Innovation Awards launch in Uganda with MTN
There are eight award categories - health, education, financial services, SME solutions, Enterprise development, Woman in Innovation, most innovative Mobile App and the Innovation Achiever of the year.
MTN Uganda's Chief Marketing Officer, Mapula Bodibe, says the awards are part of group's commitment to enabling, leading and supporting a technology-driven economy. "Through initiatives such as the MTN App Challenge - held in May 2015 - and the recently concluded MTN Juniors' Robotics Camp, MTN Uganda strives to be a key driver and supporter to shaping Uganda's future in technology and innovation. It is with this vision in mind that the MTN Innovation Awards are launched.
"The awards will recognise creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship amongst participants. We shall be looking out for applications that have already been launched independently and have been used in the market with measurable impact," she concludes.
Award categories
1. Best Health Application
This Award will recognise Applications that aim to extend reach, accessibility and efficiency in delivering health services. The app must address both consumers of health services and providers of health services and demonstrate enabling business intelligence features to enhance reach, accessibility and efficiency.
2. Best Education Application
This Award will recognise Applications that are transforming the experience and reach of education to ordinary Ugandans. The app must address both consumers of education services and providers of education services and demonstrate enabling business intelligence to enhance reach, accessibility and efficiency.
3. Best Financial Services Application
This Award will recognise Applications that are enabling any financial Inclusion. The app must address both consumers of financial services and providers of financial services and demonstrate enabling business intelligence to enhance reach, accessibility and efficiency.
4. Best SME Application
This award seeks to recognise Applications that aim to deliver improved productivity in the SME sector. The app must address both consumers of services and providers of services and demonstrate enabling business intelligence to enhance reach, accessibility and efficiency.
5. Best Enterprise Effort to support Innovation
This category seeks to recognise efforts of organisations and NGOs to drive innovation in the ICT space. It looks at organisations that are taking deliberate effort to support activities of universities, tertiary institutions and individuals in application development efforts. These organisations are encouraging adoption through activities that include funding of local innovation initiatives, testing of innovation, supporting incubation programs, etc.
6. Most Innovative Mobile App
The mobile phone has been central to the transformation of Uganda and the region as a whole. Today the mobile phone is not just a tool of communication but rather a channel to transfer money, buy and sell goods, access entertainment, etc. This award seeks to recognise mobile applications that drive transformation, innovation and development. The application may or may not be from any of the categories indicated above.
7. Outstanding Woman in Innovation
This award seeks to recognise women that are demonstrating a leading role in defining innovations in Uganda, including mobile application innovations that they have developed or other initiatives using technology that they are leading to contribute towards building the eco-system.
8. Innovation Achiever of the Year
This is a special Award to recognise an individual or private entity that has had significant impact in defining, enabling and influencing the innovation eco-system in Uganda through local initiatives and activities aimed at driving innovation using technology.
Winners will be selected by a panel of judges and announced at the Awards Gala Dinner on 13 November 2015. They will receive several prizes including a cash prize of $1,000. Submit entries to www.mtn.co.ug/innovationawards.
