The City of Austin and U.S. Ignite have teamed up to offer $38,000 in prize money for civic-minded developers interested in building gigabit speed apps.
We previously told you about the grant the City had accepted from U.S. Ignite’s Smart Gigabit Communities Program and the exciting opportunity to help Austin become a leader in next-generation applications that utilize the gigabit internet. More details are now available directly from the City:
Austin’s civic-minded app developers and entrepreneurs are invited to compete in the City of Austin’s GigaTECHs Competition. The competition is part of a broader nationwide initiative, led by D.C-based U.S Ignite, to encourage next-generation Gigabit Internet applications that provide transformative public benefit. Competitors will have the opportunity to win $38,000 in prize money to seed and support the development of applications that focus on opportunities in local transportation, education, clean energy, health and safety (TECHs). The prize money is made possible by U.S Ignite and the City of Austin’s Communications and Technology Management Department.
You interested? Here’s how to learn more:
The City will be unveiling additional details about the competition and how to enter at ATX Hack For Change‘s kickoff event. The June 2 event at 800 Congress is open to the public and begins at 6 pm. It’s free to attend, but registration prior to the event is required.
More from the City:
Qualified submissions will include ideas, concepts and wireframes for applications focused on one or more of the following areas: Transportation, Education, Clean energy, Health and safety (TECHs).
From the initial pool of submissions, a small group of finalists will be selected by a diverse panel of expert judges to move forward in prototyping their app concept. Eligible finalists must reside in and/or have a business headquartered in the Greater Austin Area (Travis, Williamson, Hays, Bastrop and Caldwell counties). Winning applications will be shared with select cities across the United States participating in the U.S Ignite Smart Gigabit Communities program.
So make plans to attend ATX Hack For Change‘s kickoff event on June 2 if you want to be the first to find out how to enter the competition.
How else you can support
If you’re interested in supporting these efforts but don’t want to submit a project, there are additional ways to get involved.
You can use your expertise by becoming a Project Champion and supporting entrepreneurs who are creating applications in the following target areas: health, clean energy, education, transportation, and public safety.
If you, your company, or your network have expertise in one of those areas and want to give back to the benefit of Austin’s future, reach out to the City of Austin’s Lance McNeill.