News

Apps for Good 2014 winners set to launch completed apps

Seven winning teams to launch finished apps to market after spending six months working with agency partners

Kayleigh Bateman
By
Published: 28 Jan 2015 12:43

The seven winners of the Apps for Good Awards 2014 will launch their finished apps at an event at Canary Wharf, London, on 5 February.

The day will showcase the seven winning teams from 2014, who have spent the past six months working with their development agency partners to get their app built professionally.

Initially unveiled last July, the winners of the 2014 awards have been working with their agency partners to learn how to pitch, design and sell their app right through until launch. 

The winners – students, aged from 10 to 16 – will make their completed apps available on Google Play or the Apple App Store.  

The seven apps are Chore Attack, CryptoConnex, I’m Okay, Party Spot, Pocket Money Pig, Safe Nav and ShoreCast.

Debbie Forster, UK managing director at Apps for Good, said: “Our mission at Apps for Good is to grow a generation of problem-solvers and digital-makers: young people who can create, launch and market new products that change their world. 

More on IT skills

“Digital skills are an important part of what we teach, but gaining these skills in isolation is not enough. We want to unlock the enthusiasm and talent of young people, helping them to be more able, self-confident and collaborative, ready to make a difference in their world.”

The first part of the launch event will see students taking part in industry-led workshops. Sponsors include Facebook, Barclaycard, Samsung, SAP, TalkTalk, Tech London Advocates and Thomson Reuters.

Forster added: “We are absolutely delighted to be launching these apps and are very proud of the students behind them; they are outstanding examples of what our young people can achieve.”

The event will also unveil the launch of the Apps for Good fellows programme, in partnership with Thomson Reuters. The programme has been designed to allow former Apps for Good students to continue developing their business and technology skills, learn more about possible careers and become an Apps for Good ambassador.

Among the judges who selected the seven winning app ideas in 2014 were digital champion and Lastminute.com co-founder Martha Lane Fox and Tech City CEO Gerard Grech.

The winners and their apps 

  • Stratford Girls’ Grammar School, whose I’m Okay app provides support for young lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
  • Budehaven Community School, whose ShoreCast app identifies the best nearby surf spots with the most favourable conditions.
  • Shireland Collegiate Academy whose Safe Nav app brings awareness to crime hotspots to increase neighbourhood safety.
  • Wick High School, whose Chore Attack app helps divide housework between families and housemates so everyone gets to do their fair share of chores.
  • Hymers College, whose CryptoConnex game teaches the art of codebreaking.
  • The Wroxham School, whose Pocket Money Pig app is a pocket money manager for parents so they can manage what's been lent and spent.
  • Sutton Grammar School for Boys, whose Party Spot app allows users to find, rate and promote venues.

 

Read more on IT technical skills