This year has been an unusual one and we’ve all had to adjust the way we normally do things, but that hasn’t stopped the nominees and winners of this year’s She Rocks Awards from making a big impact on the community.

We’re very excited to announce the winners of She Rocks 2020!

Community Star

This award is for individuals who contribute to the tech community and go above and beyond. Whether they assist others further from our immediate tech community or even contribute to the open source community. It’s for the women who wants to see everyone thrive around them. They are the helping guides, signposting and steering people towards realising previously unknown tech ambitions and potential. This is a star who shines across even a dark sky!

This year’s nominees are:

• Eleftheria Batsou
• Michaela Cromie
• Ceilidh Davison
• Shannon Tierney
• Jenny Ervine
• Narelle Height
• Kathy Ayers
• Karishma Kusurkar & Christine James
• Nuala Toman

🥳 Aaaaand the winner is…

Kathy Ayers

Driving change across our local industry doesn’t just happen within the Women Who Code team, and it’s people like Kathy creating incredible communities internally that we look to for inspiration.

Diversity Advocate Star

This award is for the women who realise the incredible power of community. They are dedicated to addressing the gender imbalance and promoting equality in tech through a range of initiatives that champion fairness, inclusivity and diversity for a sustainable tech future. They bring their passion for technology to drive tech accessibility, making sure that people from all walks of life have the power to make, use and drive twenty first century technology.

This year’s nominees are:

• Sarah Eisel-Bleakney
• Rachel Gawley
• Bingqian Gao
• Carol Donnelly

🥳 Aaaaand the winner is…

Carol Donnelly

Carol Donnelly has brought copious amounts of passion for addressing the gender imbalance in tech this year, both collaborating with Women Who Code Belfast and in her own work.

Engineering Leadership Star

The Engineering Leadership Star is for the women who have been team leaders or great mentors to us. They bring out the best in you and always have your back. They encourage you to keep learning and improving, but are also there when you need their support. This award is for the great leaders who don’t only ensure that engineering projects are delivered and meeting targets, but also builds incredible engineering teams.

This year’s nominees are:

• Gillian Gregg
• Cathy
• Pauline Keys
• Pauline Logan
• Jamie McGurk
• Joana Cavadas
• Sinead Heverin
• Naomi McLaughlin

🥳 Aaaaand the winner is…

Jamie McGurk

Through our mentors, leaders, coaches and sponsors, women in the tech community are given a safe space to thrive, bringing out the best in us all. Jamie McGurk embodies our mission of rising by lifting others, and we are thrilled to have her as our Engineering Leadership Star.

Rising Tech Star

This award is for the women who have recently started their journey in the tech community. Whether they are fresh-faced university graduates, returners to work, or those who switched into IT; the individuals changing the face of the tech industry, and always for the better. Despite being new in tech, they bring their knowledge, experiences and perspectives into their role in delivering high quality work. This award is for those who went above and beyond, and have the potential to become future inspirational leader in the tech industry.

This year’s nominees are:

• Sarah Eisel-Bleakney
• Erin McAnearney
• Jamie McGurk
• Anna Haley
• Sara Garvey
• Chloe Blain
• Dana Doherty
• Eve Brennan
• Karen Gouck
• Stephanie Blair
• Honey Sukesan
• Rebecca Beattie

🥳 Aaaaand the winner is…

Sara Garvey

Starting on your technical journey can be daunting, but these women are creating waves throughout the technical industry, making this one of our favourite awards.

UX Designer Star

There’s nothing more important than the user experience of a website or an app — chances are there’s a superstar somewhere making sure it’s up to scratch — Want to say thank you? The UX designer star is an award for that superb designer, the team member who creates work that takes your breath away by inclusively meeting user needs while creating viable and sustainable business value. The user experience is vital to the success of a product, and we want to celebrate the women that make it happen!

This year’s nominees are:

• Sam Nelson
• Marie-Therese (MT) McCann
• Laura Sweeney
• Hannah Sharp

🥳 Aaaaand the winner is…

Marie-Therese (MT) McCann

Our work with Ladies That UX over the last few years has been one of the highlights for our team, and MT has been a core part of that work; we’re delighted the community agrees with us, congrats MT, our UX Design Star!

Honorary Changemaker

We rise by lifting others, and allies are a vital component in our mission to inspire women to excel in technology careers. The honorary changemaker award recognises individuals who have actively committed to the advancement, sponsorship or championing the progress of women working in technology.

This year’s nominees are:

• Achia Khaleda Nila
• Shannon Tierney
• Sean McKenna

🥳 Aaaaand the winner is…

Shannon Tierney!

Allies actively seek to lift up and champion women in tech as they move through their careers, not necessarily from within a technical role themselves. Shannon brings all this and so much more, there is no one more deserving of our Honorary Changemaker.

Thank you to Puppet and Ladies that UX for working with us on these incredible awards for a fourth year running, with a special shout out to the wonderful Christine Schmitt, Senior Workplace Coordinator at Puppet, and honorary Women Who Code organiser.

Congratulations to all of this year’s winners, and thanks to everyone who voted!

Source: https://medium.com/women-who-code-belfast/women-who-code-belfast-she-rocks-awards-a8e974e75707