BT Young Pioneers giving people clean water, hope and emotional support

Our BT Young Pioneer finalists really capture the imagination of the Tech4Good community and judges.

Most average teenagers are just about getting through their homework. Our incredible pioneers do this while solving some of the world’s biggest challenges.

It is exciting just thinking about what these young minds have achieved since we started the awards.

Young tech pioneers destined for great things

The BT Young Pioneer Award has been running since 2013. It’s open to anyone under the age of 23, who has designed digital technology destined to make a positive impact on people’s lives.

We’ve had an array of young people entering this award, from primary school children through to university students. Often, young people come to problems with fresh and enthusiastic eyes; they don’t see problems, they see possibilities. We see great potential in all our young pioneers.

Here are some of our Tech4Good winners and finalists from this category.

eWATERPay

Jack Hygate, Connor Humphreys and Laurence Bu-Rashid designed eWATERPay. These year 10 students were tackling one of the biggest problems facing Sub-Saharan Africa – access to clean drinking water.

Using digital and mobile technology they developed a cheap and easy system to allow people to pay for water via their mobile phone. It also makes sure water pumps are properly maintained.

Arnav Sharma’s Asthma Kit  

In the same year, Arnav Sharma was a finalist in the same category. He is a very special 10-year-old, who has consistently won over our audiences with his passion and commitment.

Arnav won The People’s Award, which is voted for by the general public.

He used a raspberry pi computer to design a new asthma kit. This helps families to spot triggers to their children’s asthma.

I’m Okay

It’s hard enough being a teenager, but challenges are massively multiplied if you are an LGBTQ teen.

Our fourteen-year-old winners in 2014, Josie Baldwin, Emily Bowes, Katie Griffiths and Alexandra Hill designed an app which uses a mixture of real-life stories and information to help these young people.

Their App, I’m Okay supports them at this crucial time to understand their feelings around their sexuality and gender.

The app has gone from strength to strength. It was launched, with backing from Thomson Reuters, in 2015.

For more information

If you would like more information about the BT Young Pioneer Award and how to enter, visit this section of our website.