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| The City of Austin Financial Services Department is launching its fourth annual student digital inclusion art contest ArtConnect. It’s to draw attention to Digital Inclusion Week (Oct. 1–7) and spotlight the 40,000+ Travis County households without reliable, high-speed home internet service. Lack of a home broadband connection limits the ability to do schoolwork, fill out job or government applications, work from home, do telehealth or participate fully in our digital world. Austin’s ArtConnect 2023 competition is open now for students 10 to 18 years of age. Artwork can be submitted either online, via the mail or in-person until Aug. 31. There’s more information at www.austintexas.gov/artconnect “With summer underway, we hope that some budding Austin artists will consider using their creativity to help us paint a digital inclusion picture,” said Rondella Hawkins, the City of Austin’s Telecommunications and Regulatory Affairs Officer. “We want them to show us what a digitally connected world could look like. We will use a digital gallery and public City displays to showcase the artwork as a reminder that there’s still work to be done to close the digital divide.” ArtConnect was created originally by the City of Austin to honor Digital Inclusion Week when most events were online. This year the Digital Empowerment Community of Austin members plan to host events highlighting local services and support for community members who need access, training or computer devices. Affordability is the biggest roadblock to internet access. So, the City will be promoting the Federal Communications Commission’s Affordable Connectivity Program during DIW. The FCC estimates that about 110,000 Travis County households are eligible for the $30 a month discount for home internet service. A panel of judges will choose the top three ArtConnect winners who receive a monetary prize. The winners will be announced at a Digital Inclusion Week celebration. Then the art will be hosted in various City gallery spaces. The winning entries will receive: 1st Place: $400 2nd Place: $200 3rd Place: $100 Created in 2015 by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, Digital Inclusion Week is an annual week of awareness, recognition and celebration. In the past, organizations such as the Digital Empowerment Community of Austin and individuals nationwide have hosted special events and campaigns to promote and increase digital equity in their communities. |
