ICT Award 2023 Announcing Winners of 14 Categories on Friday

After the selection process and several pre-events held over the last five months, Living with ICT is finally holding the grand finale of the ICT Award 2023 program this Friday (December 22) at The Soaltee Hotel in Kathmandu.

The eighth annual ICT Award (The upGrad ICT Awards 2023 in association with Indrive) will recognize 14 winners across various categories within the information, communication, and technology (ICT) sector. The best startups from each of the seven provinces will receive the Provincial Startup ICT Recognition 2023. The award also includes the South Asia Startup ICT Award, targeting startups from South Asian countries.

The ICT Award is an annual award ceremony that honors individuals and organizations who have made special contributions to information and communication technology (ICT).

Living with ICT has announced that over 800 esteemed individuals, both domestic and international, will attend the grand finale of the ICT Award. For the ICT Award 2023 selection process, a panel of 14 local experts and 3 international experts was formed. The organizing committee revealed that they received over 700 online nominations spanning across 13 different categories.

Categories

This year’s ICT Award has 13 different categories, three of which are focused on startups and innovation: the Startup ICT Award, Product ICT Award, and Rising Star and Innovation ICT Award. Individuals are eligible for the Professional Excellence ICT Award, Pioneer ICT Award, Entrepreneur ICT Award, Nepali Diaspora ICT Award, and Women Icon ICT Award.

Similarly, 4 awards are given to public and private organizations for providing excellent services through the use of technology. These awards fall into the categories of Digital Education ICT Award (Public Sector), Digital Education ICT Award (Private Sector), Digital Governance ICT Award, and Digital Services ICT Award.

There is also the South Asia Startup ICT Award, which is an international award category focusing on entrepreneurship in the South Asian region that includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

Selection Process

The top startups at the provincial level have been selected, according to Razan Lamsal, chairman of the organizing committee. This selection involved different processes with the participation of 17 jury members and spanned over three months.

As reported by the organizers, the process included events like startup meetings, boot camps, the Startup & Idea Fest program in Kathmandu, TV programs, public voting, and field visits. These activities took place across all seven provinces.

The ICT Award serves as both a recognition program and a platform that contributes to the advancement of digital transformation and the ecosystem. Startups, products, and innovations that participate in this award have the potential to attract further investment and expand their market reach.

Award recipients are granted trophies and recognition. Additionally, the Ncell Woman Icon will be awarded a prize of 3 lakh rupees.

Program Highlights

The organizers have announced that the upcoming grand finale program will see the participation of various guests and representatives from the Government of Nepal. Additionally, representatives from the ride-hailing service Indrive, along with several startups and experts from South Asian nations, are expected to attend the event in Nepal.

The organizers have also shared that musical performances, including one by Pramod Kharel, will be part of the program.

The ICT Award 2023 is presented in association with Indrive and powered by upGrad. It is a collaborative effort involving the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, the Department of Information Technology, the Nepal Telecommunication Authority, the National Information Technology Center, NAST, the Federation of Nepal Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and NAS IT, among others.

Partners

The award program features partnerships with Nepal Pay as the digital payment partner, Hamro Pay as the voting partner, Lord Buddha Education Foundation as the education partner, Broadway Infosys as the training partner, BugV as the cybersecurity partner, Global College as the knowledge partner, Veda as the Edtech partner, Kantipur TV as the broadcasting partner, and Dishhome Fibernet as the Internet Partner.

The grand finale of the ICT Award will be broadcast live on Kantipur Television HD, Hamro Patro, the Facebook page, and the YouTube channel of the ICT Award. For those interested in attending in person, tickets are available for purchase on the official website, www.ictaward.org.

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