It’s Technical.ly’s first year teaming up with Geekadelphia and Generocity to host the Philly Geek Awards and we’re pretty psyched about it.
After hearing your suggestions for the best tech projects and makers in Philly, and the insanely tough task of deciding who made the cut, here are a few of this year’s nominees.
Hop over to PhillyGeekAwards.com for the full listing and stay tuned — tickets go on sale this Friday.

Startup of the Year

• BioBots: A Dreamit company, BioBots makes 3D printers for living cells. Yeah, that’s right. You can print organs and tissue.
• Cosy: An artificial intelligence company and a member of 500 Startups’ 17th batch of graduates, Cosy makes robots that navigate retail store floors and manage inventory through beacon-free technology in spaces without access to GPS.
• SPOR: The company’s goal is to provide accessible, clean energy to those in need. After a successful Kickstarter, SPOR offers a power bank that contains a self-regenerating battery charger for USB devices.

Technologist of the Year

• Liz Brown: Cofounder of Webjunto, a community and user experience–focused web and mobile development company, Brown has worked on a wide range of projects ranging from app development to research regarding motivation, cognitive learning and design theory.
• Corey Latislaw: A well-known figure in the global Android community, Latislaw is a Google Developer Expert who has spoken domestically and internationally, and is a published book and video author who has created numerous Android courses for the community.
• Yasmine Mustafa: A tech entrepreneur and community leader driven by the desire to leverage technology for social good, Mustafa is the CEO of ROAR for Good, the self-defense wearable technology company aimed at protecting women and addressing the underlying causes of violence.

Game of the Year

• Breaker Blocks: Breaker Blocks is the second game by Spriteborne, the moniker of Jake Vander Ende, a crafter, game developer and writer. The 10-minute, two-player game of “circuit building and sabotage” is played using laser-engraved acrylic game pieces designed to be “durable, portable and accessible.” The game is designed and made solely by Vander Ende in suburban Philadelphia.
• RESISTOR_ : RESISTOR_ is a fast and intense two-player competitive card game that relies on “hidden information” and “tactical decision-making.” Nearly 800 backers pledged over $23,000 on Kickstarter to make this game a reality. The pair behind Cardboard Fortress Games (dubbed Philadelphia’s cutest couple by at least one submission) hasn’t stopped marketing their card game at many conventions across the country.
• Tailwind: Prologue: Tailwind: Prologue puts you at the controls of a spaceship rocketing through the atmosphere. Inspiration from popular titles such as No Man’s Sky, Mirror Moon and Firewatch helped bring Cipher Prime’s classic style to a new, lived-in world. A prologue to the upcoming game Tailwind, this gorgeous game was developed by Dain Saint and William Stallwood, who return to the Philly Geek Awards after winning “Outstanding Achievement to the Philadelphia Indie Game Scene” back in 2011.