Mobile Monday London is very pleased to be supporting the very first Vodafone Foundation Smart Accessibility Awards. This is a new global contest to promote the development of IT applications designed to improve the lives of those with disabilities and people that are older, to help them get more actively involved in society.
The programme is supported and co-organized by AGE Platform Europe, the European network of around 160 organisations of and for people aged 50+, and the European Disability Forum (EDF), the NGO that represents the interests of 80 million Europeans with disabilities.
Launched in Brussels, the competition will award the best smartphone application in four areas:
- Social participation: refers to applications which help users to become more involved in today's society and help them benefit from using new technologies, whatever their age and/or capacity. The aim is to help everyone to access the web and social media through smartphones.
- Independent living: refers to applications which help users with everyday tasks such as washing or opening a door easily and safely so that they can live more independently
- Mobility: refers to applications which enable users to travel freely and safely whatever kind of transport system they would like to use. It also refers to the use of GPS and locations apps which can help guide people in unfamiliar places.
- Wellbeing: refers to applications which improve the users' health and overall feeling of wellbeing.
Entrants can compete for a share of the €200k prize fund until 15 October 2011 by submitting your entries on the site http://developer.vodafone.com/smartaccess2011/submit/
Entries will be judged on four things within each category –
- Effectiveness
- Availability and affordability
- User-friendliness, usability and accessibility
- Design for all
More about the selection criteria and process is here http://developer.vodafone.com/smartaccess2011/selection-process/
It is also worth noting that Vodafone recognises that confidentiality plays a huge part in any organisation. This is why Vodafone will ensure your entry is kept confidential and will not seek to own any IP (intellectual property) from your entry – which means that’s a no-strings cash prize.
- All entries are confidential and will not be distributed outside of this competition.
- Vodafone does not seek to own any intellectual property in relation to entries for the Vodafone Foundation Smart Accessibility Awards.
- Any applications submitted as part of the competition can be used by Vodafone for distribution, advertising and promotion in relation to the Vodafone Foundation Smart Accessibility Awards.
- A working Android 2.2+ APK application file must be submitted.
Please do check the terms and conditions too http://developer.vodafone.com/smartaccess2011/legal/
So get those thinking caps on. Dust off your apps and get your entries in. All finalists will benefit from positive publicity as well as having a shot at the main prizes.
Also watch this space for some workshops and talks coming in August and September covering accessibility and design for mobile with impairment and disability in mind. We’ll also be adding more resources to the awards website over time and will be sharing things on twitter and Facebook too. A few likes on our Facebook page would be lovely too.
And if you would like someone from Vodafone or one of the awards partners to come and speak on this topic at an event you’re running in the UK, Spain, The Netherlands or Germany, please get in touch.
Good luck!
