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Junior Achievement Digital Innovation Awards 2020

Today’s competition brought together finalists from ten countries who pitched their digital ‘mini companies’ for the Digital Innovation Award, organised by BNY Mellon and JA Europe.

More than 4000 young students from Europe (Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Spain and the UK) and the Middle East (UAE) participated, supported by just under 250 BNY Mellon volunteers. 

This year's award went to student company Mistral from Belgium. Their product aims at enabling users to control indoor air and to take action when its quality is poor thanks to concrete solutions. Mistral evaluates the concentration of four chemical species (NOx, VOC, CO and CO2) and calibrates measures with a humidity and temperature sensor.

Speaking on behalf of the JA Europe Jury, Leonique van Houwelingen, CEO of BNY Mellon’s European bank, said:

“Our objective with this award is to encourage 15-18 year olds to develop their technology and business skills to help prepare them for their future careers.”

Commenting on this year’s finalists, Ms van Houwelingen continued:  

“I have been truly impressed by the ability of these young people to apply digital innovation throughout their business - from idea creation through to product development, sales and marketing. It makes a strong case for combining digital education with an entrepreneurial experience at school in order to achieve an impactful learning experience. 

“Through this joint initiative BNY Mellon and JA Europe wish to highlight the importance of digitalisation in any entrepreneurial activity and specifically the benefits of adding digital elements to a JA Europe mini company experience. In this way a wide range of entrepreneurial and digital skills are reinforced, boosting students’ chances to succeed in the labour market.”  

Adam Warby, Chairman of JA Europe said:

“Partnering with BNY Mellon on the Digital Innovation Award helps us to focus our students’ attention on the importance of digital innovation in their entrepreneurial path, something that is crucial in enabling them to tackle in today’s digital world”. 

Speaking at the final, Salvatore Nigro, CEO of JA Europe added:  

“The partnership with BNY Mellon aids us in designing the future of our organisation and helps the young people we serve by embracing digital transformation”.    

The Digital Innovation competition for the 2019/20 school year was for the most innovative mini company providing a digital product or service. The competition was organised through an e-commerce platform developed by JA alumni for JA Europe’s Company Programme.   

About JA Europe 

JA Europe is the largest non-profit in Europe dedicated to preparing young people for employment and entrepreneurship. JA Europe is a member of JA Worldwide, which for 100 years has delivered hands on, experiential learning in entrepreneurship, work readiness and financial literacy. JA creates pathways for employability, job creation and financial success. 

Last school year, the JA network in Europe reached more than 4 million young people across 40 countries with the support of 140,000 business volunteers and 130,000 teachers/educators.

About BNY Mellon

BNY Mellon is a global investments company dedicated to helping its clients manage and service their financial assets throughout the investment lifecycle. Whether providing financial services for institutions, corporations or individual investors, BNY Mellon delivers informed investment management and investment services in 35 countries. As of March 31, 2020, BNY Mellon had $35.2 trillion in assets under custody and/or administration, and $1.8 trillion in assets under management. BNY Mellon can act as a single point of contact for clients looking to create, trade, hold, manage, service, distribute or restructure investments. BNY Mellon is the corporate brand of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (NYSE: BK). Additional information is available on www.bnymellon.com. Follow us on Twitter @BNYMellon or visit our newsroom at www.bnymellon.com/newsroom for the latest company news.