Objectives

The Hong Kong ICT Awards 2024: Smart Business Award is established for three major purposes:

Emerging technologies are now universally recognised as an essential tool to enhance productivity, competitiveness, customer services and business growth. One of the steams in this Award, Emerging Technologies, is to recognise outstanding locally developed IT products and services using emerging technologies such as: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, Big Data/Open Data, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Mixed Reality (MR), distributed ledgers, IoT, 3D Printing, digital twins, etc to provide innovative solutions for their target customers.

The application of Information Technology is essential to improve the operating efficiency and productivity, quality and overall competitiveness and customer service for both our business and public sector enterprises. One of the streams in this Award, Solution for Business and Public Sector Enterprise, recognises outstanding locally developed applications which provide cost-effective and innovative IT solutions to business enterprises as well as public sector organisations. The awards encourage in-house applications developed and implemented by business and public sector organisations using the most appropriate technologies suiting the intended purposes.

The backbone of our economy is our SMEs, of which the adoption of ICT is crucial for its efficiency and productivity, and its global reach in marketing strategy and business expansion. One of the streams in this Award, Solution for SME, is to recognise outstanding achievements in technological innovations in locally developed IT products and application/services for effective use by SME.

The Hong Kong ICT (HKICT) Awards 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 Hong Kong ICT Awards 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. Relevant HKICTA winners would be considered for nominations to join other international awards and competitions, such as the highly acclaimed Asia Pacific Information and Communications Technology Awards (APICTA).

There are eight categories under the Hong Kong ICT Awards 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, 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. HKCS is officially appointed by OGCIO to be the Leading Organiser of the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2024 - Smart Business Award category. The Smart Business Award covers 3 streams, including Emerging Technologies, Solution for Business and Public Sector Enterprise as well as Solution for SME.

The Leading Organiser

The Hong Kong Computer Society (HKCS) is a well-established non-profit organisation that has been striving to improve and develop Hong Kong’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry since its founding in 1970.

HKCS is the first officially recognised professional association for the ICT industry in Hong Kong, dedicated to the promotion of the highest professional standards for the industry. Members hail from a broad spectrum of Hong Kong’s ICT industry, from corporations to like-minded individuals, all coming together to raise the profile of the industry.

During its over 50 years’ history, HKCS members have come to form the core of a wide and influential network throughout the whole spectrum of Hong Kong services and other industries. The Society offers a chance for Hong Kong’s communities to exchange ideas and to carry out a dialogue with the Government regarding ICT and its impact to the society. Being a highly active association, HKCS is regularly organising many activities to help promote ICT in Hong Kong, including lectures, discussions, seminars, and open forums on subjects related to ICT.

Visit HKCS Website

Prizes for Winners

The remarkable achievements of the Awards winners (Gold/Silver/Bronze) will be recognised by customers, organisations, the ICT industry practitioners and across the community. Winners will be entitled:

to receive trophies (Gold/Silver/Bronze) of the HKICTA;

to display the official logo of the HKICTA in their promotional materials;

to participate in various promotional campaigns to publicise their achievements;

to be supported for entering into other regional and international awards and competitions;

to 3 months free access to Lion Rock 72 (co‐working space in InnoCentre) or co-working space in Hong Kong Science Park Incubation Centre for SMEs¹;

to participate in investment matching activities co-organised by the Hong Kong Business Angel Network (HKBAN) and Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTPC);

to 3 months free access to Flexi Space in Cyberport Smart-Space for SMEs² and

to receive Green Channel Interview (conditional³) offer of “HK Tech 300 Seed Fund” by City University of Hong Kong (CityU). The awardee will receive up to HKD100,000 in funding and other support from the programme (https://www.cityu.edu.hk/hktech300/about-hk-tech-300/hk-tech-300-seed-fund)(For Student Innovation category, only Stream IV “Higher Education” winners are eligible) after passing through the interview; and;

to free participation in some large-scale local ICT events (e.g. InnoEX) for marketing exposure.

Further details and conditions are available at the website: http://www.hkictawards.hk

¹HKSTPC offers 1 free seat access to Lion Rock 72 in InnoCentre or co-working space in Hong Kong Science Park Incubation Centre for 3 months (assigned by HKSTPC, subject to availability) to SMEs who are HKICTA 2024 Gold, Silver or Bronze award winners.

²Cyberport offers 1 free Flexi Space in Cyberport Smart-Space for 3 months to SMEs who are HKICT Awards 2024 Gold, Silver or Bronze award winners. The number of flexi-desk offered to ICT Winners is capped to 32. Given the quota, flexi-desk will be offered on a first-come-first-served basis and subject to the availability. Winner shall submit application to Cyberport for the offered flexi-desk on or before 31 Mar 2025 after the announcement of results. Any submission after the deadline will become ineligible.

³1. Either one of the startup's founders is associated with CityU, such as a student / alumnus / research assistant; or 2. The team could identify at least one CityU’s intellectual property (IP) for evaluation if there is no associated founder. (https://www.cityu.edu.hk/hktech300/cityu-intellectual-property)