The sixth edition of the ICT Award is here to honor innovations in Nepal’s ICT sector. The nomination process is now online because of the ongoing lockdown. Here, we will be discussing the nomination process, award categories, and eligibility criteria for ICT Award 2021.
ICT Award at a glance
ICT Award is among the biggest tech award in the country, which is hosted every year by “Living with ICT“. It has been around since 2016 and has honored over 50 awardees so far.
Last year’s campaign was a successful one, with over 400 applications. Though several events had to be canceled due to the pandemic, the winners were later honored at a separate event.
ICT Award 2021: Overview
As mentioned earlier, it is the sixth edition of the ceremony. There are 11 different awards categories, including two new ones. The decision to open nominees came after the recent decline in the number of COVID infections in Nepal.
Nomination process
The nomination process for ICT Award 2021 is already live. The forms are available from ICT Award’s official site. Interested individuals and organizations can apply for the relevant category till 16th Shrawan (30th June).
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Award categories
The awards can be roughly categorized into three groups. The first group is for innovations and startups while the second is for individuals. Finally, we have awards for private and government organizations.
| Group | Awards | Eligibility | Last Year’s Winner |
| Innovation and Startup | Startup ICT | Companies registered in last 3 years | CryptoGen Nepal |
| Product | Products made public from Baisakh 2077 to Chaitra 2078 | CPFDS – AML and KYC Management System | |
| Rising Student | Projects by students under 30 years of age | Sanchai Chhau (St Xavier’s College) | |
| Individuals | Pioneer | Contribution to ICT | Nilkantha Upreti |
| Diaspora | Non-resident Nepali in ICT | Gaurav Raj Upadhyaya (Amazon) | |
| Entrepreneur | Entrepreneur in ICT | Vinay Bohara (Vianet) | |
| Woman Icon | Nepalese Women in ICT | Prof. Timila Yami | |
| Organizations | Digital Education (Private) | Private educational institutes | NA |
| Digital Services (Private) | Private sector | NA | |
| Digital Education (Public) | Public educational institutes | Budhanilkantha School | |
| Digital Governance (Public) | Government bodies | Inland Revenue Department | |
| Other Winner from last year | Paila Emergency Resuscitator (Ncell Innovation Driven Crisis Response), Kiran Acharya (Media Person), and Hamro Swasthya (Jury Mention Award) | ||
Selection process
Moving on, candidates will be analyzed by a jury of twelve members. For the first group, there will be three rounds of selections in three months. This will be followed by public voting for the top five candidates. Other categories will have to go through four rounds of selection and a field visit.
What’s in it for the winners?
In addition to the honors, winners will get different services and facilities according to their category. For instance, winners of the first group will get loans and investment opportunities.
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