Kathmandu – The selection process for the ICT Award 2021 has begun. Online nominations in 11 different categories were open until 31st of August 2021 for the sixth edition of the ICT Award, which has established itself as a prestigious award in the field of information and communication technology. The selection process has been accelerated in order to select the best nominees from the pool of nominations received since Friday.
More than 350 applications were received for the online nominations called through the official website www.ictaward.org according to the organizer Living with ICT. This year’s selection process will be overseen by a jury committee of 12 IT experts.
Likewise, there is a 15-member special jury advisory committee which include member of the National Planning Commission Dr. Ram Kumar Phuyal, Vice Chancellor of NAST Dr. Sunil Babu Shrestha, Former Minister Ganesh Shah, Prof. Dr. Subarna Shakya, Dean of Kathmandu University Prof. Dr. Manish Pokharel and Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Anil Dutta.
Nominations for this year’s ICT Award 2021 were sought in 11 categories ranging from Rising Star to Digital Governance Award, covering various aspects and fields of technology. Startup ICT Award, Product ICT Award, Rising Star Innovation ICT Award are the three categories for awarding startups and projects which are among the awards.
Individual awards include the Pioneer ICT Award, the Nepali Diaspora ICT Award, the Entrepreneur ICT Award, and the Woman Icon ICT Award.
Digital Education ICT Award (Public Sector), Digital Education ICT Award (Private Sector), Digital Governance ICT Award (Public Sector), and Digital Services ICT Award (Private Sector) are among the awards given to both government and private sector organizations.
Rising Star Innovation received the most nominations (60) among the nominations received online. According to the organizers, more than 40 nominations for the Startup ICT Award and Product ICT Award have been received. According to Prof. Dr. Subarna Shakya of Tribhuvan University, the ICT Award is making a significant contribution in the field of technology because it is a very transparent and fair award.
The importance and need of the award is growing as it encourages those working on new ideas and innovations to move forward, according to Dr. Sunil Babu Shrestha, Vice-Chancellor of NAST, who spoke at a meeting of the selection committee held on Friday.
The selection process for the ICT Award 2021 will be completed in five stages. A two-day exhibition in the Startup, Product, and Rising Star Innovation categories will also be held, according to the organizers. Field visits will be conducted to determine which of the top five startups, digital governance, and digital education competitors is the best. Virtual media will also be used in other selection processes. According to Living with ICT, the award’s grand finale will take place on 17th of December 2021 at The Soaltee Hotel.
Since their inception in 2016, the ICT Award have recognized over 50 individuals, organizations, businesses, and products in a variety of categories. The ICT Awards were held in a grand manner last year, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
This year’s award winners will receive special recognition from Rastriya Banijya Bank, including an unsecured loan facility of up to 1.5 million rupees, investment opportunities in startups and ideas, and other valuable services and facilities. The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, National Information Technology Center, Nepal Telecommunication Authority, NAST, Genese Solutions, Phone Pay, Nepal Telecom, Rastriya Banijya Bank, Phone PAY and others have all contributed to this year’s ICT Awards program.
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