PEACEapp-harnessing

The United Nations Alliance of Civilisations, the United Nations Development Programme and Build Up have launched PEACEapp, a global competition to promote digital games and gamified apps as venues for cultural dialogue and conflict management.

PEACEapp is intended to give developers, technologists and peacebuilders the chance to showcase their work - new, existing or in progress - and engage with questions that are central to building peace. How can we create new spaces for dialogue and shared action aimed at preventing violence? Can providing opportunities for contact among individuals and sharing stories also encourage mutual respect for cultural and religious values? Or is it about offering people tools to question and reframe their identities? Of all the technological tools increasingly available to peacebuilders, digital games and gamified apps present opportunities that are particularly relevant to fostering dialogue that prevents violence.

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How it works

The competition is open to three kinds of entries at all stages of development - from prototypes to fully developed:

  • digital games & gamified apps developed purposefully for this competition;
  • already existing digital games, and
  • creative re-purposing of existing digital games to meet the aim of PEACEapp.
PEACEapp’s international jury will select five winning entries: three that are fully functioning and two that are in development. The three fully functioning games or apps will receive an award of USD$5,000 each. The two in development will receive mentorship from expert partners. In addition, one member of each award-winning team (completed or in development) will be invited to the Build Peace conference in April 2015 in Cyprus to share their product with conference participants. The deadline for applications is October 15, 2014. Winners will be announce by November 30, 2014.

For more information, visit www.unaoc.org/peaceapp, follow PEACEapp on Facebook, Twitter or contact PEACEapp@unaoc.org.