Eligibility & IP
Who is eligible to enter the hackathon and competition?
We are an organization. Can we enter?
Do the submitted apps have to be newly created for this competition, or can they be preexisting applications?
Can more than one person work on an application and receive credit for it? And if the application wins a prize, how will the prize money be split among the creators?
Can my application win more than one prize?
Can I enter more than one application?
Do I retain intellectual property ownership?
What will the MTA, AT&T and ChallengePost do with my submission?
Submission Requirements
What do I need to use to build my application? Where can I find it?
Can I include other APIs or datasets in my app?
What platform/device should my app run on?
Why do I have to upload a video?
Does my application need to be submitted to an online store?
How can I provide ChallengePost with access to test my application?
Judging Process
What are the criteria for judging the submissions?
General Questions
What are the key hackathon and competition dates?
How do I enter the hackathon and online challenge?
How do I follow the challenge and get updates?
Who can I contact if I have questions about the MTA AT&T App Quest Hackathon or the Challenge?
Public Voting
How does public voting work?
Do I need a ChallengePost account to vote?
How do I vote?
Do tweets and Facebook likes count as votes?
Can I create more than one account to vote?
Can I pay people to vote for me?
Are votes checked for eligibility before the Popular Choice Prize winner is determined?
What do I do if I think someone is cheating to get more votes?
Who is eligible to enter the hackathon and competition?
The hackathon is open to individuals, and teams of individuals, who are at least 18 years of age as of May 4, 2013. In-person attendance at the NYU Poly hackathon event is required in order to enter a hackathon submission and be eligible for hackathon prizes.
The online challenge is open to hackathon participants as well as other individuals and teams around the globe. Each team member must be 18 years or older. The online challenge is also open to legally registered corporations or organizations that employ fewer than 50 people at the time of entry. (See the next question for large organization eligibility.)
We are an organization. Can we enter?
Organizations with 50 or fewer employees may enter and compete for cash prizes in the online challenge. Organizations with more than 50 employees may enter and compete only for the Large Organization Recognition Award, which has no cash prize.
Do the submitted apps have to be newly created for this competition, or can they be preexisting applications?
All apps submitted at the hackathon must be newly created during the hackathon on May 4 – 5, 2013.
Submissions to the online competition must be newly created for the competition or, if the application is not new, new MTA data sets or APIs and new features and functionality must be added after the start of the competition. Applications that were entered in the 2012 MTA App Quest and won a prize are not eligible.
Can more than one person work on an application and receive credit for it? And if the application wins a prize, how will the prize money be split among the creators?
Yes, teams are encouraged in both the hackathon and online challenge. If a team of individuals or an organization is selected as an award winner, the full prize amount will be sent to the submitter (team representative). It will be up to the winning team or organization to reallocate the prize money between the team members, as they deem it appropriate.
Can my application win more than one prize?
Hackathon submissions can only win one prize in the hackathon. However, hackathon winners can also win prizes in the online challenge for the same app.
In the online challenge, all submissions entered by eligible individuals, teams of individuals, and organizations with 50 or fewer employees can compete for the Best Overall App awards (including Honorable Mention awards) and the Popular Choice. Apps meeting MTA Wish List category requirements will also be eligible for the Best MTA Wish List App prize.
Can I enter more than one application?
Yes. There is no limit to how many times an eligible person, team or organization may enter. An individual may also participate on behalf of more than one team, corporation, or nonprofit organization. However, if you submit two or more applications that are identical or substantially similar, the sponsors and ChallengePost reserve the right to disqualify all the submissions or require you to choose one submission to enter into the competition.
Do I retain intellectual property ownership?
Yes. By submitting an application to the hackathon or online challenge, you do not transfer any intellectual property rights to the MTA, AT&T, NYU Poly, or ChallengePost. We will have the right to feature all applications entered in the competition for promotional purposes. See the Official Rules for details.
What will the MTA, AT&T and ChallengePost do with my submission?
We will have the right to publicly display your hackathon and online challenge submissions on the hackathon / challenge website. We will also be allowed to publicize your name on the challenge website in connection with the submission and the hackathon and online challenge during the competitions and for 36 months after its conclusion. For more information on publicity rights, please see the Official Rules.
What do I need to use to build my application? Where can I find it?
Your hackathon or online challenge app submission must use at least one MTA data set and/or API. MTA data can be accessed at: http://mta.info/developers/
Can I include other APIs or datasets in my app?
Yes. You are encouraged to use additional APIs and datasets as long as you are authorized to use and distribute them. Check out the Resources tab for additional data and APIs. You are not limited to the suggestions there.
Please note that this is in addition to the required MTA APIs and/or datasets.
What platform/device should my app run on?
Hackathon apps must be a proof of concept or model of an app which uses at least one MTA data set or API.
To be eligible for the challenge your app must function on a native Android, Blackberry, iOS, or Windows Phone smartphone or tablet application, OR be a mobile web application.
Why do I have to upload a video?
The Popular Choice award is determined by public voting. A video helps ensure that all users can view and experience your application. The video will also be helpful to the panel of judges. You may create a screencast or use a handheld video camera to make your video, or choose any other method that captures the application’s value and user interface.
Does my application need to be submitted to an online store?
Hackathon apps do not need to be submitted to a store.
Apps entered in the online challenge should be submitted to the appropriate app store by the submission deadline, but you are not required to have the app available there. However, you must provide access to your app for testing and judging. You can provide a URL where we can access or download the app, upload an installation file, or share a test build via TestFlight (for iOS apps).
How can I provide ChallengePost with access to test my application?
For the challenge, you must provide a way for us to test your application. If your app has been submitted to an online store, you can provide a link for us to access the app free of charge for testing and judging on the “Website” field on the submission form.
If your app has not yet been approved in an online store, please allow us to test using one of the following methods.
Android Applications: Upload a .apk file in the submission form or provide a link for us to download your app in the “Testing Instructions” field on the submission form.
iOS Applications: Send your app to us via TestFlight. Enter our email address and UDID to share a build with us for testing.
Our TestFlight account email is: Info@ChallengePost.com
Our UDIDs are:
iPad (iOS 5.0.1) e21acf963c60919f6f0aa23d42cef5f06e25ee2d
iPad (iOS 6.0.1) 6a2cb1d4ba2d242db1db48c59c91744cebfc68a9
iPod Touch 4th Gen (iOS 5.0.1)13d9c9e50d705446c07fc5d2c3c3144c69ffc576
iPhone 4 (iOS 9b208) d6d3f69fde72561928c0fd7c541ea1511acf7729
Windows Phone Applications: Upload a .xap file in the submission form or provide a link for us to download your app in the “Testing Instructions” field on the submission form.
Blackberry: Upload appropriate installation files in the submission form or provide a link for us to download your .apk file in the “Testing Instructions” field on the submission form.
Mobile Web: Provide a link for us to access your app on the “Website” field on the submission form.
What are the criteria for judging the submissions?
All submissions to the hackathon and online challenge will be judged based on the following criteria for the Best Overall App, Honorable Mention, Best MTA Wish List App, and Large Organization Recognition Awards:
- Quality of Idea (Includes creativity and originality of the idea, and potential to improve the travel experience for MTA riders.)
- Implementation of Idea (Includes how well the idea was executed by the developer and how well the app integrates with the MTA public data and APIs.)
- Potential Impact (Includes the extent to which the submission will impact MTA customers and their travel experience.)
Popular Choice awards will be determined by public voting. For full details, review the Official Rules.
What are the key hackathon and competition dates?
The hackathon will take place from 10:00am ET on May 4, 2013 until 5:00pm ET on May 5, 2013. Hackathon submissions must be submitted on the website by 4:00pm ET on May 5.
The online challenge submission deadline is August 20, 2013, at 5 p.m. ET. Judging will begin on August 30, 2013 at 10 a.m. ET, and will end September 10, 2013 at 5 p.m. ET. Public voting will begin on August 26, 2013 at 9 a.m. ET, and will end September 10, 2013 at 5 p.m. ET.Winners will be announced on or around September 23, 2013.
How do I enter the hackathon and online challenge?
For the hackathon:
- Create a ChallengePost account and click “Register” to sign up for hackathon and challenge updates.
- Visit MTA’s Developer pages to access MTA public datasets and APIs.
- Visit the AppQuest Resources page to check out AT&T APIs, the MTA Wish List, and other great resources.
- Create a proof of concept or model of your app.
- Confirm you have read and agree to the Official Rules and submit your app by completing the submission form including the name of your app, a description, and at least one image/screenshot of your app. [Note: you may also submit a demo video and/or URL, but are not required to do so at the hackathon.]
For the online challenge:
- Create a ChallengePost account and click “Register” to sign up for hackathon and challenge updates.
- Visit MTA’s Developer pages to access MTA public datasets and APIs.
- Visit the AppQuest Resources page to check out AT&T APIs, the MTA Wish List, and other great resources.
- Create your working mobile app for Android, Blackberry, iOS, Windows Phone, or mobile web.
- Provide a way for us to access your app (by including an installation file with your submission, sharing a test build, or by providing a URL where your app can be accessed free of charge for testing and judging). See the FAQ for more details.
- Confirm you have read and agree to the Official Rules and submit your app by completing the submission form including: a way to access your app for testing (URL, installation file, or other instructions); screenshots of your working app, and a video (YouTube or Vimeo) demonstrating your working app.
How do I follow the challenge and get updates?
When you register for the hackathon or online challenge at http://MTAAppQuest.com, you’ll automatically be signed up to receive updates regarding the hackathon (if still in progress) and online challenge. To be notified when voting begins and the winners are announced, click the “Notify Me” link. Follow us on Twitter @MTAInsider or join the conversation with #AppQuest.
Who can I contact if I have questions about the MTA AT&T App Quest Hackathon or the Challenge?
Email Support@ChallengePost.com
How does public voting work?
Visitors to the site can vote for as many submissions as they like, but no more than once for a single submission. At the end of the public voting period, the votes will be tallied and verified to determine the Popular Choice award winner.
Do I need a ChallengePost account to vote?
Yes. Before you can vote for a submission, please sign up or log in to your ChallengePost account.
How do I vote?
Log in to your confirmed ChallengePost account, go to the submission you’d like to vote for, then click on the VOTE button to vote.
Do tweets and Facebook likes count as votes?
No, they do not.
Can I create more than one account to vote?
No, the use of multiple email addresses or any form of automated vote processes will subject all votes from the person to disqualification.
Can I pay people to vote for me?
Solvers may not pay or otherwise compensate anyone or provide any other type of consideration in exchange for votes.
Are votes checked for eligibility before the Popular Choice Prize winner is determined?
We take the integrity of the competition extremely seriously, and verify all votes using a variety of methods before a Popular Choice Award winner is determined.
What do I do if I think someone is cheating to get more votes?
Send us an email at support@challengepost.com and include a link to the submission in question.