Announcing the 2026 Apps for Good Showcase Winners!

Once again, we’ve been inspired by the creativity, passion, and innovation demonstrated by students from across the country in this year’s Apps for Good Showcase competition! This year, 251 teams entered, and our amazing network of 179 Industry Volunteers reviewed submissions an incredible 3,468 times.

After the first round of judging, our panels met with the five finalist teams, who presented their ideas and received expert feedback to help further develop their concepts and gain insight into how their solutions could work in a real-world environment.

Now, we’re excited to reveal the five 2026 Judge’s Favourites and also the winner of the People’s Choice Award!

A huge congratulations to the following teams, selected as this year’s Judge’s Favourites:

Climate Changers (supported by OVO Foundation)

Just Own It from The St Marylebone CE School - An idea that helps people fall back in love with the clothes already sitting in their wardrobe by turning them into fresh outfit ideas using AI. Instead of buying into fast fashion and adding to landfill, it makes styling what you already own feel easy and encourages sustainable habits.

Resilient Solutions (supported by Cellnex)

Unity Hub from Putteridge High School - Raises awareness of racism and discrimination by providing education, support, and a safe space for discussion. Inspired by the team’s personal experiences, it helps people better understand different perspectives through interactive learning, community conversations, and AI-powered guidance. By encouraging empathy, equality, and informed dialogue, it aims to challenge prejudice and create a more inclusive society.

Systems Thinkers (supported by Spotify)

Sociality from Sheffield Girls High School - Helps teenagers and others build confidence in social situations through personalised AI-powered coaching and practice. Designed for people with social anxiety, neurodivergence, or difficulties with social interaction, it provides tailored learning paths, conversation simulations, expert support, and motivational progress tracking. By offering a judgement-free space to learn and practise social skills, it helps users feel more connected, confident, and prepared for everyday interactions.

Ethical Innovators (supported by EPAM)

Equality Quest from Denbigh High School - A gaming app idea that promotes gender equality and challenges bias through fun, interactive mini-games. Designed to inspire all players, especially girls, it teaches users to recognise stereotypes, explore diverse career paths, and learn about achievements from people of different backgrounds. It encourages confidence, inclusivity, and greater representation in fields such as AI and technology.

Future Founders (judged by friends of Apps for Good)

Luton Go from Lea Manor High School - A location-based idea that encourages people of all ages to explore Luton’s history while staying active and engaged. Inspired by popular augmented reality games, it combines local heritage, fitness, and friendly competition through landmark discovery, step tracking, and rewards. By turning learning into an interactive adventure, it helps build community pride, promotes healthy habits, and teaches digital citizenship through AI-powered missions.

The public has spoken! We’re delighted to announce the winner of the 2026 People’s Choice Award is Bookworm from The Judd School - a brilliant app idea which helps teenagers rediscover the enjoyment of reading by turning it into a fun, habit-forming experience inspired by streak-based learning apps like Duolingo. It encourages daily reading through personalised streaks, a customisable digital library, and social features that let users share progress and compare reading journeys with friends. By making reading more interactive and rewarding, it aims to improve wellbeing, boost academic skills, and rebuild a positive, lasting reading habit.

A huge thank you to everyone who voted and showed support for these talented young innovators!

To find out more about the Judge’s Favourites and explore all of the shortlisted app ideas, visit our Showcase page.

Every year, we celebrate the legacy of our Senior Learning Manager, Donna Hay, by recognising the educators and volunteers who make an exceptional difference to our students and community. The 2026 Donna Hay Award for Impact winners are:

Educator of the Year – Matthew Barrow, The Judd School

Trust of the Year – LiFE Academy Trust, Leicestershire

Volunteer of the Year – Miles Bardon, Lego

Congratulations to all of this year’s winners, we are so grateful for your dedication, passion and encouragement!

A huge thank you to everyone who helped make this year’s Showcase such a success:

• To every student who entered. THANK YOU for sharing your creativity, ideas, and often lived experiences with us. We were inspired by the thoughtfulness and originality behind your submissions, and by the issues you chose to tackle through technology.
• To the teachers, parents, and supporters guiding these students throughout their journey - your encouragement and belief in young people make a lasting impact.
• To our incredible Industry Volunteers who generously dedicated their time and expertise to reviewing submissions and supporting teams throughout the process: thank you for helping nurture the next generation of innovators.
• To our judging panels from OVO Foundation, Cellnex, Spotify, EPAM and the wider Apps for Good community. Thank you for your feedback, enthusiasm, and encouragement during this whole process.
• And finally, thank you to everyone who voted in the People’s Choice Award and celebrated these inspiring young changemakers with us!

You may have already heard that we’re launching a brand-new course this August: AI for Good 2.0.

It’s a free, project-based AI course where learners choose real-world problems that matter to them and build AI-powered apps to help solve them, either through coding (JavaScript) or AI-assisted “vibe” coding (Canva Code). The course focuses on helping students understand how AI works, including bias, ethics, and deepfakes, while developing practical skills through flexible, modular resources that can be used in lessons, clubs, or short introductions to AI. Learners are supported with clear walkthroughs and industry engagement opportunities throughout, building both computing knowledge and essential skills like creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving for a fast-changing world.

You can register your interest in the new course here.

If you’re interested in delivering our new AI for Good 2.0 course, volunteering, or exploring funding partnerships, we’d love to hear from you! Get in touch at contact@appsforgood.org.