Photo credit: Flickr user Josh Kellogg.

John Bracken (@jsb), Raina Kumra (@rainakumra) and I (@cksopher) are on the final stretch of a 3-week, 21-city tour to talk about and brainstorm around the theme of the Knight News Challenge: Health. Our contest question is, “How can we harness data and information for the health of communities?”

We’re meeting innovators and entrepreneurs working on this question, and spreading the word about the opportunity for breakthrough ideas to get a share of more than $2 million in funding. We’ve found that the contest is a great way to get a conversation going—or continue one that’s already started locally—about what we can do together in our communities to make them stronger and better informed.

We’ve teamed up with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Health Data Consortium, the California HealthCare Foundation and the Clinton Health Matters Initiative, who helped shape the “inspiration phase” of this challenge and will help review entries. The Robert Wood Johnson and California HealthCare foundations each are also offering $100,000 companion prizes for some of the best ideas. Entries will be accepted through Sept. 17 at newschallenge.org. RELATED LINKS 

“40 ideas advance in News Challenge: Health“

“What’s next in Knight News Challenge: Health” by Chris Sopher

“Bring your best ideas; deadline nears for News Challenge: Health” by Chris Sopher

“Knight News Challenge on Health opens for entries“

“Knight News Challenge: Health opens with inspiration phase, additional prizes from collaborators” by Raina Kumra and John Bracken

“Announcing key collaborators and details of Knight News Challenge: Health” by John Bracken and Chris Barr

“Join us to brainstorm ideas around News Challenge: Health” and There’s still time to brainstorm around News Challenge: Heath” by Chris Sopher

“Data: Why we care” by Esther Dyson

“News Challenge: Make APIs not apps, health CEO says” by Lucky Gunasekara

“Data provides a focus for community action” by Bryan Sivak

“Robert Wood Johnson Foundation announces new prize for News Challenge: Health” by Paul Tarini

“California HealthCare Foundation: The data stops here” and “It takes a community to humanize health data” by Andy Krackov

“How data-driven solutions can transform healthcare” by Lexie Komisar

“Data essential to promoting healthy habits” by Nirav R. Shah

“Media company harnesses health data for stories that connect with communities” by David Kansas

“Pizza tracker versus patient tracker” by M. Bridget Duffy

Ways to learn more:

Register for one of our remaining events at the Eventbrite links below

• Chicago, Ill. 9/6/2013
• Washington, D.C.  9/10/2013 (This has been updated to a new day; we’ll hold a single event for D.C. and Balitmore)
• Detroit 9/10/2013

• Madison, Wis. 9/11/2013
• Philadelphia, Pa. 9/11/2013
• Boston, Mass. 9/12/2013
• St. Paul, Minn. 9/12/2013

Join our virtual office hours on 9/10/2013 from 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET.

• You can access the meeting here (ID 752 815 136), or participate via phone at 888.240.2560.

You can also read the inspirations and challenge guidelines at newschallenge.org. Come join the conversation!