In December, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski and Knight Foundation announced the winners of the ‘Apps for Communities Challenge,’  which awarded $100,000 in prizes for software applications that bring actionable, local information to underserved communities.

“To provide applications of real value to low income Americans and others who are adopting broadband at a lower rate”, is how Genachowski describes the primary purposes of the contest.

The three grand prize winners included apps to let bus riders know when their ride is arriving, connect the homeless to services and workers to jobs.

Second prize winner Curtis Chang, who won for Homeless-SCC, says it’s the first time he has participated in a challenge like this, but he “wanted to get the idea of the app out there and this was perfect platform to share some of the innovation we’re developing on a local level with other cities and counties that are experiencing similar problems with access to information.”

Watch below to see interviews with the winners and insights on why the challenge was started.