Google Australia’s Global Impact Challenge which they launched back in June has reached the next stage with 10 finalists now being presented for the general public to choose their winner.
The Google Impact Challenge in Australia is aimed at Aussie innovators from the non-profit sector. Whether it’s helping to detect blindness caused by diabetes with a custom tablet, or helping indigenous Australian students to embrace science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) as the winners of the 2014 Global Impact Challenge did, the winners will be able to help change lives.
This year there will be four winners of grants valued at $750,000 each, while the six runners up will each receive a $250,000 grant to kickstart their idea. Three winners will be chosen by a judging panel consisting of notable luminaries including David Gonski, Lucy Turnbull, Layne Beachley, Melissa Doyle, Alan Noble, and Jacquelline Fuller, while the fourth will be voted on by the Australian public.
In all there’s 10 finalists this year from a wide-range of different sources with some pretty great ideas:
- The George Institute for Global Health – SMS-based support to help people with chronic diseases lead healthier lives
- Justice Connect – A web portal for pro bono legal services
- Hello Sunday Morning – A personalised app to change relationships with alcohol
- The Nature Conservancy Australia – Mobile technology to protect global fish stocks and people’s livelihood
- The Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre – A smartphone app to help parents identify autism
- Australian Marine Environment Protection Association (AUSMEPA) – An information repository to drive shipping emissions transparency
- Great Barrier Reef Foundation – A low-cost, autonomous robot to protect coral reef ecosystems
- Centre for Eye Research Australia – An eyesight self-assessment system for remote communities
- World Vision Australia – Heat-sensing fire detectors to save lives in Bangladesh
- The Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation – Community-driven literacy apps for indigenous languages
This year however, there’s also an additional prize pool. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is also offering four additional $500,000 grants, which will be awarded to projects which ‘use technology to make a social impact internationally’, specifically in the Asia Pacific region. The Technology Against Poverty Prize is provided by innovationXchange, with all entries, unless they opt out, eligible for the DFAT grant.
If you want to check out the finalists, head over to the Global Impact Challenge website now and cast your vote.
