Four Galway entries have made the shortlist for this year’s .ie Digital Town Awards which recognise and reward projects with a digital element created by town groups, individuals and local communities.

The finalists include Trinity Tuam Creative Digital Technology Node; the Headford Lace Trail; Headford Online, and Galway city’s mapping project for accessibility issues.

Now in their fourth year, the .ie Digital Town Awards shine a light on local projects that have a digital element.

The organisation provides the pathway for people, communities and businesses to access and unlock a digital world of potential and opportunity by managing the infrastructure that allows this to happen.

This year 41 finalists have been selected out of 150 applicants, with nine different categories and a total prize fund of €60,000.

Trinity Tuam Creative Digital Technology Node is a finalist in the Digital Business and Digital Rising Star categories. It’s a strategic initiative to support the development and transformation of Tuam and the greater area as an urban/rural hub for the economic, social and cultural development.

The development strategy will focus on economic sectors that are rapidly transforming. It seeks to position Tuam as an urban centre competing for global creative technology investment, specifically in the creative digital technology sector.

Headford Lace Trail is a finalist in the Digital Tourism category. This immersive heritage experience will turn your expectations of an audio tour inside out, using the power of bobbin lace and geolocation to transport you to the Headford of the past and meet the people who live there.

Accessed individually with a smartphone and headphones, the outdoor walk features site specific interviews, drama, and specially composed music and song – all combining through rich sound design to bring the past to life, right in front of your ears.

Galway city mapping for accessibility issues is a finalist in the Community Digital category.

Making walking and cycling routes accessible to people with mobility issues can be a challenge. The first step is to identify the problem locations. The goal of this project was to make it easy for members of the community who use these routes on a daily basis to contribute to a map of the problem locations. The main emphasis in this project is on kissing gates, but other barriers were identified. The project established the principle that a community using our roads and paths can quickly assemble data from across the city to help inform public policy.

Headford Online – smart villages is a finalist in the Newcomer category. This interactive website serves as a centralised hub for diverse content, and also features listings of community groups and local businesses, offering a valuable resource for residents and visitors alike.

The winners will be announced at a Gala Awards Ceremony in Sheraton Hotel, Athlone, on Friday, May 24.