The city of Phoenix Office of Innovation is teaming up with Venture Café Phoenix on a hackathon and pitch competition looking for innovative ways to increase access to chilled drinking water in public spaces.
Competitors can apply now to participate in the event, which offers a chance to win cash prizes. Space is limited, organizers said.
The hackathon will take place on April 6 from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., at the 850 PBC building at 850 N. 5th St. near Arizona State University’s downtown Phoenix campus, with lunch and snacks provided. The pitch competition will go from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. that evening on the CEI main stage.
Competitors will work together in groups of five to six people. The winning team will be awarded $3,500 to be split evenly between team members. The second place team members will split $1,500. Both first- and second-place winners, as well as the audience choice winner, will receive promotional assets they can use for marketing and PR, while all participants will receive swag from the city of Phoenix and Venture Café Phoenix.
“I felt a Hackathon and a Pitch Competition was the best and most fun way to socialize and discuss a city challenge with our community," said Melissa Lamson, Partnerships & Special Programs, Venture Café Phoenix, in a statement. "We are intentionally creating Hackathon teams made up of people with diverse perspectives, industries and expertise.”
Phoenix officials also said the event represents a way to spur innovation and work to solve an important public problem.
“To solve an important challenge, Phoenix is tapping into one of our greatest resources — our creative and enterprising residents,” Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said in a statement. “Expanding public access to drinking water, especially in areas of high pedestrian and public transit, is essential to keeping our residents comfortable and safe. I’m excited to see the ideas that come from the city of Phoenix’s first Innovation Challenge.”
Organizers offer the following considerations for contestants:
- New technologies to provide drinking water in public spaces that could make a system more accessible.
- Non-tech ideas to provide access to drinking water without using plastic water bottles.
- Cooling and shading efforts to keep the systems cool so the water stays cool in extreme heat.
- Education and communication strategies around the systems to build interest and encourage people to use the bottle filling stations.
- Innovative ideas for maintenance and preventing vandalism, such as tech solutions or wrap-around support from the community or businesses.
- Adding a public art component to support the project and encourage community engagement and preservation of the system.
- Sustainable ways to alert if a system isn't functioning properly and potentially losing water, as well as providing alternative options for those who forget their water bottle and would like to use a water filling station.
“Access to water in a desert city with over 1.5 million residents is essential," said Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari. "However, given the challenges with existing infrastructure and our rapidly rising population, water access is not always guaranteed for our residents, particularly those who are homeless. I'm excited to see the solutions generated by those competing in the city of Phoenix's first Innovation Challenge."
Those interested in applying, as well as those who want to register to watch the pitch contest, can learn more here. The event is open to all and free to attend.
