If you're a fan of government transparency and helping people interact more effectively with government, then this is your week! Through Friday, March, 16, it's Sunshine Week -- a annual celebration of the people's right to know. Also, next Monday is the deadline to enter the first Knight News Challenge of 2013, which focuses on open government.

Sunshine Week is a national initiative to promote a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. And all around the U.S., there's lots happening online, at live events, and with projects and campaigns. See listings of Sunshine Week events, and the Sunshine Week toolkit for with freedom of information resources and more. On Twitter, follow and use the hashtag #SunshineWeek.

And Monday, March 18, 5pm EST, is the last day to enter the Knight News Challenge on Open Government. So far nearly 200 project ideas have been entered and are available for public rating and comments. This is a chance to win a share of $5 million to fund projects to improve the way citizens and government interact.

This week, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter described his hopes for open government -- part of a series of thought leadership posts from the Knight Blog.