
TOM: Tikkun Olam Makers welcomes you to the
2024 TOM Global Innovation Challenge!

BE A DIFFERENCE MAKER!

February 12 - May 16, 2024
The TOM Global Innovation Challenge (GIC) is a competition to design, engineer, and create affordable technology that will help a person with a disability live a more independent, fulfilling life. All GIC solutions are developed to address a real challenge faced by a person with a disability or their family.
Your mission is to create an open-source, affordable solution that will best solve their challenge.

Congratulations to the 2023 Global Innovation Challenge Winners
Grand Prize Winners
Grand Prize Winner - Sports
Special Recognition Award

SPECIAL FOR 2023, THE TOM GLOBAL INNOVATION CHALLENGE WILL INCLUDE DEDICATED PRIZES FOR SPORTS-RELATED PROJECTS.

*Scroll down for more details
Bank Hapoalim Community Award:
Category Winners
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Your GIC Project
Many people with disabilities and their families face challenges in almost every aspect of daily lives in areas such as personal care, mobility, the household, art, music, sports, and more. Your GIC project must solve one (or more) of these challenges.
You will need to assemble your team, find a person with a disability, family member or caregiver (we call them “Need Knowers”), investigate their challenge, and develop a solution that best answers their needs.
In addition, you must document your entire development process and submit the Concept, Working Model, and Prototype of your solution using TOM’s Project Editor. The final prototypes will be evaluated and scored by the judges.
Assemble your team
Find a challenge
Create your solution
Submit for judging
*About Sports-related Projects
For this year’s TOM Global Innovation Challenge we decided to give special prizes for solutions related to sports and athletic activity. Teams who develop sports-related solutions can choose to focus on two main areas:

Recreational
Solutions that will help make
recreational and leisure
sports more accessible
for people with disabilities

Paralympic
Assistive devices that will help a
specific athlete or team qualify for-
and compete in- the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.
Dec
22
Feb
12
Mar
11
Apr
8
May
1
May
15
Milestone #1:
Concept
Milestone #2:
Working Model
Live Launch Event
Registration opens
Submit final project: Prototype
Winners Announced!
The GIC timeline follows the TOM stages of product development. Documenting and submitting the Concept and Working Model according to the timeline will give you the best chance of creating a quality solution and will set you up for success.
Your final project (Prototype and pitch video) must be submitted by May 1 to be eligible for a prize.
Timeline
Prizes
We will be giving $3,000 for each Grand Prize winner out of a total $18,000
Teams will also be competing for prizes in these categories:




Best
inclusive design
Best
Sports-related Solutions
Best
documentation
Best
accessible design
*Additional prizes may be announced at a later time
Past Winners
See these winning solutions from past TOM Global Innovation Challenges

2022 Abraham Accords Open Innovation Challenge

2021 TOM Global Innovation Challenge
Mentors


Dr. Assaf Krebs
Director of Methodology Development,
TOM Global


Geffen Dotan
TOM R&D Team,
TOM Global


Einat Carmeli
Physical therapist.
Director of Milbat-Sheba


Dorit Neeman
Physiotherapist - rehabilitation and sports
Loewenstein Rehabilitation Hospital


Dana Yichye Shwachman
Product Design Lead,
TOM Global


Hannah Landau
TOM R&D Team,
TOM Global


Dr. Osnat Fliess Douer
Director of Science, Technology, and Innovation Israel Paralympic Committee


Aviad Kelner
R&D Team Lead,
TOM Global


Alexander Geht
Industrial Designer, Additive-Manufacturing.
Manager TOM Pittsburgh


Yuval Levitan
Director of Physical Therapy, Motor Disorders Unit
Sheba Medical Center
Judges


Tamara Morgan
Community Partnerships Coordinator, Adaptive Design Association


Pascale Bercovitch
Paralympics athlete, TV personality and international motivational speaker and corporate adviser


Jaume Sanchez
Engineer, CEO of 3dthinks and Founder of TOM Barcelona. Winner, 2021 TOM Global Innovation Challenge


Dana Gur-Gelbard
Industrial Designer, Customer Experience & Project Manager at Matrix Experience. Winner, 2021 & 2022 TOM Global Innovation Challenges


Bryce Johnson
Principal Inclusive Designer,
Microsoft Inc.


Laura Marciano
CEO, Eli Innovation and Co-Founder,
TOM France


Nisreen Shahin
Entrepreneur, community leader,
TOM Palestine


Noam Platt
Healthcare architect and founder of Make Good INC. Winner, 2021 TOM Global Innovation Challenge


Prof. Katherine Raymond
Associate chair and senior professor of practice in the Biomedical Engineering Department at Tulane University


Shaikha Dwa Al Khalifa
PhD Candidate, Portsmouth University. Former lecturer, Royal University of Women. Former captain of the Bahrain Women’s National Football team


Lamia Housni
Innovation & Creativity Enthusiast I Entrepreneurship Catalyst


Robert Zacharias
Assistant Teaching Professor, IDeATe Center, manager of the IDeATe Physical Computing Lab, Carnegie Mellon University


David Dakovich
Maker and Product Development Expert. TOM Serbia Country Manager


Sawsan Masarwa
Designer, Educator, Social Entrepreneur in Israeli-Arab communities
About TOM
Tikkun Olam Makers (TOM) is a global venture inspired by a bold vision to help provide anyone anywhere with access to affordable solutions for their neglected needs. TOM inspires and supports a global network of communities of volunteer makers, product designers, engineers, and care professionals who engage in designing, creating, and disseminating these solutions.
