Background
The Hong Kong ICT Awards (HKICTA) aims at recognising and promoting outstanding information and communications technology (ICT) inventions and applications, thereby encouraging innovation and excellence among Hong Kong’s ICT talent and enterprises in their constant pursuit of creative and better solutions to meet business and social needs.
The HKICTA was established in 2006 with the collaborative efforts of the industry, academia and the Government. Organised by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer, and led by Hong Kong ICT industry associations and professional bodies, the Awards aims at building a locally espoused and internationally acclaimed brand of ICT awards.
There are eight categories under the HKICTA 2024. There will be one Grand Award in each category, and an “Award of the Year” will be selected from the eight Grand Awards by the Grand Judging Panel. In addition, in a bid to foster the innovative use of artificial intelligence (AI), each of the eight categories will establish a new distinguished accolade: the "Best Use of AI" award, magnifying and honouring outstanding achievements in harnessing the power of AI in respective areas.
Objective
1. Building Hong Kong as a Smart City with innovative ICT applications
Smart Mobility plays a pivotal role in building a smart city by enhancing its transportation & logistics systems, promoting sustainability, improving quality of life, and fostering economic growth. Smart mobility is a critical component of any smart city, it involves optimizing transportation, infrastructure, connectivity and communications in order to improve the sustainability, efficiency, safety, convenience, and provide better mobility options for citizens. A smart city should be connected and citizen-centric to enhance the interconnectedness of every aspect of daily life, provide better quality of live, meeting the evolving needs of citizens, and achieving a higher level of city competitiveness.
The award aims to encourage the development and innovation of applications, leveraging the integration of Internet of Things (IoT), intelligent transportation systems, connected & autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, big data and analytics, geospatial technologies, robotic, 5G, augmented & virtual reality, smart energy management, as well as mobile applications, to enhance the flow of people, goods, and tourists. By integrating the technologies cohesively, it helps improve the experiences of citizens and visitors, enhance the sustainability and mobility for a smarter Hong Kong.
2. Championing HK as a Hub for IT Talents, Creativity and Innovations
The award will serve as a platform to facilitate the dynamic and transparent exchange of expertise with renowned ICT professionals in the community, to sparkle and co-create innovative ideas, to nurture technology talents, to build an ICT ecosystem, and to showcase Hong Kong as a hub for IT Innovation.
We hope that through various initiatives and activities, including recognition & promotion of excellence and innovation, knowledge sharing, nurturing and advocacy efforts, it will further stimulate creativity and drive innovation. GS1 HK will also nominate appropriate winners to participate at other regional and global awards competition.
3. Inspiring Local Industry Adoption
Innovation and technology are drivers for economic growth and the key to enhance business competitiveness. Award winning cases attest to successful implementation, helping users in Transport, Logistics and Tourism industries to understand the value of smart business applications, encouraging industry adoption, creating a mutually beneficial interaction between technology and business sectors. These lead to a sustainable eco-system of technology-driven new business paradigm which not only improves the daily lives of users but also brings jobs, innovation, and the creation of new start-ups with high-growth potential.