With over a month still to go for registrations, 182 European cities have already entered Bloomberg Philanthropies' Mayors Challenge - a new competition inviting cities to come up with innovative solutions to major problems and improve city life. 

Nesta is delighted to be partnering with Bloomberg Philanthropies on this competition that inspires European cities to generate bold ideas that can be shared with the rest of the world. 

The participating 182 cities come from 29 European countries, both large and small. Twenty-two European capital cities have entered so far including London, Paris and Madrid. 

View the key stats by clicking on the infographic below

The Mayors Challenge is still open for European cities to enter - until 31 January 2014. The competition is inviting European cities with 100,000 residents or more to submit their city's boldest idea. 

Modelled on a successful inaugural competition in the United States, the Mayors Challenge will award €5 million for the grand prize winner and €1 million for four additional cities that come up with the boldest and most transferable ideas.

"The response to the Mayors Challenge has been extremely enthusiastic all across Europe,” said New York City Mayor and philanthropist Michael Bloomberg. “The need for public sector innovation has never been greater, and we’re excited to see so many European leaders join this competition.”

In the spring, 20 finalists will be announced and in May, teams from each of those cities will attend Bloomberg Ideas Camp, a two-day gathering where top policy, program, and innovation experts will help cities strengthen and stretch their ideas to ensure the greatest impact. Five winners will be announced in the fall of 2014.

To find out more about the Mayors Challenge, visit bloomberg.org/mayorschallenge and follow @BloombergCities on Twitter.