AIR-Austin: The Whole Scoop
The event is limited to 20 teams, with two classes of competition - "Stock Cars" and "Formula 1". In the true spirit of a Rally, AIR-Austin has a very race-car feel to it. Because of the extreme diversity of non-profit and high-tech organizations -- their sizes, capabilities, missions, etc. the competion will be geared to:
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Stock-Cars:
- Design teams will be matched to NPOs by the Rally Organizers on October 12th at the Team "mixer."
- Designers must enter as a team.
- Teams MUST attend all scheduled events; not attending an event will automatically disqualify a team from competition.
- Web sites will be judged based on the following criteria: accessibility (56%); creativity; attractiveness; utility; appropriateness for the intended audience; extensibility of concept to a larger website.
- Designers come to one of two scheduled trainings and get the tools you need to build accessible web sites. Thursday, October 5 from 4 pm to 7 pm OR Saturday, October 7th from 9 am to noon.
- Nonprofits hands-on training in web basics. How to use web site to serve your mission, how to find the right host, FTP info, and more on Saturday, September 23, from 9am to noon. ** A make-up session for those who missed the first training will be offered on Monday, October 9th from 2 pm to 4 pm. **
- A $100 Registration Fee per Web Development Team (The fee will be processed ONLY if and when your team is selected for the event).
- $50 Entry Fee and a Commitment for Participation per NPO (The fee will be processed ONLY if and when your organization is selected for the event).
- photo and 1/4 page story about your company and/or team in a special pullout section of the Austin Business Journal published on Friday, October 13.
- invitation to pre-competition mixer, with food and drink supplied by AIR-Austin
- goodie bag for all team members
- public visibility -- before, during, and after the event as one of the participating teams
- and, last but not least, the inevitable, the undeniable, the ever-unstoppable, event T-shirt, commemorating the fact that you are participating in a unique event
Hosted on the MAIN Web Site
MAIN will provide hosting for free, but with some technological restrictions: no "whizbang" technology, no advanced Internet/Web features/functionality/CGI scripting, no IPng/HTML9x, no Java/JavaScript, ASP, VBxx, VC++, etc. - just straightforward html presentation and URL/email links. MAIN provides public access to community information and aims to make all content accessible to the broadest number of people of all different abilities and to those with the barest minimum of computing technology available to them.
Anything (technology wise) goes
Full-blown Sun/Solaris hemi-engine, custom CGI carburetor, SGI, IBM/AIX, OS/2, Macintosh, UNIX, You Name It! The catch is: You design it, you host it, you support it! MAIN can't, and MAIN won't! The Web Design Team must provide an end-to-end, total life-cycle funding and technology plan for hosting, connectivity, access, maintenance, User support, etc. Obviously, big companies have an advantage in this category, but obviously also, participation in this category requires a major commitment.
First place and Honorable Mention Awards will be presented in both categories, and, thus, we encourage all high-tech participants to challenge in both categories!!
Qualifying Laps - Various dates
Start Your Engines - Thursday, October 12th at 6 pm
- Wahoo...BIG Party! Find out which design team is matched to which nonprofit and get goin' amidst food, drink, and loud music at the Power 100 High Tech Happy Hour! Austin Music Hall, 215 Nueces.
Gather Speed on Friday, October 13thTeams schedule times at your mutual convenience to meet with your NPO client and to talk about the site and make plans.
The Race is ON! Saturday, October 14th
- The Rally is run on Saturday. October 14th at Infotec from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Checkered Flag
- The AIR-Austin expert panel of judges will review each site during the week of October 16 and choose winners and runners-up in each category.
Winner's Circle Wednesday, October 24th Come see who wins the AIR Austin trophies in 2000! Winners will be announced at The Austin Mayor's Committee Annual Employment Awards. Omni Park South, 5:00 pm doors open - anouncement at 6:00 pm.
Aside from the potential of winning an award for creating the most accessible website during the competition - which you can be proud of for at least one year until you have to defend your title - all entrants also enjoy the following benefits:
For more information about AIR-Austin, call
Genie Sorensen at 512/478-4596
or send email genie.sorensen@knowbility.org