The computer division of the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) have announced yesterday that the successor of the SHA2 will be the winner of an open competition. The same process have been used to select the AES algorithm. This decision is motivated by the recent advance made in hash cryptanalysis (See my previous post on the subject). While SHA-2 is still considered secure, having a competition for it successor is clearly a good thing for the long term.
Winner selection criteria are not (yet) as clear as for AES because the understanding of hash functions leaves a lot to be desired. However I am sure that our understanding will be refined and a precise selection criteria for the competition will arise. If you have idea how to make new hash function, well it is the right time to pull them out 
NIST offical page on SHA-3
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