Submissions closed for the 2020 Technovation Girls season last month, and while the next few months hold lots to look forward to, we want to take a minute to tell you how proud we are of all of you. You have so much to celebrate in yourselves.
We’re incredibly grateful that you are part of the Technovation community, and that you exemplify a global commitment to building a better world.
We are so proud of every single person who signed up to participate, whether you finished a project this year or had to put it on hold. We’re especially proud of the way you stand up for what you believe in and how hard you work to improve your communities. We want to share a little bit about what that hard work looks like, and why it kindles our collective hope and resolve to dream of – and actively create – a future that looks very different from our present.
This year, in the face of unprecedented challenges, nearly 6,500 girls and families developed almost 1,800 tech-based solutions to community problems. You represent 63 countries using technology for social good. Your projects address problems that range from misinformation about the novel coronavirus to communication difficulties faced by people with visual and hearing impairments, to children’s safety leaving school–and so much more.
Check out the 63 countries where Technovation Girls and Families teams created mobile and AI-powered tools to solve community problems this year!
You astonished us with your ideas to use technology for social good. Your apps align with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals for a better, fairer world – nearly 40% of you built tech tools that address health problems and nearly 15% of you created technology that helps the environment. You created 84 technology tools to bring peace, and 150 tools to help the global fight for equality. All of you built technology that helps your communities.
A resilient community
This year you rose above and beyond, persevering through a global health crisis and showing us all what it means to be resilient. You mastered Google hangouts and Zoom calls to continue your team meetings, and transformed WhatsApp chats into business meetings. You tapped into your creativity and found ways to make pitch videos when you couldn’t stand next to one another.
You looked out for each other – making yourselves flexible to accommodate uncertain schedules, stepping in to support each other and share workloads.
We heard from mentors in two separate countries supporting students in a third, and from a team of 5 girls working across four countries. We heard that students were taking photos of Technovation emails to send via group chat to team members who didn’t have access to email.
You amaze us – and we know you’ll amaze the world in the months and years to come.
We’ll share more details about the socially-minded technology you built this season over the next few months. And, we’ll announce Technovation Girls semifinalists in June, and then finalists and regional winners in July (we already told you about the incredible Technovation Families finalists and regional winners!).
We know those announcements bring excitement and disappointment.
Regardless of the results of the competition, you should all be incredibly proud, just as we are, of what each of you has accomplished this season and the incredible ways you’ve solved very difficult problems.
Your visions for cleaner, safer, more just communities are not diminished if you do not advance to semifinals or finals. Your commitment and resolve do not mean less; you are not less impressive, you do not inspire us or your family any less. Be proud of how far you have come this year, and how far you still can go.
We want to recognize all of you. That’s part of why we are so glad to be hosting World Summit online this year.
For the first time, the entire Technovation community has the opportunity to join the Technovation World Summit experience. This year it will be a two-day online event, with workshops from technology experts, break-out sessions, presentations from finalists and maybe even some dancing. Now, more than ever, we think we need to celebrate the things and people that bring us joy and that give us hope. For us, that’s you.
We hope you’ll join us August 13th and 14th for World Summit and we hope you keep telling us your stories of this season, your plans for the future, and what problems you’re focused on solving.
Congratulations, Technovation 2020!
Scroll on for a snapshot of what submission looked like this year for teams around the world as they committed to building technology for social good.
Keep sharing and celebrating all of your accomplishments on social media using #Technovation2020!
Congratulations to Catalonia:
Avui us presentem l’equip de 4 noies de 3r d’ESO que participa al #Technovation2020. Felicitats a les noies i la seva mentora @saracabellooc@TechnovationCat @ciberespiral#TechnovationCAT#Girls4Change #TechnovationGirls #technovation #STEAM pic.twitter.com/VO3g7SAD1P
— Institut d’Alpicat (@InsAlpicat) May 5, 2020
Clicking submit in the US via video call:
#Technovation2020, we made it! 9 Texas teams have just submitted their apps, and we are so proud of them! We can’t wait to see all of the amazing apps created throughout the world! pic.twitter.com/clnAZg2Mtl
— SMS Coding (@SMS_Coding) May 4, 2020
Cheering everyone on in Nigeria:
Feeling proud in Spain:
Our app helps parents knowing if their children are cyberbullied or cyberbullies? Deep dive into our #cyberbuster video #technovation2020 @technovation
😍https://t.co/zXKUsnvFMy pic.twitter.com/loJcmyQK7V— MTechQueens (@MTechQueens) May 7, 2020
Clicking submit in Peru:
Y llegó el gran día! Los equipos de Perú presentaron hoy sus propuestas de App para solucionar un problema de su comunidad. Felicitaciones! Ahora solo le queda la tarea a los jueces de decidir quién va a la siguiente ronda del concurso. #Technovation2020 @technovationglobal pic.twitter.com/rikjGORaNh
— Technovation Girls Peru (@tech_girls_peru) May 4, 2020
Filming a Socially Distanced pitch video in the US:
CovCids team from @GlasgowMS finished their @technovation pitch video for CovAid app while observing social distancing requirements @TechGirls @GirlsWhoCode @Jfloy15 pic.twitter.com/zCpnXflHSn
— Luda Bujoreanu (@LudaBujoreanu) May 4, 2020
Submitting in the United States:
@EdisonHSEagles team developed a mobile app game “TreeHuggers” designed to incentivize youth take action to better the environment. So proud to have served as their mentor during this @technovation season #treehuggers @EdisonSTEMprg @edi pic.twitter.com/XWRg21GT3E
— Luda Bujoreanu (@LudaBujoreanu) May 4, 2020
Celebrating submitting in Spain:
We have already uploaded our app #RemindMe to @technovation . We left behind many great moments and emotions thanks to all of you who have helped us. @MMM_Academy @jamartinezd @StemTalento #technovation2020 pic.twitter.com/9Ni9Zm8Tym
— Techno_Fighters (@FightersTechno) May 4, 2020
Submitting in Ontario:
We, TM Technologies, submitted our app to #Technovation2020 and we can’t wait to see ideas from other teams too! @technovation pic.twitter.com/35lxW5iVaz
— Samantha Tome (@SamanthaTome1) May 4, 2020
Celebrating Submissions across Ireland:
As UTC 19:00 marked the end of #Technovation2020 submissions, we send a shout out now to the 24 #TeenTurn teams across Ireland and their mentors who overcame so many obstacles to participate and complete the journey from idea to enterprise. #girlsintech #womeninSTEM pic.twitter.com/PgNEobXmgY
— TeenTurn (@TeenTurn) May 4, 2020