“This unique event is only one example of how the State of Michigan is thinking outside the box on ways to improve customer service,” said John Nixon, director of the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget. “We are excited to tap into the many talented developers out there who can help us realize our vision of making state government even more innovative and responsive.”

Code Michigan is scheduled to begin on Friday, Oct. 4 at 5:30 p.m. and run through Sunday, Oct. 6, at 4:30 p.m. at the Madison Building, 1555 Broadway St. in Detroit. Individuals interested in participating may register for the free, three-day event by visiting the Code Michigan website. There are only 200 tickets available, so early registration is encouraged.

Cash prizes and opportunities to pitch developed apps to real venture capitalists will be awarded to the best, most viable and useful apps developed at the event. “Code Michigan is an exciting opportunity for civic-minded developers and designers to get together and create mobile apps for the public good,” said CIO David Behen. “This is the first chance for coders to use state data to design and build apps with real social value.”

The state is working on Code Michigan with several private partners, including Commercial Progression, Detroit Labs and Bedrock Real Estate, all of Detroit. Other sponsors include Windows Azure (Microsoft), GitHub, and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

“Coders have a skillset that they use every day that they can now leverage to contribute to the betterment of society,” said Rick Mason, an entrepreneur who proposed the event. “I call it ‘Democracy 2.0’”. Code Michigan will result in even more useful applications than currently exists today. Similar events in other parts of the country have resulted in the creation of new companies and new jobs.