How AIR Works – Knowbility

Who can participate?

Anyone who has an interest in making the digital world more accessible to people with disabilities is welcome to compete. However, the competition is geared toward two specific groups:

Nonprofits, artists, musicians, writers and community foundations and groups — $150. Improve the accessibility of an existing website, or get a new one built from the ground up. You don’t need to have a website to enter.
Web designers, developers, project managers and QA testers — $150 per team of 4–6, or $25 to enter as an individual and be matched. Build your accessibility skills on a real project.
Experienced accessibility practitioners. Volunteer to serve as a team mentor or judge, and help the next wave of developers build the skills you already have. (e.g., “— see Mentors & Judges below”)

Registration fees go toward program costs. Team members volunteer their time to build the sites.

What does the competition look like?

Teams of web professionals are given 8 weeks to build or improve the websites of artists, nonprofits, and community groups, followed by 2 weeks for migration and implementation.

Throughout the competition, each team receives accessibility training, and is matched with an accessibility professional who serves as a mentor.

When the work wraps up in early April, teams submit to the AIR judging panel, and the winning sites are announced at the AIR Awards Ceremony in May.

How It Works

Participants receive expert-led training on accessibility and inclusive design.Web development teams are paired with a client — a nonprofit, artist, musician, or community group.
With guidance from a mentor, they work together for a total of 10 weeks to design, build, and launch an accessible website for their client.
Websites are judged and scored against criteria centered on the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines).
Participants come together for the AIR Awards Ceremony, where winners are announced and celebrated in front of the accessibility community.

Each role in AIR has its own path. The sections below walk through what to expect as a client, team member, mentor or judge.

Clients

As a client in AIR, you will be matched with a developer team who will build or redesign an accessible website for your organization. Plan for at least one person from your organization to work alongside the team, joining meetings and weighing in as your site takes shape.

Use these resources to get your organization ready:

Guide for Nonprofits, Artists and Community Organizations: answers to common questions from clients.
Client Roadmap: a stage-by-stage look at what to expect, from registration to launch and awards.

Teams

AIR builds your accessible design skills, then puts them to work creating professionally designed, accessible websites for nonprofits around the world. It's a chance to learn advanced skills, take on creative challenges, and make the world a better place, all at the same time. Teams have 4–6 members. You can enter on your own, with a few friends or colleagues, or as a company team.

Use these resources to get your team ready:

Guide for Developer Teams: answers to common questions from team members.
Team Roadmap: a week-by-week look at each stage, from registration to launch and awards.
Team Project Plan Example: a example of an AIR team project plan.
Project Plan Template (Word): a downloadable template for building your own plan.

Mentors

Mentors are one of the keys to helping AIR teams build their skills quickly. Each mentor works one-on-one with a team, offering accessibility advice and guidance throughout the competition. As teams work on their projects, mentors review designs and code to spot issues early, helping teams get it as right as possible the first time.

Judges

Judges decide who wins AIR. Every team works from the AIR Judging Form, an open-book test that shows exactly how points are earned, so they can use it as a checklist while they build. Judging takes place over three weeks after all sites are submitted, and that's where you come in. Judges are trained to use the form, and two judges review and score each site. Results are revealed at the AIR Awards Ceremony at AccessU.

Time Commitment

Your time commitment depends on your role in AIR.

Teams and Clients: Time spent on design and development depends on what the website needs are. We ask about your availability when you register so each Team and Client has the time they need to complete the project together.
- Plan for this time over the two months starting at the AIR Kickoff, and share your schedule with your team from the start. This time includes training, individual work, and meetings with each other and mentors.
Mentors: Plan time for Mentor training before the AIR Kickoff. After that, your time commitment depends on your Team's needs.
- Over the two months of the event, expect to check in with your Team, answer questions, and join Team meetings as needed.
Judges: Plan time for training and for a Q&A session with participants. Judging takes about three weeks and begins after sites are submitted.

Registration for AIR 2027 opens soon. Whether you want to enter as a team, join as an individual looking to be matched, take part as a nonprofit or community organization, or volunteer as a mentor or judge, fill out the Interested in AIR 2027 form and we'll email you as soon as registration is live.

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