Nonprofits in the Washington, D.C.-area will have the opportunity to win $7,500 by submitting their ideas on how they would use technology to change lives for 501cTECH’s 11th annual Technology Innovation Awards (TIA).

Along with the cash prize this year’s iteration of TIA – which was first launched in 2003 – will give three winning organizations technology consultations from 501cTECH. Applicants will be asked to submit ideas of how technology can be used to innovate in three separate categories: Pre-K and STEM education; skills to succeed and workplace development; and, veterans and military families. Applications only need to fall within one of these three areas; it does not need to be the sole focus of the organization.

Applications are due by June 30, with the winners being announced at a ceremony on November 6.

“We couldn’t be more excited about this year’s Technology Innovation Awards,” said Julie Chapman, president and CEO of 501cTECH. “For the first time in the TIA’s eleven-year history, we will help bring new technology ideas to life that will in turn help improve mission services in three specific cause areas that mean a lot in our community.”

The theme for the 2014 TIAs is different than previous editions of the contest, which usually focuses on programs that have already been executed successfully. Submissions will be judged by a panel of technology executives from leading D.C.-area companies. The three winners will be determined by a specific scoring criteria, outlined below:

Technology Idea (12 points)

Program/Internal Impact (8 points)

Service/External Impact (8 points)

Application of Technology (4 points)

The previous year’s winners included Potomac Riverkeeper, which created a mobile app that has mobilized volunteers in identifying and reporting pollution problems, and YWCA National Capital Area, which implemented technology to allow its instructors to upload course materials and use interactive communication tools for asking and answering questions.

You can find out more about the 2014 TIAs by visiting http://501ctech.org/celebration-of-technology/technology-innovation-awards-overview/