A design engineer at the BBC has been awarded the RTS Young Technologist of the Year Award for 2024.
The annual award is presented annually in memory of A.M Beresford-Cooke and selected by a panel of expert industry judges, chaired by Digital Media Consultant, Terry Marsh.
Sheppard is a self-taught design engineer who has been creating websites, web tools and digital services since the age of 12, going on to specialise in eCommerce for the last 10 years. In 2022, Benjamin started working with the BBC to develop a suite of broadcast graphic elements, which became an entire framework of redevelopment including fully responsive and adaptable components, with dynamic functionality.
Sheppard’s expertise has seen him work on the European Broadcasting Union’s initiative to standardise HTML5 graphics.
“The insight and skillset he possesses for eCommerce and development, alongside his input with the European Broadcasting Union, is something that particularly resounded with the Jury,” said Marsh.
As winner of the RTS Young Technologist of the Year for 2024, Benjamin will receive an all-expenses paid trip to IBC 2024.
Benjamin Sheppard said: “It is an honour and a privilege to win such a prestigious award and to be named Young Technologist of the Year 2024. .. I would like to say a big thank you to my mentor at the BBC, Ryan McKenna, and my wife and dog, for their continued support. I look forward to continuing my work with complex web-based broadcast graphics, and implementing new processes to help the industry to progress.”
The RTS Young Technologist of the Year Award runner-up and recipient of the Coffey Award for Excellence in Technology 2024 is Connor Webster, Lead Software Engineer at YouView TV Ltd. Connor joined YouView as a Graduate Software Engineer and moved up the ranks to Lead Engineer within five years. Most recently he has helped YouView support the successful launch of Freely.
This started with investigating the feasibility of running an HbbTV Operator Application on retail Smart TVs, followed by the design and development of innovative production solutions in collaboration with Everyone TV, the UK’s public service broadcasters and global device manufacturers.
