NEW ORLEANS – Nominations are now open for LookFar’s 4th annual Ada Lovelace Awards, which are presented yearly to celebrate the women who have made the biggest impact in the regional tech community. Nominations close on Friday, March 1, 2019 at 6 p.m. CST. Details were shared in a press release.
While women comprise more than half of the U.S. workforce, only 26% of computing jobs were held by women in 2017, with just 3% of all computing jobs held by African-American women and 1% held by Hispanic women. The number of women pursuing computer science has actually decreased significantly in recent years: in 1985, 37% of Computer Science bachelor’s degree recipients were women, but in 2016 that number had decreased to just 18%. (Source: www.ncwit.org/bythenumbers)
LookFar is committed to creating a more equitable tech community, and in order to continue the growth trajectory of this event, we are moving the 4th annual Ada Lovelace Awards to Women’s History Month. The awards ceremony will be held on Tuesday, March 26, at 7 p.m. at the Civic Theatre (510 O'Keefe Avenue) in downtown New Orleans as part of New Orleans Entrepreneur Week.
In recognition of the many impactful ways that women play a role in the tech community, LookFar has expanded the event to offer awards in six distinct categories: Software Engineer, Tech Founder, Product Manager, UI/UX Designer, Digital Marketer, and STEM Educator. The Ada Lovelace Awards recognize the accomplishments of women from across the Gulf South region, including Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and Texas. Nominees must currently live in one of these six states.
While LookFar is the producer of the Ada Lovelace Awards, all nominations come from members of the community. Self-nominations will be disqualified. Nominations will be judged based on 4 “pillars”: Impact, Leadership, Innovation, and Community. While many nominees are also active in other fields, nominations should be based on the nominee’s accomplishments in tech-related fields.
Join LookFar to celebrate the accomplishments of incredible women in technology by nominating an exceptional co-worker, startup founder, or friend here: http://bit.ly/nominateWIT
Those interested in sponsoring the Ada Lovelace Award ceremony are encouraged to get in touch with Kendra Reade at KendraR@LookFar.com or 504-722-0908.
LookFar’s President, Chris Reade, dreamed up the Ada Lovelace Award in 2015. The father of a young daughter, he was struck by how few prominent female role models he knew in science and technology. The awards are named after Ada Lovelace, the Victorian-era mathematician and writer widely regarded as the world’s first computer programmer. LookFar is a New Orleans startup studio and the producer of the Ada Lovelace Award.
Past Ada nominees have been drawn from the ranks of startup founders, software developers, computer science researchers, and numerous other professions. At the 3rd annual Ada Lovelace Awards, nearly 100 nominees were honored, with 4 women awarded: Computer Engineer Kesha Williams, Tech Founder Sevetri Wilson, STEM Educator Mariana Williamson, and Digital Marketer Adele Tiblier.
