On Wednesday 14 June, the Brains Awards ceremony took place at Muziekgebouw Eindhoven. The annual contest, organised by the joint education institutes in the city of Eindhoven, offers academic and vocational students an opportunity to present their best innovative, creative and socially relevant ideas. The six best entries are eligible for prizes of either € 2,000 or € 3,000, depending on the category.
Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Alissa Rees (Man and Leisure, 2016) made an impression with a double win: for her clever and promising healthcare innovation ‘IV-Walk’ she won both the award for Innovation (category: Innovation) and the prize for Best Overall Idea . Designed to encourage patients’ mobility, IV-Walk is an alternative for the cumbersome metal IV-pole. The look and feel are more like a personal wearable item and less like a piece of medical equipment, which helps create a more positive mindset as well.
All twenty contestants gave clever pitches, some very entertaining, presenting a wide range of smart, innovative ideas to make the world little better. The judges were impressed with the overall level of creativity and skill this year, and expressed their appreciation of all twenty contestants.
The contest came to a close in an exciting, inspiring and highly entertaining evening, with Brabant-born personal coach Rudy van Beurden as a witty presenter and music by Melissa Janssen (The Voice of Holland) and Coen Pots.