Winners of the Meet and Code Award 2018!

Meet the winners of the Meet and Code Award 2018! Nonprofit representatives of the best Meet and Code events were invited to the SAP HQ in Walldorf for the closing ceremony.

award2018 #nonprofits #SAP #Walldorf
09.03.2019

More than 700 events were submitted by nonprofits to the Meet and Code Award 2018 to compete in one of three award categories. The jury selected 15 exceptional events as finalists. Two representatives of each organization were invited to the Award Weekend at the SAP headquarters in Walldorf, which took place on March 8-10.

Meet and Code Award Weekend
For the first time, the Meet and Code Award recognised the most creative ideas that inspired children and young people to use digital technologies. The winners in the three categories: Diversity, Innovation, and Kick and Code each received 2,500 euros in prize money. Additionally, all finalists could participate in workshops and networking sessions that were held during the Award Weekend.

Since 2017, the Meet and Code initiative has been supporting nonprofit organizations in 22 countries during EU Code Week. Nonprofits can apply for grants to organize programming events for children and young people. In 2018 alone we reached more than 52,000 participants, who explored the world of coding through 1,100 events.

Diversity: Veteran Foundation, Ukraine
The Veteran Foundation from Kremenchug (Ukraine) offered 25 young offenders opportunities for a new career and a new beginning after prison with its project “Working as a programmer – a step into the future”. “Through the workshop, young people between the ages of 16 and 20 got to know various IT professions and were introduced to the world of technology. This gives young men, who might otherwise remain criminals, new prospects for their lives.” said Clemens Frede, Head of Business Development and Member of the Management Board at Haus des Stiftens gGmbH, as well as a member of the jury.

Innovation: Globe Community Library, the UK
The Globe Community Library from Stokesley (UK) ran the project “Build your own 3D printer” Together with volunteers and 30 children and teenagers they built a 3D printer and develop software to create self-designed objects. “The project taught the children how 3D printing works and at the same time took away their fear of what they thought were complex technologies. That convinced us.” explains Gabriele Hartmann, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility MEE at SAP, as well as the initiator of Meet and Code.

Kick and Code: Asociatia Pro Teodor Murasanu, Rumania
The 20 participants of “Scratch and… Goooal!” from the club Asociatia Pro Teodor Murasanu in Turda (Romania) first learned to program in Scratch, printed out the code and transferred it to a football field. The team that correctly executed the code’s commands and scored goals won. The jury found it particularly remarkable that this project combined play and fun with learning and executing code – with children from particularly disadvantaged families.

A full list of finalists and an overview of the of 2018 Awards is available here: www.meet-and-code.org/gb/en/award2018