Designed by Alex Sweetman, ‘Lift Me Up’ connects users to tailored mental health resources that are frequently seen as being out of reach.

Mr Sweetman won a $10,000 prize from Hume Bank to continue development of the app, as well as ongoing mentorship from Possumworks and Litton Legal.

Judged the best of five entries, Mr Sweetman said it was an honour to win the inaugural Life Tech Challenge.

“My eyes are open to the needs of those that are in the community that are sitting there silent, invisible and hidden,” he said.

“We need to bring that out, and this app, I’m hoping, can be the app they crave and can help them seek the professional help they need to solve their problems.” 

The app offers a range of functions, including day-to-day tips for getting by, stories from others, forums and information about local mental health services and providers.

“The technology aspect of it is underpinned by a professional counselling model, but what makes it different is that it will use the latest artificial intelligence and machine learning to have an intuitive, personalised experience,” Mr Sweetman said.

“It’s going to know so much more about you than you know yourself.

“It will be able to break the patterns you aren’t aware of, and hopefully do a lot of good.”