Lithuania receives first international award for its work in the field of digital well-being
Lithuania has entered a page in Europe’s digital history, winning the Digital Wellbeing nomination at the prestigious ALL DIGITAL Awards in Malta on 10-12 September. The award was awarded to Renata Gaudinskaitė, co-founder of the Centre for Digital Ethics. This achievement is not only an important national recognition in the history of the ALL DIGITAL awards, but also the first of its kind in Europe. This shows that digital well-being is becoming an important part of the overall European agenda, with an emphasis on human psychological, emotional and social health alongside innovation.
Digital well-being – from Lithuania to Europe
The Centre for Digital Ethics, whose activities Gaudinskaitė presented to an international audience, brings together scientists, practitioners, lawyers and health experts to help people survive between screens, when digitalisation is sometimes rapid and regardless of its potential harm. The organization aims to make technology work for society without harm, so that the digital environment helps people thrive, not lose their balance.
“This award is a nominee, but it is not a one-person award. He was born out of a shared vision, a shared work, and a belief that technology must serve man. This is an assessment that allows the work of the Digital Ethics Centre to be visible in the European context, it sends a message: not only the ability to use technology, but also how we feel in the digital world," says Gaudinskaitė, winner of the ALL DIGITAL Award.
The Centre for Digital Ethics engages young people, teachers, families and communities, and this February triggered national debates about the more informed use of technology and real-life developments, including legislative changes on the use of smartphones in schools.
International assessment
The ‘Window to the Future’ association, a long-time member of ALL DIGITAL, contributed to this achievement by submitting a nomination and believing that Lithuania has leaders in this topic.
“We believed that the work of the Centre for Digital Ethics will also be appreciated in Europe, and that digital well-being can become the foundation on which a conscious digital future of friendly technologies is built,” says Rita Šukytė, Head of the Association “Window for the Future”. – We supported the nomination not only for excellence, but also because it is a voice that reflects what Europe needs. We are delighted to promote Lithuania as a country in which such organisations are formed that see the digital transformation through the prism of human well-being.”
The winners of the awards were announced in total in five categories in Malta, during the international conference of ALL DIGITAL, attended by more than 200 experts, educators, policy makers from Europe and other countries, representatives of a total of 33 countries. It is also the representatives of the EU institutions, UNESCO, who stressed that the future of technology must be oriented towards human well-being.
Why is this nomination so special?
The ALL DIGITAL Awards honoured digital inclusion, education and civil society initiatives for many years, but the Digital Well-Being nomination was only introduced this year. It marks a growing need to see technology not only as a means of progress, but also as a challenge to human mental health, relationships and social life, and signals a fundamental shift: Europe understands that innovation and technological development must go hand in hand with caring for people – their health, their connections, their emotional balance.
The nomination is intended to honor those educators, initiators who actively work with digital health, security, internet ethics, conscious and balanced use of digital technologies and promotion of citizenship in the digital space.
The victory of the Lithuanian representative in this new category demonstrates the country’s civic efforts to shape a digital agenda in which people are at the forefront. This evaluation is Lithuania’s voice in Europe, reminding us that the digital transformation cannot be just about technology. It has to be about people.
The ‘Window to the Future’ association cooperated with the Centre for Digital Ethics in organising the ‘Safer Internet’ project, which is co-funded by the European Union.
About ALL DIGITAL
ALL DIGITAL is a European non-profit organisation with 111 member organisations from more than 25 countries. The organisation aims to ensure that everyone in Europe has the opportunity to acquire digital skills, be part of the digital society and benefit from technological opportunities. The annual ALL DIGITAL Awards honour people and organisations that contribute to digital inclusion, skills development and community resilience. Established in 2025, the ‘Digital Wellbeing’ nomination has become a new milestone highlighting the impact of technology on human health, relationships and societal harmony.
