Tech4Good Award winners 2016 announced

We all dream of having our lives improved by technology, but sometimes our visions of the future can seem like they’ll never come to pass. The winners of this year’s Tech4Good Awards, however, showed just how many amazing things are happening in the here and now, celebrating the charities, volunteers and businesses who are using technology to benefit our communities and make our lives better.

Now in its sixth year, the 2016 Tech4Good Awards were organised by national charity AbilityNet with support from BT. Expert Reviews was even part of the Tech4Good judging panel. 

It was an inspiring evening and we now have the full list of winners from each category. Starting with the Digital Health category, Devon Partnership Trust’s MyWard control board took the prize here. By providing NHS staff with a quick and easy overall picture of their ward, users are able to dramatically decrease admin time as well as improve the quality of care for all patients

The BBC micro:bit claimed the Digital Skills Award. This free Raspberry Pi-like computer was given to every secondary school pupil in Year 7 for free this year, helping to get kids coding and improve their technology skills. 

Wayfindr won the AbilityNet Accessibility Award. This audio-based app enables visually impaired people to navigate the world using beacon technology through their smartphone, allowing them to get reliable, audible directions in public spaces, stations, hospitals and shopping centres. 

The Community Impact award went to UglyMugs, who created the SafetyNets mobile app. This lets sex workers alert one another anonymously about dangerous perpetrators of crime. The information is also passed on to the police if they give their permission. 

As for the BT MyDonate award, we’ve already sat down with winner Neighbourly to chat about how it’s helping businesses connect with charities, so click here to see how this organisation is raising over £3.7 million to support over 1,500 projects through their online platform.

eWATERPay won the BT Young Pioneer award. Designed by a team of school children, eWATERPay provides an easy way to monitor over 800,000 water pumps that are currently installed in African villages, allowing them to be monitored and maintained for the first time ever. 

The IT Volunteer of the Year award went to Maureen Johnston. As the full-time unpaid Director of Information Systems, Maureen has developed The Silver Line’s helpline and ICT systems. It’s had a dramatic impact on the way the organisation is run and how it supports the elderly. 

The last award of the evening, the Tech4Good’s People’s Choice award and Winner of Winners award, was awarded to Arnav Sharma. Despite being just nine years old, Arnav created a device to help parents take care of children suffering from asthma. Comprised of a Raspberry Pi, Arduino Uno, Sense Hat, MQ-135 Gas Sensor and a Sharp Optical Dust Sensor, Arnav’s asthma kit can send patients emails and text messages to remind them to take their medication and attend appointments, as well as collect data about the current temperature, humidity, dust levels and the presence of hazardous gases, helping users understand the triggers of asthma and aid diagnosis in children under five years of age. 

All are highly deserving winners and congratulations to all the nominees in each category. To find out more about each winner, head to the Tech4Good website.