The winners of the 2015 ‘European Social Innovation Competition’ were announced. The three winners were selected out of over 1,400 applications from more than 40 countries and have each received a prize of €50,000. The winning projects highlight social and environmental issues that concern many Europeans, addressing our ageing population, inclusion and accessibility in creative ways.

And the winners are

• Sit-in beekeeping foundation Apiform – Bosnia and Herzegovina: Thanks to beekeeping possible to people in wheelchairs, senior citizens, people with back pain or arthritis. A beehive accessible from behind and from a lower level was designed and successfully developed. Now the model should be replicated across countries to foster entrepreneurship and organic living, while helping to restore the bee population in Europe.

• Peer-to-peer homestay model for older people The Freebird Club – Ireland: Based in Ireland, the Freebird Club is a peer-to-peer social travel and homestay platform specifically designed for the over 50s. The platfrom offers a new world of social travelling for older adults, with a membership-based model.

• Accessible car sharing platform Wheeliz – France: Wheeliz addresses accessibility and inclusion within the transport industry through a car-sharing platform. Public transport in many cities is not accessible for wheelchair users, and the use of specialised taxi services is not affordable. Wheeliz aims to pool the estimated 100,000 adapted cars owned in France, to create a shared fleet of automobiles available for rent by wheelchair users, with ambitions to expand across Europe.