# Nightingale HQ and Steph Locke Shortlisted for Two Wales STEM Awards 2026 > Nightingale HQ is a finalist for the Wales STEM Awards 2026 Sustainability Award, and Steph Locke is shortlisted for STEM Woman of the Year. > > **URL:** https://www.gosmarter.ai/newsroom/nightingale-hq-and-steph-locke-shortlisted-wales-stem-awards-2026/ **Date:** 2026-08-24 **Author:** Ruth Kearney **Categories:** news **Tags:** nightingale-hq, sustainability, wales, artificial-intelligence, steel ## We're delighted to share two shortlistings at once. **Nightingale HQ** is a finalist for the **Sustainability Award** at the **Wales STEM Awards 2026**. The judges recognised our work driving sustainability in the steel sector. And our co-founder **Steph Locke** is a finalist for **STEM Woman of the Year**, for her continuous work championing STEM and supporting others into the sector. Cardiff Metropolitan University sponsors the Wales STEM Awards, which shine a spotlight on the businesses, organisations, educators, and individuals driving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics forward across Wales. Being named a finalist in two categories in the same year is a first for us. It means a great deal to the whole team. ## Sustainability Award: Nightingale HQ The Sustainability Award recognises organisations making a measurable difference to Wales' environmental goals. Our case rests on the numbers our [GoSmarter](/) platform delivers every day for steel and metals manufacturers. Smarter cutting plans cut scrap. Offcut and emissions tools turn waste into a number a plant manager can act on. A [Mill Certificate Reader](/features/mill-certificate-reader/) removes hours of manual paperwork, so engineers can focus on the shop floor. Steel is energy-intensive to produce, so every tonne that isn't wasted at the cutting stage is a tonne that never needed re-smelting. That's the practical, unglamorous end of sustainability we build for. Not a pledge on a website, but fewer offcuts in the skip and less carbon in the air. **2026 Sustainability Award finalists:** - Dragons RFC Limited - Kenfig Nature Trust - Nellie Technologies Ltd - Nightingale HQ ## STEM Woman of the Year: Steph Locke Steph Locke is Co-founder and Head of Product at GoSmarter, and a former Microsoft Data & AI Most Valuable Professional (MVP). Her STEM Woman of the Year shortlisting recognises her continuous work championing STEM in Wales and supporting others into the sector — from mentoring and speaking engagements to building the AI tools at the heart of GoSmarter itself. **2026 STEM Woman of the Year finalists:** - Emma Wride — AstroCymru Ltd - Josephine Grech — Cardiff and Vale College - Katerina Kaouri — Cardiff University - Steph Locke — Nightingale HQ - Dr Geertje Van Keulen — Swansea University - Beth Nurse — University of South Wales - Rhian Kinsella — University of South Wales > "The standard of entries has been incredibly high, showcasing the innovation, ambition and forward-thinking talent driving STEM forward across Wales," said Liz Brookes, co-founder of the Wales STEM Awards. > "Being shortlisted alongside people and organisations doing such serious work for Wales is genuinely humbling," said Steph Locke. "Sustainability in steel isn't glamorous, but it's necessary, and I'm proud of the team putting the work in every day to make it happen." ## The ceremony The Wales STEM Awards will announce the winners at a reimagined ceremony at [Techniquest](https://www.techniquest.org/) in Cardiff on **Thursday 1 October 2026**. The ceremony falls during the science discovery centre's 40th anniversary year. We're looking forward to a great night out with the rest of the Welsh STEM community, and we congratulate every finalist across every category. ## FAQs {{< faq question="What is the Wales STEM Awards Sustainability Award?" >}} The Sustainability Award at the Wales STEM Awards recognises organisations across Wales making a measurable contribution to environmental sustainability through science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. Nightingale HQ's case rests on GoSmarter's day-to-day impact in the steel sector: cutting optimisation that reduces scrap, emissions tools that quantify waste, and paperwork automation that frees up engineers' time. This shortlisting sits alongside our [Best GreenTech finalist placing at the Wales Technology Awards 2025](/newsroom/best-greentech-finalist-wales-technology-award/) and our [BSSA 2026 Sustainability Award win](/newsroom/gosmarter-wins-bssa-sustainability-award-2026/) as recognition of the same underlying work. {{< /faq >}} {{< faq question="Who is Steph Locke?" >}} Steph Locke is Co-founder and Head of Product at GoSmarter, built by Nightingale HQ. A former Microsoft Data & AI MVP, she spent over a decade designing cloud systems, data products, and AI tools before founding Nightingale HQ. Her STEM Woman of the Year shortlisting recognises her continuous work championing STEM and supporting others into the sector, alongside her role building GoSmarter's AI tools for metals manufacturers. {{< /faq >}} {{< faq question="When is the Wales STEM Awards 2026 ceremony?" >}} The Wales STEM Awards will announce the 2026 winners at a ceremony at Techniquest in Cardiff on Thursday 1 October 2026. The ceremony falls during Techniquest's 40th anniversary year. {{< /faq >}} {{< faq question="What is the Wales STEM Awards?" >}} The Wales STEM Awards, sponsored by Cardiff Metropolitan University, shine a spotlight on the businesses, organisations, educators, and individuals driving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics forward across Wales. It covers categories spanning sustainability, innovation, education, and individual recognition, including Woman of the Year. {{< /faq >}} ## Further reading - [GoSmarter wins the BSSA 2026 Sustainability Award](/newsroom/gosmarter-wins-bssa-sustainability-award-2026/) - [Best GreenTech finalist at the Wales Technology Award](/newsroom/best-greentech-finalist-wales-technology-award/) - [Mill Certificate Reader](/features/mill-certificate-reader/) - [Wales STEM Awards](https://www.stemawards.wales/shortlist-2026/)