Facebook has been trying to encourage application developers to create more engaging and useful applications for the platform. Part of that encouragement has come from financial rewards from the facebook fund. Facebook started a contest a few months back. They chose finalists and then let the facebook user community vote for the the apps they liked best to select the users. I think that the winners are all actually pretty decent apps and that the core concepts behind them are all relatively sound.

Selection criteria was based on team ability, business potential and Facebook’s Guiding Principles, which identify successful applications as being social, useful, expressive, intuitive, and exuding originality of concept, market potential and team success.

“We’re thrilled to see the success of integrating user voting into the fbFund judging process,” said Elliot Schrage, vice president of communications and platform marketing, Facebook. “This has been one of the most effective programs we’ve seen to date that actively engaged users in promoting the development of great applications on Facebook Platform.”

Facebook has just announced the final five grand prize recipients from the FB fund contest, each will receive $225,000 in non-recourse grant funding: KAAAACHIIING!

1) GroupCard - app: http://apps.facebook.com/groupcards
The GroupCard application lets users celebrate any special occasion by sending friends a card signed by the whole group. With GroupCard, users can create a printable online card and pass it around for messages, photos, audio, and gifts.