SANJAY MORTIMER FOUNDATION RISING STAR AWARD
In 2024 TCT were delighted to collaborate for the second year with the Sanjay Mortimer Foundation (SMF) to present the Sanjay Mortimer Foundation Rising Star Award.
This award recognises an up-and-coming neurodivergent young person who has the potential to contribute greatly towards the engineering Industry. The winning entrant received a mod0 3D printer with custom artwork from the extremely talented BrendonBuilds, as well as the opportunity to become an SMF Star, providing access to grants, training and more.
After such a successful two years, TCT are delighted to continue to support the Sanjay Mortimer Foundation and will be back with the third SMF Rising Star Award in 2025 - so watch this space!
WINNER OF THE SMF RISING STAR AWARD 2024
Charlotte Bridgewater!
Charlotte Bridgewater is a student at Newcastle University who has a passion for helping others. She developed the idea of her dissertation project to assist her friend with a lifelong physical disability. She is designing the “TuCan”, an assistive technology device that helps individuals with poor grip strength open beverage cans. She achieved one of the highest marks in her entire year group for the initial submission for this project. As a female in a field where women are underrepresented, she embodies creativity, self-motivation, hard work, and most importantly, compassion. She has shown remarkable resilience against adverse situations that could have hindered her success, making her a deserving recipient of the SMF Rising Star Award.
See Charlotte's acceptance Speech at the TCT Awards Ceremony 2024!
WINNER OF THE SMF RISING STAR AWARD 2023
Zac Smith!
Zac's application demonstrated that despite the challenges of his neurodiversity, he has found solace and joy exploring engineering and design, having consistently delivered outstanding results that showcase his technical skill, innovation and creative thinking, and is using his unique perspective to bring fresh and invaluable qualities to the field of engineering.
As the winning entrant Zac received a Prusa 3D printer to help support his journey into Engineering, plus the opportunity to become an SMF Star, providing access to grants, training and more. During his acceptance speech, 16 year old Zac thanked all the support he has received from his school teachers as well as thanking Sanjay specifically for his incredible influence and inspiration.
See Zac's acceptance speech at the TCT Awards Ceremony 2023!
ABOUT THE SANJAY MORTIMER FOUNDATION
Neurodivergent minds have been shown to be associated with creativity, innovation, and risk-taking, all of which are critical skills for engineers to tackle the challenges of the future. Despite this, they remain highly underrepresented in engineering degrees, which makes them significantly less likely to enter engineering careers.
Now a registered charity, the SMF aims to help these neurodiverse individuals, interested in engineering and making, realise where their talents and strengths lie. Enabling them to shape their perceived belief in their engineering abilities, thus building self-esteem and increasing interest in engineering. Find out more about the SMF at
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