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The submission period for the 2024 GIS Colorado Mapping Contest will start January 1, 2024!

SHOWCASE your skills!

Showcase your GIS skills by entering the 2024 GIS Colorado Mapping Contest! The GISCO Mapping Contest will take place at the GIS Colorado quarterly meeting, which will be held in tandem with the Elevations Geospatial Summit, May 8-10, 2024, which is co-hosted by WyGEO. This means that your submission will be seen by members of both organizations, maximizing the exposure to your work!  

share your hard work!

We are excited to give you the opportunity to showcase your hard work and share it with GIS colleagues and professionals. Please look through these details about the contest. We look forward to your submission and can’t wait to see what you come up with! If you have questions, please email contest@giscolorado.org. 

Sections

The 2024 Mapping Contest will have two Sections: Professional and Student.

Professional

Open to GIS professionals that are current GISCO or WyGeo members, and Elevations Geospatial Summit attendees and presenters. Become a GISCO or WyGeo member!

Student

Enrolled in or within one year post graduation from a certificate, undergraduate, or graduate program in GIS or related field.

If you enter the Mapping Contest and will also be an enrolled student during the Fall 2024 semester, please check out our Scholarship page! GISCO awards for undergraduates and graduates every year, and you may use your Mapping Contest submission for the scholarship. However, for the scholarship applications, you will need to provide additional elements as well, so read the requirements closely. If you apply for the scholarship, you may use that essay for the Mapping Contest narrative (but not vice versa). If you have any questions, please email contest@giscolorado.org or scholarship@giscolorado.org.

Categories

There are three categories within each Section: Artistic, Maps, and Apps.

Artistic

These maps celebrate achievement in cartographic representation through experimental map-making practices, innovative visual expression of geographic concepts, and artistic interpretation of cartographic forms using any type of physical or digital media. Examples might include watercolor maps and animations.


Maps

These are stand-alone images and analytical in nature. The integration of data is a key component of the project. This category recognizes achievement in cartographic representation through creative, effective, beautiful, and insightful integration of geospatial data.

Apps

This category includes interactive applications that may be consumed on a desktop of mobile device, such as a web mapping application, native app, or Esri Story Map. This category celebrates the use of geospatial data to produce a creative, effective, and insightful interactive experience.

Submissions

The submission period will open on January 1, 2024! If you have any questions, please email contest@giscolorado.orgYour submission should include a short paragraph describing your entry, including the purpose of the map, target audience, how it was created, and the reasons that prompted you to create the work. Include your name, email address, and title of the work. In the case of Apps category submissions, please provide the intended map platform (mobile, web, etc.) and url. For Student submissions, please provide your student status and grade level, and the name of the educational institution.  

Voting

By submitting your entry to the GIS Colorado mapping contest you agree to have your work displayed in the GIS Colorado website and in a public space during the GIS Colorado quarterly meeting, which will be held in tandem with the Elevations Geospatial Summit, May 8-10, 2024. If you cannot attend the meeting, please make arrangements for your work to be displayed and presented virtually if possible.

If you win, you will be given the opportunity to present your work at the conference! A 5 minute allotment of time will be allocated to present your submission.

Voting will be conducted by a panel of judges. The winner will be announced at the end of the conference. There will be one winner in each of the categories for each section, Professional and Student, with one Peoples’ Choice winner.

aWARD ceremony

Winners will be celebrated in a brief award ceremony at the end of the conference to present the winners with certificates and awards. Awards will include prizes contributed by GISCO sponsors, exhibiting your work on the GIS Colorado website and social media channels, a GIS Colorado T-Shirt, a 1-year membership to GIS Colorado, and of course, cartographic bragging rights!

FINe print

Open to current paid GISCO or WyGEO members and students. Follow the links above to become a GISCO or WyGEO member!

Entries must be submitted by midnight on April 19, 2024.

Entries may be submitted as an individual or as a group.

Entries will consist of original work, and references must be cited.

For submissions to be accepted in the Apps category, the content must be publicly accessible.

Entries are limited to one per person.

You do not have to be present to win, but you do have to be present to collect a prize.

Judging Criteria

Maps and Artistic category

1. Content – Is the map informative, with reliable sources, and an appropriate use of grammar and spelling? Does it effectively target the intended audience?

2. Design/layout – Is the map well balanced, with a logical arrangement of elements?

3. Clarity – Is the content understandable, with a logical visual hierarchy and a clear message? Are fonts, text size, and labels configured in a way that is legible?

4. Appeal – Is there an effective use of symbology, geometry, labels, and color?

5. Originality – Is the map innovative, either in its subject matter or its application of visual graphics? Is the presentation unique?

Apps category

1. Content – Is the map informative, with reliable sources, and an appropriate use of grammar and spelling? Does it effectively target the intended audience?

2. Design/function – Is the map easy to use, with an effective use of interactive tools, and intuitive user interactions? Are pop-ups configured appropriately? Is the map compatible with its intended platform or device?

3. Clarity – Is the content understandable, with a logical visual hierarchy and a clear message? Are fonts, text size, and labels configured in a way that is legible?

4. Appeal – Is there an effective use of symbology, geometry, labels, and color?

5. Originality – Is the map innovative, either in its subject matter or its application of visual graphics? Is the presentation unique?

Prizes

Thanks to the generosity of many quality companies and individuals, we have some truly excellent prizes for the winners!

Thank you to the following!

Submission Form

If you have problems submitting this form, please contact contest@giscolorado.org.