The year’s best projects are identified in six categories by the 280,000-person resource
The award-winning and first-of-its-kind element14 Community has 
announced the winners of its annual Community Awards. Among the many cutting-edge technologies and inspiring projects completed in 2014, a poll of Community members identified winners in six categories: Product of the Year, Technology of the Year, Project of the Year, Design Challenge of the Year, RoadTest of the Year and Member of the Year.
“Our Community offers more th element14 Community announces 2014 awardsan 280,000 design engineers the opportunity to collaborate using the most advanced technology, tools and services in engineering today,” said Dianne Kibbey, global head of community at element14. “Our annual Community Awards recognize the best and brightest from the previous year and we’re thrilled, not only for the winners, but all the nominees.”
In the category of Product of the Year, Community members selected the Raspberry Pi B+. It is the higher-spec variant of the Raspberry Pi and replaced the original Model B in July 2014. The Internet of Things (IoT) won for Technology of the Year. IoT was the focus of numerous element14 Community posts, blogs and design challenges throughout the year.
The “Forget Me Not” challenge won the Design Challenge of the Year. Twenty participants around the world created home automation solutions inspired by the IoT movement with builds including an IoT Pet Care System and a safety monitoring device.
The winner of RoadTest of the Year was the CEL Robox 3D Printer, a product that works out of the box and includes a dual-nozzle system for printing up to 300 percent faster than competing products. Two hundred twenty-six community members applied to test the product and four were asked to produce a full and comprehensive review upon receiving it.
The Modular Bench Power Supply++ won in the category of Project of the Year. Created by Peter Oakes, the project is useful for any electronics engineer to use for prototyping, testing and many other functions ranging from battery charging to testing power limits of a new control system.
Peter Oakes also took home Member of the Year honors. Peter is known around the community for incredible tutorials and being helpful in the forums, design challenges and roadtests. Read more about Peter in this exclusive interview with element14.
To qualify for the Member of the Year Award, an individual must make significant contributions to the element14 Community. From submitting complex projects in competitions, to offering expert advice to other members, to sharing insightful suggestions for improving the Community, the Member of the Year is someone who makes a difference in the element14 Community.
More information about the award nominees and winners can be found in the element14 Community Awards blog.
