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1. How is COVID-19 affecting the Civic Innovation Challenge? Has the submission deadline been pushed back?

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the original submission deadline of May 18th, 2020 for Mayor Byron W. Brown’s 3rd Annual Civic Innovation Challenge Powered by AT&T is extended indefinitely.

A new submission deadline will be scheduled when municipal operations normalize at the City of Buffalo. The deadline will be set 53 days following the official recommencement to ensure all participants have a comparable development period from the date of postponement.

City employees who had submitted reverse pitch ideas for the Challenge are working remotely, so responses to questions regarding design and functionality may be delayed.

For a full list of project pitches, please visit this document.

2. What is Mayor Byron W. Brown's Civic Innovation Challenge Powered by AT&T?

Mayor Byron W. Brown’s 3rd Annual Civic Innovation Challenge Powered by AT&T encourages local developers and entrepreneurs to partner with City departments to create software solutions the City can leverage to foster innovation and efficiency in the way City services are provided to residents. 

This year’s Challenge will provide a stronger opportunity for participants to hear from City departments about what types of solutions would be most helpful. City departments have developed nine (9) pitches to address civic challenges with potential technological solutions, and departments will make themselves available during the duration of the Challenge to provide insight on City operations and feedback on the design and usability of projects.

Contestants will be able to work independently or build teams and will be required to build a working prototype of their solution over a two-month development period. The Grand Prize winner will receive the following prize package:

• $10,000
• Municipal Beta Testing
• Individualized Business Assistance
• Angel Investor Pitch Meeting

The Challenge is designed to elevate civic engagement, enhance the capacity of municipal operations, and demonstrate a practical way in which the civic technology community in Buffalo can play a role in making our city an even better place to live, work, study, and play.

AT&T’s partnership with Mayor Byron W. Brown and the City of Buffalo in hosting this innovative challenge grows out of the company’s commitment to advancing technological innovation in New York through the company’s multi-billion dollar nationwide investment in the mobile communications network of the future and the company’s dedication to foster local innovation across the Empire State and Western New York by providing opportunities for data scientists, coders, and developers to create new technologies that could positively impact their communities and strengthen the local innovation economy. As an industry leader for decades in data insights, AT&T harnesses the principles of openness and collaboration to accelerate innovation, aligning with the underlying objectives of Mayor Byron W. Brown’s Civic Innovation Challenge Powered by AT&T.

3. Who organized this Challenge?

The City of Buffalo, through its Open Data Buffalo program, has partnered with AT&T to produce the Challenge. 

4. What can I win?

The Grand Prize winner will receive the following prize package:

• $10,000
• Municipal Beta Testing
• Individualized Business Assistance
• Angel Investor Pitch Meeting

5. When will the Challenge take place?

Mayor Brown’s Civic Innovation Challenge Powered by AT&T launches on Tuesday, March 10th, 2020. While participating in the slack channel and  signing up for email updates are highly encouraged, they are not required for entry. Contestants will have until Monday, May 18th, 2020 @ 11:59:59PM EST to complete a Submission Form and be considered as a finalist. 

6. How is the prize awarded? How is my project going to be judged?

Entries submitted will be judged on Civic Benefit (20%), Scalability (20%), User-Friendly Design (UX/UI) (20%), Functionality (25%), and Demo/Description (25%). Please see Judging Criteria for additional information.

7. How do we submit an entry?

The only way to submit an entry is by filling out the online Submission Form. To submit, you have to include the following information: All team members’ names and contact information, a written description of the entry, a summary video (no longer than 4 minutes) of the prototype, a link to or file of a working desktop, mobile, or web app, a link to code (if applicable), and an electronic signature.

8. Why is the Challenge happening?

The goal of the Challenge is to encourage local developers and entrepreneurs to partner with City departments to create software solutions the City can leverage to foster innovation, accountability and efficiency in the way City services are provided to residents. The Challenge is designed to elevate civic engagement, enhance the capacity of municipal operations, and demonstrate a practical way in which the civic technology community in Buffalo can play a role in making our city an even better place to live, work, study, and play.

9. When and how will winners be notified?

After the last day of the Challenge, the judges will have approximately two weeks to review all entries. The winner will be notified via phone and e-mail and will be invited to attend a finale ceremony on Thursday, June 4th, 2020. At least one team member is required to attend the finale ceremony.

10. Are there any special requirements to participate in the Challenge?

All team members must be persons who are legal U.S. residents (or international students attending a Western New York high school, college, or university), and one member of each team must either be a resident of Western New York or a student at a Western New York high school, college, or university. For the purposes of this Challenge, Western New York includes: Erie, Niagara, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Genesee, Orleans, Wyoming, Allegany, Monroe, and Livingston counties.

If selected as the winner, at least one member of the team must be available to attend the Grand Finale Prize Announcement on Thursday, June 4th, 2020 (or alternate date).

11. How can I help spread the word about the Challenge?

Follow Mayor Brown on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and share and repost any and all posts related to the Challenge! Use the hashtag #buffaloinnovates on any posts you make about the Challenge. Sign up for email updates and connect on Slack (join the public #civic-innovation-challenge channel) to learn more about the Challenge and then forward any and all updates to your listservs. 

12. What is Open Data Buffalo?

Open Data Buffalo is the City of Buffalo, New York’s official open data program that makes public information publicly available for free in accessible and machine-readable formats. It is currently ranked #4 in the nation on the U.S. City Open Data Census. Open data enhances data-driven decision making, increases transparency, drives internal efficiencies, and fosters innovation. Mayor Byron W. Brown’s Civic Innovation Challenge Powered by AT&T is structured to spur this innovation by creating a friendly competition to see what is possible when we, as a city, open our data and engage the local community to develop civic technology to benefit residents.

13. Why is AT&T involved?

AT&T's multi-billion dollar nationwide investment in the mobile communications network of the future answers the growing demand for mobile communications as consumers increasingly rely solely on their smartphones to enhance their education, advance professional careers, organize busy lives, consume entertainment and keep in touch with loved ones in so many ways unimaginable only a few years ago.