SAN JOSE, CA --(Marketwired - November 18, 2016) - The Tech Museum of Innovation is expanding the renowned Tech Awards program to help develop a cadre of young Silicon Valley innovators focused on using technology to benefit humanity. The new program, called The Tech for Global Good, will honor laureates and develop exhibits and programs about their work with the goal of inspiring the next-generation of social entrepreneurs.
The announcement was made earlier today at the 16th annual Tech Awards gala, presented by Applied Materials, where seven former laureates were honored for their achievements in using technology to benefit humanity.
"It's time to expand The Tech Awards from a single evening enjoyed by a fortunate few to a year-long program," said Tim Ritchie, president and CEO of The Tech. "We have the opportunity to inspire hundreds of thousands of people a year and engage the hearts and minds of young people with purpose-driven technology."
The Tech for Global Good program will revolve around a major global issue each year. The program's first focus, beginning in the fall of 2017, will be technology and health. The first exhibits highlighting innovations on this subject will be unveiled at next year's Tech Awards for Global Good, which will be held at The Tech in San Jose. More information is available at www.thetechforglobalgood.org .
Highlights from the 16 th annual Tech Awards At this year's gala at the San Jose Convention Center, The Tech Awards honored six previous laureates, chosen from among the 287 laureates so far, for the progress they've made since first being honored. Each received a $50,000 unrestricted cash prize. In addition, PATH, a global nonprofit specializing in health innovation, received the third annual Laureate Impact Award for making significant progress toward solving major global problems.
The gala also featured a 14-minute documentary of The Tech Awards history, dating back to the first gala in 2001. The awards program has given more than $5 million in unrestricted cash prizes, supporting laureates who have gone on to improve the lives of more than 2 billion people.
"Applied Materials is proud to support the work of all the laureates over the last 15 years who have given so generously of their talent, courage and determination," said Joe Pon, corporate vice president at Applied Materials. "These creative entrepreneurs renew our faith in the potential of individuals to apply technology to do good, and remind us how our daily work here in Silicon Valley can improve lives throughout the world."
The 2016 Laureate Impact Award PATH: An international nonprofit health organization with a portfolio of 81 products deployed in more than 70 countries.
PATH reaches more than 150 million people a year with lifesaving technologies, including a recent meningitis vaccine designed for deployment in Africa that is on pace to protect 400 million people by 2020. PATH also became the first four-time laureate in Tech Awards history. It had previously won Tech Awards in 2003, 2007 and 2009.
"The Tech Awards demonstrate how we can apply technology to solve global problems," said Steve Davis, president and CEO of PATH. "There's so much going on in the Bay Area with respect to innovative ideas and technology. Now more than ever it's time to partner across sectors to bring those innovations to scale and really leverage our collective talents and strengths to serve the global good."
The Tech Awards 2016 Laureates
Intel Environment Award Source International: Provides on-the-ground technical and scientific support to allow local communities to hold mining and oil extraction companies accountable for pollution and illness. Source International was named a Tech Awards laureate in 2014.
Microsoft Education Award Equal Access International: Reaches 67 million households in nine countries across Asia, Africa and the Middle East with informative and educational media programs that address critical challenges, especially those focused on women's rights and education. Equal Access was named a Tech Awards laureate in 2003.
PayPal Equality Award Souktel: Helps reduce unemployment by connecting employers and job seekers with a matchmaking platform that works on basic phones, reaching 1 million users in 30 emerging markets around the world. Souktel was named a Tech Awards laureate in 2010.
Katherine M. Swanson Young Innovator Award Angaza: Removes the upfront price barrier of solar energy products, enabling off-grid customers to prepay for clean energy in affordable amounts. Angaza was named a Tech Awards laureate in 2012.
The Sobrato Organization Economic Development Award IDE-India: Invented a low-cost drip irrigation system and foot-powered water pump, which currently reaches 1.38 million households and 7.4 million people in India, leading to cumulative additional net income generation exceeding $1.4 billion. IDE-India was named a Tech Awards laureate in 2004 and 2010.
Sutter Health Award D-Rev: Designs and delivers medical technologies for underserved populations, treating more than 100,000 babies with severe jaundice in 2015. D-Rev was named a Tech Awards laureate in 2013.
Key sponsors supporting The Tech Awards include Applied Materials, Intel, Microsoft, The Sobrato Organization, Sutter Health, The Swanson Family, PayPal, Qatalyst Partners, Qualcomm, Adobe, NASDAQ Inc., Accenture, Bank of America, Ernst & Young, GoDaddy, KPMG and Charmaine and Dan Warmenhoven.
About the Tech Museum of Innovation The Tech is a hands-on technology and science center for people of all ages and backgrounds. Located in the Capital of Silicon Valley, The Tech is a non-profit experiential learning resource established to engage people in exploring and experiencing applied technologies affecting their lives. The Tech's mission is to inspire the innovator in everyone.
About Applied Materials Applied Materials, Inc. (
Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/1...e136aa.JPG
Media inquiries: Jeff Gire jgire@thetech.org 1-408-802-3397
