Kathmandu, 22 June 2020
The online nomination for the fifth edition of the ICT Award – a prestigious award in the information technology field in Nepal- has started from yesterday. The online application for the ICT Award 2020, organized by ‘Living with ICT’ in collaboration with various government and private organizations, will be open till July 31.
The ICT award has been delayed for some time this year due to the crisis and impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The award ceremony, which is held on August 17 every year, will be delayed for some time this year. The final date of the award will be announced after looking at the favorable time and situation after the deadline for online application is over.
This year, the ICT Award will be organized in 11 different categories. The Innovation-Driven Crisis Response ICT Award and the Woman Icon ICT Award categories have been added this year. Similarly, Startup ICT Award, Product ICT Award, Rising Student ICT Award are the awards categories related to innovations and startups. Likewise, Pioneer ICT Award, Nepali Diaspora ICT Award, ICT Entrepreneur Award, and Media Person ICT Award are given to individuals. Similarly, Digital Governance ICT Award and Digital Education ICT Award are given to government organizations. The ICT Award, which started in 2016, has so far honored more than 30 individuals, organizations, companies, and products in various categories.
Last year, the Startup ICT Award was received by E-Digital Nepal and the Product ICT Award was received by Mediflow Systems and Services. Similarly, the Rising Student ICT Award was received by Raktadan-Blood Donation Project. Likewise, Mahabir Pun was felicitated with the Pioneer Award, Dr. Sameer Maskey with Nepali Diaspora Award, and Amit Agrawal with ICT Entrepreneur Award. The Digital Governance Award was received by the Public Service Commission and the Digital Education Award was received by the Nepal Open University (NOU). The Public Choice Award went to Kitabyatra and the Media Person ICT Award went to BijayTimalsina.
This year, there are 12 jury members and 10 more jury advisory members to make the selection process of the award systematic and easy. The selection process will take place at different stages. Online and SMS voting will also be conducted by selecting the best 5 from different stages in a startup, product, student project, and innovation, while in other genres, the jury group will conduct the selection process at different stages. We will be preparing to make the ICT Awards, which has been conducted in a fair and systematic manner, more sophisticated and prestigious. The selection process will also be more technology-friendly this year due to the Coronavirus crisis.
In order to nominate and apply for the award, you have to visit the ictaward.org and select the relevant category and submit the online form. When submitting details in the form, you are requested to include any video content that reflects the profile of the nominee. Interested applicants should submit their application within 31 July 2020.
AWARD CATEGORIES for ICT AWARD 2020
Startup ICT Award 2020
This award will be provided to a Tech-Startup incorporated and has demonstrated growth within the organization, created ICT products, services, and/or a business model that can be successfully implemented in the long run and carries the prospect in the future market.
Nepali ICT startup incorporated in or after F.Y.-2074/75. (Within the last three years.)
Product ICT Award 2020
This award will recognize a product that is innovative and can leave a positive impact on the lives of the community while also showing the prospect of being into business in the long run. Such products, however, shall be from the Tech sector and maybe software or hardware or combination of both.
ICT Product released between 14th April 2019-12th April 2020(Baishak 1, 2076 – Chait 30, 2076) by Nepali company, organization, team, or an individual.
Rising Student ICT Award 2020
This award aims to recognize the excellence and innovative projects or products developed by high school, undergraduate, or higher-level students and strengthen their skills of IT and engineering.
Innovation Driven Crisis Response ICT Award 2020
This award is introduced to recognize the innovation that was driven as a response to the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Any product (hardware or software) that was primarily invented/developed to be pursued during the COVID-19 pandemic are eligible to apply for this category. Also, the perspective/possibility of using such a product in possible future crises or pandemic will be an important criterion for judgment.
Products and Innovations released/discovered from Jan 15, 2020, to nomination deadline are eligible to give nominations in this category.
Pioneer ICT Award 2020
This award will be honored to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the promotion and development of the ICT sector. This will unveil a personality who may have remained behind the scene but the contributions done by him/her are unprecedented and undisputed.
Nepali veteran ICT pioneer who has contributed in the ICT sector of Nepal or abroad for the past 15 years or more. The nomination form can be filled by the pioneer herself or anyone else.
Nepali Diaspora ICT Award 2020
This award will acknowledge a person of Nepali origin who has made a remarkable imprint in the international arena and has helped identify Nepal as an internationally competitive and resource talent pool in the global arena of ICT.
* Person of Nepali origin residing and based in a foreign country achieving exemplary feats in the ICT sector. The nomination form can be filled by the Nepali Diaspora herself or anyone else.
Entrepreneur ICT Award 20120
This award will applaud the charisma of the icon IT Entrepreneur who has energized a whole generation of entrepreneurs. It will recognize their achievement to move ahead and shape the ICT sector of Nepal and abroad.
Nepali Entrepreneur with exemplary entrepreneurial success in the ICT sector in recent 5 years. The nomination form can be filled by the Entrepreneur herself or anyone else.
Woman ICON ICT Award 2020
This award will be presented to a model icon woman leader of the ICT sector in Nepal. The award recognizes and celebrates females’ contributions in the tech industry for their remarkable achievement.
The nomination form can be filled by the Woman ICON herself or anyone else.
Media Person ICT Award 2020
This award will recognize the influential media person who has made a notable contribution in promoting and disseminating ICT related news, information, and knowledge among the public.
Mainstream media person writing and contributing to the ICT issues for at least 3 Years. The nomination form can be filled by the Media Person herself or anyone else.
Digital Education ICT Award 2020
This award appreciates the achievements of schools and educational institutions for their excellence in the implementation and use of ICT in digital education as an effective tool for teaching and learning activities.
Public schools or community based educational institutions with exemplary success in the use of ICT in education are eligible to nominate themselves in this category. The nomination form can be filled by the representative of nominee herself or anyone else.
Digital Governance ICT Award 2020
This award acknowledges the government organizations involved in promoting, using, and enabling digital governance.
Government institutions/agencies ranging from the Local Governing body (Palikas), Departments, Ministries, or their specialized ICT initiatives showcasing exemplary incorporation, implementation, and execution of ICT tools to serve their constituency.
