Making Canberra even smarter!

Engaging Canberra’s brightest minds to help build and support a dynamic, healthy and prosperous Digital City for the 21st century. That’s the aim of the new ACT Government initiative, the Digital Canberra Challenge.

The Digital Canberra Challenge was launched on 19 August 2013 by Minister Barr MLA, ACT Minister for Economic Development. The Challenge is an initiative of Growth, Diversification and Jobs: A Business Development Strategy for the ACT, and aims to engage ACT innovators and SMEs in the development of new or improved digital government services.

Supported by NICTA , CollabIT  and the Canberra Business Council , the Digital Canberra Challenge will be delivered by eGovernment Cluster  under the direction of a Program Board chaired by Tony Henshaw, a local industry leader in the ICT sector.

Leading up to each round of the Challenge, people will have the opportunity to put forward unresolved business challenges relating to the delivery of government services – things that they think could be done faster, better, smarter or more efficiently.

From the pool of potential challenges that are submitted, the ones that have the most potential for innovative solutions that can benefit a real area of need for Canberra will be chosen.

From then, the challenge is on! The call will go out to Canberra’s brightest minds from our ICT innovation community, asking them to put together submissions answering the challenge brief.

The best two ideas are chosen from the submissions received. The shortlisted teams are then set into head to head competition, partnering with the ACT Government to develop their ideas into 'proof-of-concept' prototypes. Coaching, mentoring and research assistance will be provided to the successful innovators or SMEs. Contestants in the Challenge will also be able to apply for separate Innovation Connect grant funding to help with the commercialisation of their products and ideas.

After six months of development the two solutions are judged, and the team that produces the best outcome for Canberra will be named the winner of the Digital Canberra Challenge, receiving $12,500 in prize money. The runner up will receive $7,500 in prize money.

The winning idea will then be put to work to help improve our city!

The first round is scheduled to begin in September 2013.

Do you know of something that has the opportunity for improvement? Do you think you can out innovate the competition?

Visit the Digital Canberra Challenge website  to help set the challenge, become a competitor or to find out more information.