Sonja Maclin
Headquarters, Washington, DC                  January 27, 1997
(Phone:  202/358-1600)


RELEASE: 97-19

NASA CALLS FOR SUBMISSIONS FOR 
1997 SOFTWARE OF THE YEAR AWARD 

     NASA's Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA), 
Washington, DC, as co-sponsor with NASA's Inventions and 
Contributions Board (ICB), is calling for submissions for the 1997 
NASA Software of the Year Award to give recognition to software 
developed and owned by NASA.

     Last year, the competition resulted in nearly $200,000 being 
awarded.  The winning teams in 1996, The Linked Winds Interactive 
Data System from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, 
CA, and Tetrahedral Unstructured Software System from the Langley 
Research Center, Hampton, VA, each received a prize of $40,000. 
Information about these and the other finalists from 1996 is 
available:

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/codei/swy96win.html 

     The award, which will include a trophy, a certificate signed 
by the NASA Administrator, and a monetary award of up to $100,000, 
will be presented to author(s) of software (1) in which NASA has 
an intellectual property interest, (2) which has been supported, 
adopted, sponsored, or used by NASA, and (3) which is significant 
to the NASA mission.  Software programs must have been legally 
disseminated as commercial-grade (not alpha or beta phase) 
products to the public by NASA beginning within the last three 
years. 

     Entries will be judged by a NASA panel comprised of software 
development experts from all NASA Centers and JPL.  After its 
review, the panel will submit its selection(s) to the ICB. The ICB 
may recommend a monetary award of up to $100,000 for the winner(s) 
depending on the value of the contribution to government and 
industry.  The award will be presented by NASA officials later in 
the year.

     NASA Form 1329 (ICB Award Evaluation Questionnaire) must be 
filled out for each entry.  Copies of the software, sample 
applications and data, and descriptive documentation of the 
package should be included, in addition to evidence demonstrating 
the impact and degree of innovation and suitability of the entry.  
This information will be the primary data used by the panel in 
recommending awards.

     Additional inquiries on award criteria should be made through 
the NASA Space Act Awards Liaison Officer at any NASA Center or 
through the ICB.  Center contact names are available by phoning 
202/358-2468.  Entries and supporting material must be submitted 
to these NASA offices not later than April 18, 1997.  Each Center 
will then forward to the ICB the Center's top selection by May 16, 
1997. 

                                 -end-