New Merit Awards Ask, "How Can Uncle Sam Use IT to Fix Government?"

ALEXANDRIA, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MeriTalk (www.meritalk.com), the government information technology (IT) network, today launched the Merit Awards, a new innovation contest that challenges Americans and people throughout the world to bring forward ideas on how to use IT to improve the U.S. government. Focused on incenting people to get involved in government, the program offers a $50,000 prize for smart, new thinking.

"Innovative IT is changing business efficiency from Warsaw to Wollongong - so why is Washington, D.C., an innovation wasteland?" said Steve O'Keeffe, Founder, MeriTalk. "Let's sic the power of good ol' American ingenuity on Uncle Sam. And, let's go further. Innovation knows no borders - nor does it need a green card. We invite Chinese, Indian, any nomination from the four corners of the globe."

The Merit Awards are structured in eight categories - citizen engagement, defense, emergency response, entitlement reform, workforce management and motivation, back office operations, results achievement, and waste. MeriTalk will recognize a winning entry in each category. The best overall idea will receive the $50,000 award. The submission process is easy - you can tweet your idea or submit a thesis. Just describe your idea, what it will take to make it work, and expected results. Go to www.meritalk.com/meritaward or @meritalk and submit your ideas by 6 p.m. ET on August 1st for consideration.

The distinguished judges for the Merit Awards program include: Congressman Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.); the Honorable Thomas M. Davis III; the Honorable Mark Forman, First Administrator for E-Government and IT, U.S. Office of Management and Budget; Vivek Kundra, Federal Chief Information Officer; Vint Cerf, Google; Tom Soderstrom, IT Chief Technology Officer, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory; and Steve O'Keeffe, MeriTalk. MeriTalk will announce the Merit Awards winners on August 23rd at the Innovation Nation Forum in Washington, D.C.

About MeriTalk

The voice of tomorrow's government today, MeriTalk is an online community that combines professional networking and thought leadership to drive the government IT community dialogue. Developed as a partnership among the Federal Business Council, Federal Employee Defense Services, Federal Managers Association, GovLoop, National Treasury Employees Union, USO, and WTOP/WFED radio, MeriTalk is a community network. For more information, visit www.meritalk.com or follow us on Twitter, @meritalk.

Contacts

MeriTalk
Elizabeth Vandendriessche, 703-887-1135
evandendriessche@meritalk.com