Tipp groups shortlisted for digital awards

Boher coding makes shortlist

.IE, the national registry for .ie domain names, is delighted to announce that four entries from Tipperary groups have been shortlisted for the .IE Digital Town Awards 2023. The awards, now in their third year, have welcomed Vodafone as a partner for 2023. The awards recognise and reward projects created by town groups and local communities that have a digital element, supporting Ireland’s digital development. .IE provides the pathway for people, communities and businesses to access and unlock a digital world of potential and opportunity by managing the infrastructure that allows this to happen.

The shortlisted entries include:

- Smart Skills for Farming Communities programme has been shortlisted in the Agri-tech category. The programme helps farmers use novel technologies to make their work easier, save time and money as well as improving the sustainability and profitability of their farm. The programme also addresses the issue by delivering very practical digital training in areas such as soil fertility technology, grassland management technology, time and labour-saving technology, farm management systems, and handy Apps.

- Rossmore Scratchers have been shortlisted in the Community Digital category, proudly sponsored by Western Development Commission. The installation of a Broadband Connection Point (BCP) was a game-changer for Rossmore. It enabled coding club Rossmore Scratchers to provide a space for digital projects through STEAM for children and adults alike. It is volunteer-led, has diverse community involvement, a clear understanding of community needs, and is managed on a limited budget.

- The ‘Full STEAM ahead’ programme has been shortlisted in the Digital Education category. To ensure the ongoing success of the project, local volunteers were trained in how to deliver and facilitate training workshops. A micro:bit challenge is underway with the opportunity for students to pitch their digital innovation to judges at Dream Space, a STEM learning hub located at One Microsoft Way in June 2023.

- Boher, Let’s all code together has been shortlisted in the Digital Rising Star and Newcomer categories. All things digital have been embraced in Boher by introducing inclusive, creative coding for children and their families in the community digital hub and in the primary school. It allows people to learn new skills in a collaborative and fun way.

In addition, national suicide charity Turn2Me, has also been shortlisted in the Community category. The fully online, digital platform offers free counselling and peer support in a safe, anonymous confidential space, eliminating barriers to accessing support including cost, waiting lists and travel time.

Congratulating the finalists, National Director, .IE Digital Town Programme Oonagh McCutcheon said: “At .IE, our purpose is to enable and empower people, communities and businesses across Ireland to thrive online and we are advocates for all things digital at all levels. The .IE Digital Town Awards are a celebration of the incredible work being undertaken at a local level to promote innovation and breathe new life into local communities. The awards also afford the opportunity to recognise and show appreciation to the volunteers across the country who devote their spare time working tirelessly to enhance their local area, towns and villages and we look forward to celebrating all of our finalists at our Gala Awards ceremony in May.”

Chairperson of the .IE Digital Town Awards 2023 judging committee Joan Mulvihill added: “The calibre of entries we received for this years’ awards has been astounding – I speak on behalf of my fellow judges when I say that we were blown away by the wealth of stories and commend each and every entrant who took the time to complete an application. The digital future looks incredibly bright when we look at adoption of digital technology to solve everyday problems in towns and communities across the country.”

The awards offer a prize fund of €100,000 which is split across the 10 categories. Winners will be announced at a gala awards event on Wednesday, May 24.