Literacy Bridge Named a 2012 Tech Awards Laureate by the Tech Museum

SAN JOSE, CA, September 28, 2012 (Press-News.org) Literacy Bridge was today named as a laureate of The Tech Awards 2012, one of 12 global innovators recognized each year for applying technology to benefit humanity and spark global change. The Tech Awards, a signature program of The Tech Museum, and presented by Applied Materials, Inc., selected Literacy Bridge from among hundreds of nominations worldwide.

Two cash prizes will be awarded - $75,000 and $25,000 - in each of six of The Tech Awards categories: Intel Environment Award; Microsoft Education Award; The Swanson Foundation Young Innovator Award; Nokia Health Award; Flextronics Economic Development Award, and The Sustainable Energy Award. Literacy Bridge was named a laureate of the Microsoft Education Award.

Literacy Bridge's Talking Book Program provides on-demand access to locally relevant knowledge, and is being recognized as a technical solution that benefits humanity and addresses the most critical issues facing impoverished people around the world. Designed specifically for the learning needs of people living in the poorest communities, Literacy Bridge's low cost audio computers - Talking Books - offer an affordable last-mile learning platform. Users can copy content from one device to another, so the spread of life-saving information is facilitated by people's natural movements within and between remote communities.

The Talking Book Program currently focuses on disseminating health and agriculture-based information in Ghana, and Literacy Bridge partners with local experts to produce and record credible information in regional languages and dialects. Within Literacy Bridge's target communities, access to information is severely restricted and to date the program has had a significant impact: smallholder farmers who use Talking Books can increase crop yields by nearly 50 percent, while healthcare workers share knowledge on disease prevention.

"Being named a Tech Awards laureate is exceptionally exciting, in that it validates our Talking Book technology as an innovation which benefits those who need it the most," said Cliff Schmidt, founder of Literacy Bridge. "Talking Books are an integral piece to our overall program; we continually survey the needs and practices of a village, then carefully craft messages using knowledge from local experts."

"The laureates' remarkable innovations are a powerful incentive for us to consider our individual responsibility to contribute to positive change around the world," said Tim Ritchie, president of The Tech Museum of Innovation. "The laureates personify what happens when we harness the very best of ourselves with the express purpose of developing innovative ideas for a more promising future."

About The Tech Museum

The Tech Museum is a hands-on technology and science museum for people of all ages and backgrounds. The museum—located in the Capital of Silicon Valley —is a non-profit learning resource established to engage people in exploring and experiencing technologies affecting their lives. Through programs such as The Tech Challenge presented by Cisco, our annual team-design competition for youth, and internationally renowned programs such as The Tech Awards presented by Applied Materials, The Tech Museum endeavors to inspire the innovator in everyone. For more information about The Tech Awards, visit techawards.org.

About Literacy Bridge

Literacy Bridge is a nonprofit organization that improves the health and income of impoverished rural families through knowledge. To serve this mission, the organization has developed the Talking Book, an innovative, low-cost, digital audio player and recorder for people to improve their literacy and for those who are illiterate to gain access to locally relevant knowledge. Literacy Bridge collaborates with local governments, businesses, and nonprofits to develop and distribute such content. For more information about Literacy Bridge, visit literacybridge.org.