Limerick School Takes Home Top AWS GetIT Prize

Students from Gaelcholaiste Liumnigh in Limerick City have won the final of the Amazon Web Services GetIT competition on the 26th of May.

AWS GetIT is a free programme aimed at introducing secondary school students from 12 to 13, especially girls, to cloud computing and digital skills to encourage them to pursue a career in the field. AWS GetIT invited teams from various schools to partake in an app-building competition to solve modern issues faced by the schools and their communities.

Winners of the AWS GetIT competition

The winning entry, by students from Gaelcholaiste Luimnigh, was an app called “Scan’n’Go”. This would allow you to scan different types of rubbish and refuse and allow you to identify which bin it should be placed into, waste or recycling.

The students created the app in response to the increase in rubbish brought on by the pandemic, due to people socialising outside. These students received a trophy and an opportunity to visit Amazon HQ in Dublin for a day in the life experience when the COVID restrictions will allow for it.

In second place was St Vincent’s Secondary School, Dundalk, Co. Louth. Their app was “Go Green”, which would inform users of their nearest recycling centre locations, provide the latest environmental news, and ways they can act more sustainably in their daily lives.

During the last academic year of 2020/21, 38 schools in Ireland were invited to compete and design an app to benefit their local community and school. AWS received nearly 150 project submissions and all of which were reviewed by GetIT volunteers and ambassadors from different AWS and Amazon teams.

As part of the competition, students attended a virtual digital skills boot camp where they learned of the different development stages, knowing their target audience, problem-solving, brainstorming, and research techniques. The students learning of Amazon’s ‘working backwards approach’ to innovation and getting guidance from female leaders at AWS.

These ambassadors and volunteers gave support, feedback and guided the development of the app. AWS shortlisted the top 10 teams who were invited to participate in the virtual semi-final. From there, a group of 6 judges chose 2 teams to proceed onto the virtual final.