The awards, created by AbilityNet with the help of BT and other institutions such as our Charity, recognise organisations and individuals who use digital technology to improve the lives of others and make the world a better place. The Tech4Good awards are the only awards in the UK which focus on charities, businesses and volunteers across the country who harness the power of technology to benefit the community.
Due to the pandemic, the 2020 awards were run entirely remotely, which gave plenty of opportunity to highlight the fantastic work of this year’s nominees and to catch up with past winners. This year, we were extremely excited to have our own Graham Hutchings, Chair of the WCIT’s IT Accessibility Panel, as one of the judges, joining an expert panel that had the difficult job of narrowing down over 250 entries to just 36 finalists.
On 24 September, the winners were announced in a live streamed ceremony and included Children on the Edge, Medicine Africa and Dimming Dyslexia (to read more about the winners, please click here). Dr Stefan Fafinski, the Chair of the WCIT Charity, was honoured to announce LAUGH, a project that supports people with late stage dementia through designing innovative products, as the 2020 Winner of Winners.
Talking about this year’s awards, Dr Stefan Fafinski noted that “The Tech4Good Awards are a truly unique initiative, championing projects that use technology to change the world for the better. During lockdown, digital technology has become more important than ever and it was great to see so many of the winners tackle the challenges of the pandemic in their work.
The WCIT Charity was delighted to announce LAUGH as the Winner of Winners; their innovative sensory product HUG can help reduce anxiety and depression in those living with advanced dementia or at risk of social isolation and it embodies our ethos of using technology to change lives. It was also great to host the Winners’ Dinner which was another WCIT virtual dining success.”
