The shortlist for the 2022 .IE Digital Town Awards was announced this week by .IE, the manager of Ireland’s trusted online .ie address.
Following a competitive selection process by an independent judging panel, Westport and Castlebar have been shortlisted for a national award in the Digital Business and Digital Education categories respectively.
Westport’s entry relates to a new e-commerce platform with a social media look and feel that has been purposely designed to support local business and connect communities.
Castlebar’s Digital West project seeks to educate local business and the general public on the latest digital technology trends and how they can leverage these technologies for positive sustainable outcomes.
Now in its second year, the .IE Digital Town Awards honour local town projects and people that are using digital innovation, technologies, and digital-first thinking for the betterment of towns, citizens, and services in the community.
The awards were launched as part of €1 million investment announced by .IE in 2021. There are seven award categories for digital projects in the areas of education, tourism, business, and community, with three special awards recognising a (1 ) Digital Changemaker, (2 ) Digital Rising Star, and (3 ) Digital Local Hero. An overall winner will also be announced at the gala awards ceremony next month.
During the shortlisting process, the judging panel looked for digitally motivated community leaders who demonstrated digital thinking to creatively problem-solve and develop innovative ideas that ‘disrupt’ and enhance towns and communities. The overall winners will be announced at the gala awards ceremony which will take place on June 8.
