Do you think like a programmer? Like to solve problems by manipulating the code that makes things run?

Open Code projects are built within open and free software frameworks. As is the spirit of any free and open software project, an Open Code project should be something that can be pushed into a community of coders and engineers who will build upon the work that you’ve done. Maybe you've even developed your own programming language. This is a great way to share it. If a project overlaps between Open Code and another category, list this as your secondary category, and you will be entered into both.

Tags you might use or see: mobile, open, code, language, engineering, programming, software

Resources:
Free Software Foundation
Wikipedia: Free and Open Source Software
Sourceforge

Want to give back to your community? Make it a better place for yourself and your family or extend your community beyond city or national boundaries?

Open Community projects use technology to facilitate new types of citizenship and participation in communities. Perhaps you want to find a way to connect and mobilize your local community to lobby for improvement projects in your town. Or maybe you've designed a mobile application that connects your community with others around the world to form a real-time, large-scale activist network. From the local to global, Open Community projects can be site-specific (just in your community) or easily adapted for communities around the world.

Tags you might use or see: citizen, participation, society, social, contribute, civic, engagement

Resources:
Aspiration Tech
Tactical Technology Collective

Curious about the world? Find yourself always wanting to learn more?

Open Discovery projects add to the science of the world around us, or to understanding our own health and well-being. Projects can range from traditional science experiments and investigations taking place with support of open source platforms to innovative solutions to health and nutrition problems. New classroom tools or lesson plans will also be accepted in this category.

Tags you might use or see: monitoring, tracking, discovery, amateur science, diet, food, weather, school, knowledge, learning, education, knowledge, fitness, nutrition

Resources:
ccLearn
Science Commons

Want to make sure our planet remains clean, safe, and supportive for the generations to come? Thought of a way to help humans better understand their impact on the environment?

Open Earth projects address issues concerning the health and well-being of our planet. You could use open technology to capture and harness a form of alternative energy, measure and visualize carbon footprints, or come up with a way to better support eco-friendly transportation, like bikes, trains, and hybrid vehicles. Or maybe you have a green thumb and want to apply technology to an organic gardening or farming process. Open Earth projects will help us to preserve our planet for many future generations to enjoy.

Tags you might use or see: sustainability, green, planet, next generation, carbon, agriculture, energy, transportation

Resources:
TreeHugger
The Future of Things: Open Source Renewable Energy
Pure Energy Systems PESWiki
Free Child Project, Youth Led Agriculture
US Youth Network for Sustainable Development

Inspired to start your own business or organization? Can't wait to lead your peers to something new and different?

Projects in the Open Entrepreneurs category showcase the spirit of young leaders who turn ideas into reality. These projects revolve around creating and launching a new business or civil society organization (i.e., nonprofits or NGOs). They could also be tools to help existing organizations run better. Open entrepreneurs use “open business models” that embrace transparency and deliver open source/content products or services. Think about new kinds of customer database services, ways to share presentations online, and coordinating meetings with people scattered around the world. Projects can range from a published online business plan to an up-and-running business or organization. The more fully realized the vision is, the better!

Tags you might use or see: business, transparency, innovation, entrepreneurship, finance, viability, productivity

Resources
Wikipedia: Open Business
ZDNet: The emerging case for open business methods
OpenBusiness.cc

Are you a maker? Dying to unleash your inner tinkerer and inventor?

There are lots of free and open software projects and applications, but Open Gear projects deal with physical things—gadgets, devices, robots, toys, etc. We want you to make tangible creations, technological projects that we can touch and recreate based on your designs. Whether it’s a sweet robot that helps you take out the trash or a creative hack of an existing device, Open Gear projects appeal to the maker within. If a project overlaps between Open Gear and another category, list this as your secondary category, and you will be entered into both.

Tags you might use or see: gear, build, hack, share, open, construct, design, tinker, maker

Resources:
Instructables
Make Magazine
Wikipedia: Open Source Hardware
Arduino

Consider yourself an artist, online or off? Or are you just someone who loves great art and interesting media?

Open Media projects relate to communication, information, and arts. These projects should bring out the artist or creative within you whether the result is visual, digital, musical, or tactile. The projects will be new ways to create, visualize, collect, or discover media. They can also be pieces of art themselves, a new way to open and share your favorite means of self-expression.

Tags you might use or see: music, video, photography, digital painting, illustration, graphic design, sculpture, animation, media art

Resources:
Creative Commons
ccMixter
ArtLibre.org (French)

Enjoy inventing new games with friends? Or have you designed a way to make a boring task more fun with technology?

Open Play projects provide the perfect opportunity to brainstorm, design, and share new ways of having fun. Whether an alternate reality game like World Without Oil—where thousands of people lived for weeks as if the price of fuel skyrocketed—or a Four Square–style way to track your friends' whereabouts, these projects can use the internet, cards, cell phones, cameras, and real-world actions to change the way we live our lives through play. Open Play project should be engaging, educational and, above all else, fun!

Tags you might use or see: gaming, fun, social, play, multi-platform, interactivity, engagement, game, friends, social

Resources:
ARGNet
groundcrew.us
Four Square

Want some guidance on what category your project belongs in? Choose 'Not Sure' and one of our helpful Stewards will help you figure out how to categorize your project