Dublin towns and people encouraged to enter .IE Digital Town Awards

People and towns across Dublin are being called on to enter the annual .IE Digital Town Awards 2022, which celebrates the digital achievements of local towns and citizens across the country.

Now open for applications, the .IE Digital Town Awards has a total prize fund of €100,000 across 14 categories to honour local towns and people that, through digital projects and innovation, have contributed to “enhancements in areas such as e-health, digital tourism, community, education, and digital business.”

Welcoming the launch of this year’s awards, Oonagh McCutcheon, National Director, .IE Digital Town Programme said: “While the past two years have undoubtedly challenged us all, there are lots of great examples of how communities and community leaders have stepped up and adopted new ways of thinking and doing, with digital tools and innovation helping them to not only survive but thrive.

“Whether this is creating an online visitor experience to drive tourism in a town, or a digital voucher scheme to encourage local commerce, there are many inspiring examples of everyday champions and digital leaders in our communities that are transforming local life and society in innovative and creative ways,” she said.

“The ambition of our awards is to recognise these people and projects that have created opportunities against the odds, as well as inspiring and motivating others to see how digital tools and technologies might benefit their towns and communities too.

“As we begin to emerge from the pandemic, we are excited to see how towns and communities have continued to embrace digital tools and are applying innovative digital-first thinking with transformative results for citizens, business, and local society.

“Last year’s winners set the bar exceptionally high, and we are looking forward to once more shining a light on the towns, digital champions and smart ideas that are breathing new life into communities and their people.

“We are delighted to welcome our category sponsors Western Development Commission, Connected Hubs, Vodafone and AIB Merchant Services.”

Last year, three Dublin towns picked up prizes.

Dun Laoghaire’s Digital HQ project won the Urban Town and Balbriggan’s Digital Rejuvenation project finished runner up in the same category, while Laura Williams of Ballybough was announced as the Digital Hero recipient.

Dun Laoghaire’s Digital HQ project won a total prize of €9,000 for its social enterprise initiative, converting empty space in listed buildings in town centres into vibrant hubs to attract digital businesses and support traditional businesses. These facilities are known as Digital Growth Hubs.

Balbriggan’s Digital Rejuvenation project finished runner up in this same category (Urban Town) and won a total prize of €5,000.

It was recognised for its ambitious vision for the town with significant buy-in and support from the local community.