UN announces $10,000 award for green app

NEW DELHI, INDIA: The United Nations telecommunications agency has launched a contest that will reward the winner with $10,000 for devising the most innovative mobile phone application that tackles the subject of climate change.

The winner of the Green "ICT Applications Challenge," organised by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), will also have their application showcased at the international climate change talks in South Africa's Durban in December.

ITU officials said they hoped the contest would allow developers to "think outside the box" and devise an application that could contribute to the mitigation of climate change, particularly in poorer countries.

"We have seen how ubiquitous apps have become and how useful they can be. We are excited to see what developers will create to influence this truly global problem," said a statement issued here Wednesday quoting Hamadoun Toure, the secretary general of the ITU.

Many applications already target carbon footprints, the ITU said, adding that the contest hopes to elicit those focusing on issues such as eco-design, the measurement of greenhouse gas emissions and disaster relief.

The agency said it will accept entries for any kind of software tool or game, whether for the web, a personal computer or mobile telephone.

The last date of entry is June 17.