Innovation competition focused on engaging diverse teams to develop smart city solutions to kick off on January 23; Registration now open 

Fairfax County is partnering with Smart City Works, Refraction, Girls in Tech DC, The Universities at Shady Grove, and Virginia Tech to host the first annual Smart City Challenge.  

The Smart City Challenge is an innovation competition, in which teams create high-impact solutions to address the toughest smart city challenges in sectors including housing, transportation, health, broadband, energy, education, water, infrastructure, and public safety.  The goal of the Challenge is to advance equitable and inclusive opportunities for all people to thrive in the greater Washington, D.C. region. The Challenge, which will run from January 23 to February 18, also will host important discussions on smart city issues with key business, government and nonprofit leaders throughout the month.

Registration is now open for the month-long virtual competition that kicks off on January 23 with remarks from Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, Dominion Energy CEO Robert Blue, Virginia Tech’s Innovation Campus Executive Director Lance Collins, MITRE Labs General Manager and Chief Futurist Charles Clancy, and Fairfax County Deputy County Executive Rachel Flynn.

Collaborators will have one month to build their teams and draw on Challenge resources, including expert mentors.  Winning teams will be selected based on innovation, regional impact, practicality of application, and equity and inclusivity by a judging panel of smart city experts.  More than $350,000 in cash and in-kind prizes will be awarded to the winning teams.  Winners will also have the valuable opportunity to do pilot projects with Fairfax County, City of Fairfax, or other Challenge partners.
    
The Challenge is open to all participants who are passionate about improving our region, from college students to entrepreneurs, technologists, and startups, with a special focus on including women and people of color.

Fairfax County continues to be a hub for innovative technology hosting more than 11 of the Forbes top 500 companies. Additionally, it is home to 8,900 technology-focused enterprises that deliver a full spectrum of high-end services and solutions to government, industry, and consumer markets worldwide.

The Challenge will be supported by ABS Capital, Amazon Web Services, Arlington County, Cox Business, Dominion Energy, City of Fairfax, Fairfax County, George Mason University, MITRE, Refraction, Smart City Works Venture Labs, TalaTek, The Universities at Shady Grove, and Virginia Tech.

To learn more about the Challenge and to register, visit: bit.ly/SCChallenge2021

About Smart City Challenge Organizers

Smart City Works is a nonprofit organization focused on solving urban challenges through innovation that fosters economic growth. Refraction is a nonprofit innovation hub that provides mentoring, programs and workspace to startups and high-growth companies.  Together, they lead the Northern Virginia Smart Region Initiative, funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Working with partners, the Smart Region Initiative’s goal is to help make Northern Virginia a hot spot for smart city innovation and economic growth. 

Fairfax County is Virginia’s largest county with 1.1 million residents and the home of eleven Fortune 500 companies and 8,700 technology companies benefiting from more than $3.2 billion in federal R&D investment last year. Girls in Tech DC is the regional chapter of the global nonprofit dedicated to eliminating the gender gap in technology and entrepreneurship.  The Universities at Shady Grove offers 80 degree programs from nine Maryland public universities.  Virginia Tech is the second largest public university in Virginia with a $522 million research portfolio.

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