About Knight News Challenge on Open Gov from Knight Foundation on Vimeo.

*1:00 p.m. March 18 update: Please note due to a huge response the News Challenge site is temporarily down. We’re adding servers and will extend the deadline to 5:00 p.m. ET tomorrow – Tuesday, March 19.*

As the deadline approaches for the Knight News Challenge on Open Gov (the contest closes for entries at 5 p.m. ET sharp on Monday, March 18), I wanted to share some frequently asked questions and some final tips for shaping your entry.

Over the past month, more than 200 of you have submitted your project ideas to the contest. There are still three days left to submit your application and win a share of $5 million and support to make your idea happen. Here are the questions I’m asked most often about applying: Do I have to work in the open government field to apply? No. All you need is an idea for improving the way citizens and governments interact, and a team capable of making that idea happen. Does my idea have to involve a government or agency? If you have an idea to connect citizens to other citizens, without the participation of government, that qualifies and we want to hear it. But the project should have a civic impact. However, if a government’s permission or participation is needed for your idea to succeed, make sure you let us know in your application. Does my idea have to involve building technology? No. We’re looking for both innovative technologies and innovative approaches to improving citizen-government interaction, and that doesn’t necessarily involve building new technology or software. However, we do focus on what can be replicated or scaled from your project—what will you create that others can learn and build from in the future? Do I need to submit a budget or requested amount of money? Not at this stage. We’re only interested in your idea and you/your team. We’ll ask semifinalists to submit a request amount and a budget. What structure should my application have? We ask for the following things on the application:

• Title
• Summary (one or two sentences about your idea)
• Entry Description (open-ended space for more information)
• One sentence description of your idea
• Where you’re located
• How you found out about the contest

There’s no character limit on the entry description – but brevity and clarity are crucial. We recommend you start by explaining what you will do/make/build in your project, then explain why you think this idea is a good one and who will work on it with you. But the format is open to your interpretation. When will I find out what happens? By April 1, all applicants will get an email alerting them that either a) they’ve been selected as a semifinalist, or b) they have not. Find me @cksopher on Twitter or at [email protected] with questions. By Chris Sopher, journalism program associate at Knight Foundation

Related: “What you need to know as #newschallenge deadline nears”