The Meet and Code Awards present and honour the most successful event ideas. The aim is to not only celebrate these workshops but to also inspire other non-profit organizations (NPOs) to host their own digital skills programs in the years to come. This is because digital education is essential for careers of the future.
We're looking for the best ideas in the following categories: Girls do IT!, Code for the Planet and Diversity – each linked to one of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
Every validated Meet and Code event can participate in the Meet and Code Awards and can be entered after the event has been successfully completed.
Entries will be open from 1 October to 10 November, 2024 on the Meet and Code website via this link. If you would like to submit your event for the Awards, please ensure that it fits one of the selected categories (Did the event integrate the aim of the category holistically and as part of an overall concept?), is innovative (Did the event address digital education in an innovative and creative way?) and serves as a good scalable example for other organizations (Can the event serve as a best practice example to be executed by other organizations?).
Please note that you will need to provide a detailed event description and/or an impressive story about the event after it took place. Additionally, inspiring pictures from the event, along with feedback from participants and trainers/workshop organizers, will also need to be submitted. The same event can only be entered for one category. Organizations must complete the impact report to participate in the Awards.
The Awards consist of three rounds of voting. Initially, the TechSoup country partners will pre-select the best event per category for their respective countries. From these, Amazon employees will then choose the three best events in each category during the second round of voting, based on relevant criteria. Finally, in the last round, the jury will vote and carefully determine the best event in each category. The winners of the categories will be announced at the culminating event of the Meet and Code Awards.
The top three events in each category will be the finalists of the Meet and Code Awards 2024. Each of the three winning events will receive prize money of 3.000 €. Further details regarding participation in the Awards ceremony to follow.
The three Meet and Code Awards 2024 categories are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Meet and Code seeks events that not only contribute to these goals but also integrate them with the concepts of IT and Coding.
Gender equality plays an important role in today’s modern and
inclusive society. This award category aims to help close the
gender gap in IT and coding. We are looking for creative events
that breakdown gender stereotypes and empower girls with digital skills.
Events in this category could, for example, focus on sparking the
interest and fun in programming, especially among girls, while
including parents to support awareness of gender bias in tech
education.
Digital skills proficiency is imperative not only for success in today’s fast-paced world but also for preparing the future workforce for upcoming jobs. Unfortunately, not all individuals in Europe have the resources to enhance their digital skills, leading to unequal opportunities for youth. Our commitment is to equip a diverse pool of future digital talent that bridges the digital divide. In the Diversity category, we are seeking innovative ideas that support communities lacking access to digital education. By doing so, we aim to ensure that the digital talents of our youth are as diverse as our society, ultimately contributing to a more equitable and inclusive future for all. This includes for example events targeting low-income households, youth with migration or refugee backgrounds, ethnic minorities, those from socially deprived neighbourhoods, individuals without access to their own IT devices, and young people with disabilities.
Did you know that you can track bees by means of modern
technology? We are looking for events that combine digital skills and
actions for the planet. All events that improve climate
change education through raising awareness on this topic are of
valuable contribution to SDG 13. Examples of events in this
category could deal with air pollution measurement or tools for
energy efficiency.
Please see below the jury for the Meet and Code Awards 2024:
Michael Vollmann, Europe Lead Education at Amazon
Michael Vollmann leads Amazon's philanthropic education programs in Europe, where he drives the Amazon Future Engineer initiative, focused on promoting equality and inclusivity in computer science education.
As a co-founder of nebenan.de, Europe’s largest social network for neighbours, Michael also established the nebenan.de foundation and launched the German Neighbourhood Award. Earlier in his career, he worked at Ashoka, a global network for social entrepreneurs, where he served on the German management team and led the Globalizer Accelerator Programme. He holds a degree in Intercultural Business Administration.
Anna Sienicka, Senior Vice President & Executive Director at TechSoup Europe
Anna oversees the strategic direction of the TechSoup Global Network, which comprises 50+ capacity-building organizations serving over 1.4 million registered NGOs and has donated over 21 billion euros in technology tools and philanthropic services. Her professional experience spans social entrepreneurship, social inclusion and employability, civic technology, and the creation of civil society-friendly laws and legal environments.
Anna holds master's degrees in Law and in Economics and Society from the universities of Warsaw and Lancaster, respectively. She has also represented the social sector on the Public Benefit Work Council of the Polish Minister of Labour and the Polish Prime Minister’s Social Economy Task Force under Tusk’s administration.
Diana Filip, Deputy CEO & Chief Development Officer at Junior Achievement Europe
Diana brings extensive experience in multi-stakeholder partnerships across education, entrepreneurship, and policy, having been an integral part of JA since June 2004. In her current position, she oversees the organization’s strategic development, policy liaison, funding and financing, advocacy, and corporate communications.
Diana began her career as an entrepreneur, running her own company in Romania before relocating to Brussels, where she served as President of the European Students Forum and worked as a Public Affairs consultant. She holds certifications in Entrepreneurship and Business Sustainability from Harvard University, as well as an MBA from the Vlerick School of Management in Leuven. Diana also sits on the board of the Women in Entrepreneurship Platform.
Martina Pometlova, Global Programs Lead at Code.org
Martina leads Code.org’s global programs, with a focus on teacher training and the Hour of Code campaign.
Her journey with Code.org began in 2015 when she volunteered for the Hour of Code campaign in her home country, Slovakia. Encouraged by teachers’ enthusiasm for enhancing their computer science classes, she co-created and led a nationwide pro bono teacher training initiative, organized curriculum translation efforts, and coordinated with key partners to advance computer science education across the country.
Since 2022, working directly in Code.org, Martina has scaled these initiatives globally, collaborating with partners worldwide on the Hour of Code campaign and training teachers—especially those with little to no computer science experience—to bring high-quality computer science curricula into their classrooms.
Ioannis Gaviotis, Policy Officer at the European Commission
Ioannis works for the European Commission in the area of digital education and skills, where he contributes to policies and initiatives that promote both basic and advanced digital competencies. He is part of the core team overseeing EU Code Week and the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform, while also covering topics related to data spaces and educational technologies.
Ioannis lectured on informatics and business process re-engineering at university level and taught computer-related subjects in vocational training courses. He has also worked for the Greek Ministry of Development, focusing on business analysis and the development of information systems. Prior to that, he spent 20 years applying information technology in industrial settings. Ioannis holds a PhD in distributed databases.
Clemens Frede, Managing Director at Haus des Stiftens
Clemens Frede has been leading the Corporate Engagement & Non-Profits unit at Haus des Stiftens since 2008. In collaboration with more than 100 engaged corporate partners, this unit supports over 90,000 nonprofit organizations through digital platforms and programs. With extensive experience in the non-profit and CSR sector, he he has been deeply involved for over 15 years in civil society initiatives and innovative digital education projects.
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