The next round of the Knight News Challenge competition will focus on open government -- ways to improve how citizens and governments interact.

In a Knight blog post, John Bracken (director of journalism and media innovation at the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation) explained that this challenge isn't just about putting government data to wider use. Eligible projects also might "help parents evaluate schools, make weather data more usable, identify best routes from one town to another, or identify pork in the federal budget."

This News Challenge round introduces a new twist. Bracken wrote: "We are looking for more than just applicants for this challenge; we're looking for participants. The challenge will open with an 'inspiration' phase where anyone -- journalists, state and local officials, citizens, community foundations, schools, others -- can share problems they'd like to see solved and success stories they'd like to see accelerated. We hope they'll continue to participate with their comments as applicants start submitting project entries. We'll announce the winners in June."

Important News Challenge dates:

• Feb. 7, 1pm ET: Open office hours, an opportunity to ask questions and get answers. Stay tuned to @knightfdn and #newschallenge for more details.
• Feb. 12: Inspiration phase opens, more details available for applications.
• Feb. 19: Applications open.
• March 18: Applications close.
• June: Winners announced.

Learn more and apply (once applications open) at NewsChallenge.org.