The panel of industry experts set to judge the European Green Capital Digital Challenge has been announced.
It’s an impressive list, including representatives from Google, the BBC, major games companies, and innovation and green tech specialists. What’s more some of the judges will be available to mentor the finalists.
The challenge asks Europe’s brightest minds to develop new ways that software can be used to tackle environmental challenges and will include a 48-hour hack (6-8 February) hosted during the BBC’s Digital Bristol Week.
“We are looking for software, apps and games that enable people to easily engage with and think about environmental challenges”
It’s not all about the £50K grand prize though. Each of the six finalists selected after the digital hack weekend will receive £5,000 to develop their ideas. There is also a people’s choice award of £10,000 up for grabs at the final on 20 April.
The judges
The full panel of judges are:
- Ed Parsons, Geospatial Technologist at Google and previously CTO at Ordnance Survey
- Siobhan Reddy, Studio Director and co-founder of Media Molecule, creators of the multi-award-winning Little Big Planet franchise and a member of the BAFTA games committee
- Bill Thompson, Head of Partnership Development, BBC Archives and Digital Public Space
- Tim Kay, Director of KPMG Enterprise which is focused on supporting UK tech SMEs and start-ups
- Nick Appleyard, Head of Digital at Innovate UK
- Stephen Hilton, Bristol City Council’s Future Cities Director
- Sonny Masero, Bristol 2015’s International GreenTech Festival Advisor
“The high calibre of the judges is yet another reason to be optimistic about the potential of this challenge to generate digital applications that genuinely make a difference”
Andrew Garrad, Chairman of Bristol 2015, the company established to deliver Bristol’s year as European Green Capital, commented: “The high calibre of the judges is yet another reason to be optimistic about the potential of this challenge to generate digital applications that genuinely make a difference.
“We are looking for software, apps and games that enable people to easily engage with and think about environmental challenges and make positive changes in their everyday lives.”
“This challenge will provide the right creative environment for teams of designers with real promise to create something unique”
Siobhan Reddy, Studio Director and co-founder of Media Molecule commented: “This challenge will provide the right creative environment for teams of designers with real promise to create something unique.
“As someone who is really passionate about the games industry and very aware of its ability to capture people’s imaginations, I am really looking forward to seeing the results of the digital hack weekend and the eventual products that are created.”
Using the networked world for good
Ed Parsons (pictured right)
, Geospatial Technologist at Google said: “We live today in a networked world of millions of computers, billions of online users and trillions of bytes of information all connected and accessible via devices we carry around in our pockets.
“This networked world offers for the first time both a way of individuals to contribute and consume content about the world around them, and allows the efforts of a few to be multiplied many times. I believe this challenge is exactly the sort of initiative we should be supporting to demonstrate how this network effect can lead to more sustainable behaviours.”
How to get involved
Teams can find out more information and register to express their interest in being selected to attend as a team. The organisers will select the best teams with the requisite skills to give the Challenge the best chance of success.
The deadline for expressions of interest will be 1 January 2015 and the selected teams will be notified by 16 January 2015. To keep up to date on all the latest news and events from Bristol 2015 you can also follow @Bristol_2015 on Twitter or join the conversation on Facebook. You can see more about the reasons for the challenge in the infographic below.
