Apps for Good celebrates the next generation of tech innovators
Technology education charity Apps for Good proudly hosted its annual celebration for young tech innovators in June 2025. The event showcases the best student-created app ideas developed through the charity’s free courses which are centred around three themes - Social Action, Climate Change and AI for Good. The courses are mapped to UK computing curriculums, and aimed at KS3 /S1-3 students, though they are adaptable for other ages. Through independent learning, students are encouraged to draw on their own lived experiences to develop tech solutions to tackle real-world problems that matter the most to them.
This year’s Showcase saw 220 student submissions, which were reviewed an impressive 4,885 times by 260 Industry Volunteers! This helped to identify the top 16 teams, who then pitched their ideas to a panel of Judges and received personalised feedback to help them develop and refine their ideas further.
Celebrating standout student ideas
In the Ethical Innovators category, supported by digital transformation company EPAM Systems, the standout idea was Cedars Uniform Marketplace, a “gap in the market” app idea that helps parents and students find and donate pre-loved school uniforms. Judges praised it as “a huge opportunity to help a lot of people across the country and internationally.”
Helping Hands For Kids was crowned the favourite in the global financial services company BNY’s category, Resilient Solutions. Their app idea aims to empower young learners with vital resources for a better future. One team member shared; “We witnessed firsthand how many people struggle to access basic resources… This realisation sparks a passion within us to create a solution that could bridge this gap and empower those in need.”
In the Future Founders category, featuring Judges from The Hg Foundation, Spectris Foundation, Balanced Impact and Super Being Labs, SkillSphere was selected as the favourite. The Judges thought the idea was carefully researched and they clearly understood their chosen target audience. The team shared; “We are three 14 year olds and we're able to make something like this, it’s actually really incredible. Imagine the potential - as a society, as a nation, as a planet - we have.”
In the Climate Changers category, supported by OVO Foundation - the charitable arm of energy supplier OVO Energy - two teams were crowned. The Judge’s favourite, Litterific, presented an innovative idea to help communities reduce litter and pollution. The team said they “enjoyed coming up with solutions to global problems in a fun way”.
Meanwhile, the People’s Choice Award, based on 3,736 public votes, went to Eco Royale, a clever app idea inspiring climate action and change through gamification. Presented by a passionate trio of students, they explained that, “A lot of young people want to help, but the truth is most don't know where to start. We felt that this app was like a great way to gamify the experience and let younger children be able to help.” Natalie Moore, CEO at Apps for Good praised the team, “This team’s innovative idea turns fun, educational challenges into real-world environmental impact. It brilliantly tackles environmental inaction by turning sustainable habits into exciting, achievable quests.”
To read more about Apps for Good’s 2025 Showcase, click here.
Interested in bringing Apps for Good’s free courses to your classroom?
Contact: Kathy - education@appsforgood.org
Interested in volunteering or exploring a funding partnership?
Contact: Rich - partnerships@appsforgood.org
Learn more about Apps for Good: https://appsforgood.info/4nuYYec