Summary
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are conducting a contest challenging innovators to develop a system that could turn thousands — or even millions — of citizens into walking pollution-monitoring stations. Under the “My Air, My Health” challenge, the EPA and the HHS are offering $160,000 in prizes for creating “a personal, portable, near-real-time, location-specific system to monitor and report air pollutants and potentially related physiological parameters.”

Description
The MAMH challenge is implemented through open-innovation marketplace Innocentive – a cloud-based platform that brings problem-solvers together with companies and organizations (seekers) looking for solutions to problems.The MAMH Challenge will work in two steps. In phase one, teams of solvers will present plans or proposals before the deadline of Oct. 5, 2012 outlining their prototype designs, development plans, and pilot studies.Four finalists will then be awarded $15,000 each and will go on to compete for a $100,000 prize for the most effective solution based on working prototypes and pilot studies. The deadline for phase two will be May 19, 2013.