completeness

How well does the app meet the needs of the target user groups?

User Experience

How does the app "feel"? Is it efficient and easy to use?

Scalability

How feasible is the plan for scaling the app's services nationally?

Sustainability

Does the contestant have a sustainable business model given that the app must remain free?

How to Enter

The first five applicants who met the selection criteria were selected as Finalists based on the Rules.  They'll be announced June 5.  However, we still want to see your submissions.  If you'd like to send yours in, we will keep the submissions open until May 31.  Every legitimate entry will be made available on the Gallery portion of this site for all to see (and use).

Through Project REACH, you have an opportunity to help make real and important changes in the way the homeless receive access to care and resources within their communities.