All Over Albany

Tech Valley Civic App Challenge winners

Announced today: The winners of the AT&T Tech Valley Civic App Challenge, which this past March called for entries with "potential to benefit the local community." The contest included $18,000 in prize money.

The grand prize winner: Food Pantry Helper, which was created by Russell Kirkwood of Stillwater, and aims to help food pantries manage their operations more efficiently.

Here's a bit more about that app, along with the other winners...

$10,000 Grand Prize: Food Pantry Helper
Created by: Russell Kirkwood of Stillwater
"This mobile web app assists non-for-profit food pantries manage their operations more efficiently and cost effectively to better service the community's most fragile. It includes services such as client, inventory, grant, volunteer and donor tracking. In addition, the app reduces the need for paper, provides real-time data and reporting to management and compliance oversight entities, and provides an overall structure for a food pantry operation. The capital region alone has more than a thousand food pantry or food distribution type organizations."

$5,000 Second Place: Electorate
Created by: Alex Muro of Albany and Eric Krans of Altamont
"[Electorate] is a social voting app that allows the user to search registered voters in New York State and see the elected officials of any voter. Additionally, it allows users to verify and link their voting record with their Facebook account to display their full voting record and history, see upcoming elections and endorse candidates. It also allows the user to see who their friends have endorsed, allowing them to get valuable information to take to the polls from people they know and trust."

$2,000 Third Place: Snapmap
Created by: Dan Fenaughty (Palenville), Benjamin Conant (New York City), Ayana Wilson (New York City) and Evan Torkos (New York City)
"Snapmap is a mobile web app that helps New York state families get the most out of their SNAP benefits, the USDA's supplemental nutrition assistance program designed to ensure that all Americans, regardless of income level, can purchase and consume healthy food on a regular basis. Snapmap was created specifically for customers who pay for food using SNAP benefits and allows users to quickly locate SNAP accepting stores through a geolocating map interface, write reviews, view store hours, and filter through stores to discover healthy options."

$500 Honorable Mention: Ant Hill
Created by Marcella Jewell (Saratoga Springs), Hunter Fortuin (Troy), Shane Boland (Troy), Matt Barth (Saratoga Springs), and Ethan Glass (Albany)
"The mobile web app provides a virtual place to find work or hire local, introducing a new way to connect young job seekers with small businesses on a local level, thus removing geographical barriers for both demographics. Ant Hill is designed to be a springboard for college students or create a lifestyle for career freelancers, while strengthening local economies and community bonds, improving employment rates, and introducing a way for businesses to hire with low-risk and low-cost."

$500 Honorable Mention: Eventy
Created by Jordan Dunne, Kiana McNellis, Aaron Gunderson, Trevor Phillippi, Devon Bernard and Rocco Del Priore (all RPI students) and Joseph Schiavone (Harvard)
"The iPhone app locates community events near the user, informing them where and when the events are and even can assist with directions. The app scans the web to find hyper-local events and makes them easily viewable to attract more visitors for events happening at nearby community centers, businesses, museums, and more, and lists them in one convenient location for the user to find a variety of event opportunities in the Tech Valley."

$500 Honorable Mention: Project Hunt
Created by Jason Kuruzovich (Saratoga Springs) and Hammad Ghuman (Latham)
"The mobile web app helps connect hackers, makers, designers and students with projects that matter. Nonprofit organizations, startups business, and communities often have incredible project ideas that never get developed due to lack of technology or skills.  This app brings these to the attention of the massive community of professional developers looking to expand their portfolio; instructors seeking real projects for students to gain experiential education; and leading institutions looking to apply their technology and IP resources."