Code Michigan Returns for Second Year – This Year to Marquette

Posted by on August 20, 2014

Software developers are invited to participate in the state’s Code Michigan event this October for an opportunity to build mobile and web applications and win cash prizes.

“Code Michigan is an exciting opportunity for civic-minded developers and designers to help reinvent Michigan’s government by creating mobile and web apps for the public good,” said David Behen, director of the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget (DTMB) and state chief information officer. “I’m really looking forward to seeing what our competitors develop this year.”

Code Michigan, a free “civic coding event, is scheduled to begin on Friday, Oct. 3 at 5 p.m. and run through Sunday, Oct. 5, at 5 p.m. at three locations across the state – at the Grand Circus in Detroit and The Stream Center in Newaygo in the Lower Peninsula, and on the campus of Northern Michigan University in Marquette in the Upper Peninsula.

Individuals interested in participating may register for the free, three-day event by visiting the Code Michigan website at: www.codemichigan.com. Only 65 slots for each location are available. First, second and third place prizes will be awarded at all three locations. First prize is $5,000, second prize is $1,500 and third prize is $500.

The first place winners from Detroit, Marquette and Newaygo will go on to compete for the “grand prize” of $10,000 and 30 minutes to pitch their winning idea to the Renaissance Venture Capital Fund.

Civic Coding is the act of creating works of software for the purpose of promoting government transparency, citizen engagement, government efficiency, public policy and economic development. The first-ever Code Michigan was held in Detroit in 2013.

According to Behen, Code Michigan will allow the state to get more applications developed than it could ever afford to develop on its own. Similar events have also resulted in the creation of new companies, which means new jobs for the state.

For more information or to register for Code Michigan, please visit www.codemichigan.com.

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