The Finnish national app competition has launched a new edition.

The Apps4Finland 2012 competition aims to encourage citizens and businesses to generate ideas and develop new ways to take advantage of open data repositories. The competition has four main categories this year and awards a total of 20 000 euros in prize money. The competition will run until 28 October 2012 and is organized by the Finnish Society and Democracy Network Forum Virium Helsinki.

"Finland has the opportunity to profile itself as the leading open data country, where among other things. municipal, state and company databases are opened with courage and utilized for new services and innovations. ", says Jarmo Eskelinen, Forum Virium Helsinki's CEO.

After the deadline for submissions on 28 October, finalists will be selected by 23 November, the public can vote for their favourite applications until 30 November, and the award session is to be held early December.

Prizes will be awarded in 4 categories: Idea (1st prize 1000 Euro), Application (1st prize 3000 Euro), Visualization (1st prize 2000 Euro) and Opening Data (1st prize 1000 Euro).

In addition, special awards are also being made available:

• Maps4Finland-location Special Prize of € 1,000 is granted to map applications or services that take advantage of spatial data in new and innovative way.
• Stats4Finland-statistic Special Prize of € 1,000 given to the best entry based on statistics.
• NewBiz4Finland-new business Special Prize € 1000 awarded for concrete services using open data that creates new business and continuity. Services for example to improve efficiency, improve flexibility, to create new eco-systems or to develop society.

Apps4Finland competition organized for the fourth time. Last year's competition received 140 entries.

Contact information for the competition:
Website: http://www.apps4finland.fi .
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Apps4Finland
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Apps4Fi
E-mail List: http://groups.google.com/group/apps4finland

For more information:
Olli Rinne, +358 40 9005556, olli [at] apps4finland.fi