Amazon Web Services (AWS) today announced that a team working on a challenge for The King’s Trust in Manchester was selected as one of the UK winners of the AWS Breaking Barriers Challenge, a three-day multi-city hackathon.
The winning team developed a unified support platform helping young people from disadvantaged communities access employment opportunities without repeating their stories. The solution demonstrates how generative artificial intelligence (AI) can streamline critical services and deliver meaningful real-world impact. The winning ideas in each location will be made a reality with charities receiving up to $200,000 in AWS cloud credits and technical support.
The AWS Breaking Barriers Challenge brought together students and industry professionals collaborate alongside AWS experts, technology partners, academic institutions and students, to address real-world challenges faced by 20 charities across healthcare innovation, sustainability solutions, and social impact by using generative AI.
The AWS Breaking Barriers Challenge, which took place simultaneously in London, Manchester, and Dublin from 13-15 January 2026, aimed to empower non-profit organisations with the tools and expertise needed to harness the full potential of AI. Almost 600 participants in the UK and Ireland worked in teams to create working prototypes that demonstrate both technical excellence and real-world impact using AWS’s generative AI technologies.
Teams were tasked with addressing challenges using AI including helping Cancer Research UK build a cancer support service that provides personalised information for caregivers and patients and enabling Citizens Advice to integrate local knowledge into its service to deliver advice faster.
Ryan Preece, Head of Business Technology (Deputy CTO), The King’s Trust said: “We are exceptionally grateful to have been nominated as a winner at the AWS Breaking Barriers inaugural event, we’re thrilled to continue our work with AWS and look forward to jointly delivering significant impact to some incredible King’s Trust young people.”
Alison Kay, Vice President, UK & Ireland at Amazon Web Services said: “We believe AI is one of the most transformational technologies of our time, with the potential to solve some of our most pressing challenges. We’re proud to bring together technology companies, academic institutions, and students from across the UK and Ireland to help charities to overcome technical barriers and harness the full potential of AI to deliver real-world impact. The winning team in Manchester impressed the judges with their innovation and creativity, and we’re looking forward to supporting them to take this from idea to development.”
Fifteen judges across the three cities evaluated teams based on the innovation, feasibility, and potential impact of their solutions. The judging panel included leaders such as John Hurley, CTO of Ryanair, Maggie Philin, CEO of TeenTech, Steven Fry, Director of Digital & Customer Service at Salford Council, Manchester, Graça Carvalho, Director, University College London, Centre for Digital Innovation, and John Barry, Director of Major Strategic Partnerships at University College Dublin (UCD).