The Olympics may be in full swing in Rio de Janeiro, but we’ve got our own nail-biting competition going on here in the Washington region. Here are the 10 finalists for the MetroGreater contest, to devise quick ways Metro can improve the rider experience. Which are your favorites?

Photo by Asten on Flickr.

People submitted over 1,300 ideas to improve the rider experience on Metrorail, Metrobus, or MetroAccess. Eligible ideas are ones that Metro could implement in six months or less and for no more than $100,000.

The MetroGreater jury met last week and selected an exciting slate of ten finalist ideas. From bus to rail, art to parking, we think you’ll find at least one idea you think should be the MetroGreater winner.

Starting next week, we’ll feature finalist ideas in Greater Greater Washington posts to tell you a bit more about each. In the meantime, take a look at the finalist ideas below, then cast your vote!

Congrats to our finalist submitters: Mathew F. of Washington, DC; Hester G. of Cheverly, MD; Peter D. of Arlington, VA; Ryan W. of Washington, DC; Janet S. of Alexandria, VA; Jennifer S. of Chevy Chase, MD; Robert B. of Falls Church, VA; Diana B. of Dunkirk, MD; Alex L. of Washington, DC; and Dennis E. of Bethesda, MD!

Cast your vote by Friday, August 26

Voting is open and you can cast your vote starting today at MetroGreater.org! Anyone can vote, but only once, between now and 11:59 pm next Friday, August 26th.

To vote, you’ll rank the finalist ideas. You can rank all 10, or just your top choice. Votes will be tallied using the instant-runoff voting system. That means we will eliminate entries that get the fewest votes and apply those votes to the next-highest one that’s still in the running. Instant runoff voting is used to elect legislators and presidents in Australia, India, and Ireland.

Honorable mentions

The jury also identified 12 honorable mentions. These are ideas which the jury really liked, but for one reason or another could not be implemented safely, successfully, in six months or less, and for no more than $100,000.

Some are ideas which Metro staff really liked and could work on in the future with the luxury of more time and/or money, and we hope they will. Others are actually being done already.

We will be following up with more detailed information on the reasons each of these could not be finalists in posts on Greater Greater Washington after the voting ends.

What about the rest of the ideas?

As we’ve kept you updated on the MetroGreater contest process, several commenters have requested that we share more than just the 10 finalist ideas. In addition to the honorable mentions above, you can now see the semifinalists here, and can see all of the submitted ideas here.

Prizes

Thanks to Metro and its business partners, the grand prize winner, the remaining 9 finalists, and the people who submitted “honorable mention” ideas will receive a prize!

The grand prize winner will receive a paperweight made from a piece of historic Metro rail removed during SafeTrack as well as a personalized $100 SmarTrip card. Additionally, he or she will get to choose two packages of experiences donated by the Reston Association, Extraordinary Alexandria, Pike & Rose, Spy Museum, National Building Museum, Washington Capitals, Arlington, Big Bus Tours, Washington Wizards, the Washington NFL team, and Downtown DC.

Finalists will each get to choose one of the remaining packages and will also each receive a $25 SmarTrip card.

People who submitted one of the honorable mention ideas will each get a token of appreciation from WUSA9, Metro, Rockville Town Square, Main Street Takoma, or the Smithsonian Zoo.

You make Metro greater

Thank you to everyone who submitted an idea! Whether your idea made it through to the final stages or not, your participation demonstrates riders’ commitment to making Metro greater.