March 7, 2023 (Des Plaines, IL) URISA’s Vanguard Cabinet is proud to host the seventh annual Digital Competition to promote the GIS profession and the attendance of students and young and emerging professionals at GIS-Pro 2023 in Columbus, Ohio (October 16-19, 2023). The competition will be held virtually and selected winners will receive a complimentary one-year URISA membership. The top three submissions* will also be awarded a complimentary GIS-Pro 2023 registration and the opportunity to present their work during the conference.

The competition will include two distinct categories of participants: those that can reasonably attend/travel to Columbus, Ohio and those that cannot reasonably attend/travel; submissions from the latter category will be considered separately and are eligible for a complimentary one-year URISA membership as a prize.

This competition is an exciting opportunity for students and young and emerging professionals to showcase a project of their choice, ideally one that utilizes web and mobile platforms such as ArcGIS Online, Tableau, Mapbox, or Power BI. Projects should showcase the visualization functions of these platforms while also demonstrating knowledge and proficiency in spatial statistics, cartographic design, and/or geospatial analytics.

To enter the competition, participants should submit a link to a recorded 5-7 minute ignite or lightning-style presentation recorded via Zoom (or similar screen recording software) on their project’s use of an interactive visualization platform, geospatial technology, and spatial thinking. The presentations will be judged by the URISA Vanguard Cabinet and URISA leaders, and based on the judges’ assessments, three presenters will be selected to present their work at GIS-Pro 2023 and other winners will be selected to receive a one-year membership to URISA.

*The top three submissions in the group of participants that can reasonably attend/travel to Columbus, Ohio will be awarded a full GIS-Pro 2023 registration, $500 travel stipend, and the opportunity to present their work live at GIS-Pro 2023 in Columbus, Ohio.

Abstracts are due on or before June 12, 2023. Don’t miss this chance to get recognized for your work!

The following is the rubric by which each submission will be judged:

Awards
Participants: Selected presenters will receive either a one-year URISA Student membership or a one-year URISA Young Professional membership, depending on each presenter’s status.

Winners: The top three presenters will receive a full GIS-Pro 2023 registration, $500 travel stipend (reimbursed upon submission of receipts), and the opportunity to present their work live at GIS-Pro 2023 in Columbus.

Schedule
Entries due June 12, 2023 ( Submit Here)
Results/Invitations to present at GIS Pro 2023 announced during the week of July 10-14
GIS-Pro 2023 in Columbus: October 16-19, 2023

"Attending GIS-Pro 2022 as a student competition winner and presenting a lightning talk on my California Water Crisis Map project to nearly 400 people was a game changer for me. I talked with 3 past URISA presidents about my work and my goals for half an hour that night! The positive response to my work was rocket fuel for my confidence, which is especially helpful to me as a career changer returning to the professional world after 18 years. I met several phenomenal women, one of whom has corresponded with me about a GIS project I want to begin, and one of whom has given me a job interview. I worked really hard preparing for the competition and the conference presentation, but felt that I received orders of magnitude more back from the other people who I interacted with. I am profoundly grateful for the experience!" - Naomi Yates, Shasta College, California

Watch last year's virtual competition  here.

Wendy Nelson
Executive Director – URISA
Email Contact

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