Vodafone Smart Accessibility Awards launched 200,000 Prize Fund
The Smart Accessibility Awards 2012, a competition worth 200,000 that calls for developers from across Europe to design smartphone apps that take into consideration the needs of older people and people with disabilities, was launched today by the Vodafone Foundation and its partners.
To encourage Irish interest in this international competition for new apps, the National Digital Research Centre (NDRA) has linked with Vodafone and its partners – the NCBI, IIA, and mobile open community group Mobile Monday – and will be hosting a two-day workshop at NDRC’s HQ on Crane Street on the 21 and 22 August.
These leading Irish interests from the digital research, internet, and mobile community have joined forces to spur on Irish entrepreneurs who can compete for a total prize fund of €200,000.
Entrants have the opportunity of entering into one of four categories – social participation; independent living; mobility and well-being – with the best app being awarded in each category. The deadline for entries is 15 October 2012.
The initiative in Ireland is being coordinated by NDRC’s Inventorium programme.
The workshop will use NDRC Inventorium’s process for idea generation and team building over two days and will be led by NDRC Inventorium director, Mark Kearns.
Speaking in relation to both the workshop and the fund he said: “This is a golden opportunity for Irish app developers to bang heads together and come up with some ideas that could help to enhance the lives of our older population and people with disabilities. The Vodafone Foundation Smart Accessibility Awards attracted over 60 brilliant apps last year. It is a prestigious competition and we want to see Ireland represented with some compelling new ideas.”