Amazon Web Services (AWS) today announced that a team working on a challenge for Bookmark Reading Charity in London was selected as one of the UK winners of the AWS Breaking Barriers
Challenge, a three-day multi-city hackathon.
The winning team developed
an artificial intelligence (AI) powered reading support platform to help children struggling with literacy.
The solution demonstrates how generative AI can be applied responsibly to 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 to 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.
Maggie Philbin, CEO of TeenTech and judge at the AWS Breaking Barriers Challenge, said:
“The solution developed for Bookmark Reading Charity really resonated with me. I didn’t learn to read confidently until I was seven, and in those days the way it was handled was,
frankly, humiliating such as being sent back to kindergarten and corrected by much younger children. That experience stayed with me.
“What
impressed the judges was how thoughtfully the solution tackled that problem with empathy, dignity, and scale. The team’s use of generative AI wasn’t just technically impressive; it showed a deep understanding of how vulnerable
children can feel, and how responsible technology can offer support without shame.
It’s a powerful example of how responsible technology can be used to support children who might otherwise be left behind.”
Frankie Smith, Chief Finance and Operations Officer at Bookmark Reading Charity, added:
“After a fantastic few days at the Breaking Barriers event, we are delighted to have been selected as winners and to receive AWS’s support to harness the power of AI to tackle the
UK literacy crisis.
The power of AWS’s generative AI solutions has shown that we can utilise this technology to build a scalable solution to support the 1 in 4 children leaving primary school this year
who are unable to read at the expected standard. We look forward to working on this exciting project as the National Year of Reading begins. Through this solution, we can provide critical, life-changing literacy support to transform the life stories of children
across the UK.”