Speaking at the RSA Conference in San Francisco on Wednesday, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Janet Napolitano announced the National Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign Challenge Competition, a contest to solicit ideas from individuals and industry about how to best engage the American public in a discussion about cybersecurity.
"A secure cyber environment is as much about people and habits and culture as it is about machines," said Napolitano. "...We need to have an ongoing, two-way conversation between the public and private sectors [about how to improve cybersecurity]."

Proposals submitted to DHS before the April 30 deadline will be evaluated based on factors that include teamwork, effective metrics for distribution and engagement, use of Web 2.0 technology, compliance with spam laws, privacy, repeatability, feedback mechanism, list building, transparency, and message.

Winners will be invited to a DHS event in Washington D.C. in late May or early June and will have the opportunity to help plan the National Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign with DHS and to prepare the campaign for its launch in October, during Cybersecurity Awareness Month.

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