Applications are open for 2021 Ebbe Nielsen Challenge seeks open-data innovations for biodiversity. The 2021 Ebbe Nielsen Challenge aims to recognize innovative entries that leverage biodiversity data and tools from the GBIF network to advance open science. The Challenge honors the memory of Dr Ebbe Schmidt Nielsen, an inspirational leader in the fields of biosystematics and biodiversity informatics and a principal founder of GBIF, who died unexpectedly just before it came into being.

Between 20 January and 2 August 2021, individuals and teams can prepare tools and techniques that improve the access, usefulness, and quality of open biodiversity data and submit them to this annual open-ended incentive competition.

Eligibility

The Challenge is open to individuals, teams of individuals, companies and their employees, and governmental agencies and their employees. The Challenge is not open to:

• Current staff members at the GBIF Secretariat.
• Individuals currently contracting directly with the GBIF Secretariat.
• Members of the GBIF Science Committee.
• Heads of Delegation to GBIF.

Submission Requirements

Entrants must complete the entry form, which provides information about the entry, including:

• Submission name/title
• Team member(s) names and affiliations
• Abstract and rationale
• Operating instructions
• Link to visuals (prototype, demo, video, screenshots, slides, etc.)
• Link(s) to submit materials on any appropriate website or repository

Criteria

A panel of expert judges from relevant scientific, informatics and technology domains will evaluate submissions based on the following criteria:

• Openness and repeatability: Are the constituent elements of the submission, like code and content, freely available and transparent? Does they have appropriate license?
• Applicability: Does the submission have sufficient relevance and scope that the communities GBIF support can use or build it?
• Novelty: Has a significant portion of the submission been developed specifically for the challenge? Submissions based largely or entirely on previously published work are not deemed to be eligible entries.

Useful Links 

• Official rules: 2021 GBIF Ebbe Nielsen Challenge
• Entry form: 2021 GBIF Ebbe Nielsen Challenge