Nominate your product for the P@SHA ICT Awards 2007 – and tell your friends!!!

The Organising Committee for the P@SHA ICT Awards 2007 is now actively seeking nominations to 15 categories. Nomination submissions will close on 19 October 2007. The top winners in each of the 15 Categories will represent Pakistan at the APICTA ICT Awards 2007 in Singapore from November 26 – 30, 2007.

Cluster Category : Tools and Infrastructure Application
Product Definition :
Any software program designed to operate hardware through basic operating systems and programming languages, increase the efficiency of systems personnel through system performance measurement tools, improve the operating capabilities of the hardware system by routing the flow of data among machine units, and handle data entry and delivery, or to insure program integrity through maintenance, convert programs from one language to another, organize data resources through sort/merge products, and monitor machine usage.

Cluster Category : General Applications
Product Definition :
Any application software, hardware or its combination to support a range of functions that are commonly used by an enterprise or any business or organization entity in order to improve efficiency and productivity. Includes in this category are: back office applications, office productivity tools, human resource information system, administration tools, procurement system, marketing system, CRM, healthcare system etc.

Cluster Category : e-Community and e-Government
Product Definition :
Any application software, hardware or its combination that:
– supports the community in our society with the aim to promote the rights and needs of particular groups; or
– enable more efficient, effective, transparent and low cost of Government operations; or
– has been implemented by Government Institutions and Public Services to provide the best and valuable services to Public; or
– has been developed to meet specific Government requirement for Public Service use and its services is managed by a Government Institution.

Cluster Category : Security Applications
Product Definition :
Any application software, hardware or its combination that provide authentication support, intruder detection and prevention system, antivirus, anti spyware, data and/or system protection and counter security checking system.

Category : Communications
Product Definition :
Any application software, hardware or its combination that relates with any transmission of signs, signals, writing, images, sounds, voice, video, data, or intelligence of any nature by digital or analog, electromagnetic or electronic signals through existing and emerging media (e.g., radio, telephone, television, facsimile, SMS, MMS, GPRS, Internet, WiFi, WiMax, 3G, Bluetooth, RFID).

Cluster Category : Tertiary Student Project
Product Definition :
Any Information and Communication Technology project or research performed by a student or a group of students who are registered as active undergraduate student in higher-learning institution, such as a university or a polytechnic.

Cluster Category : Secondary Student Project
Product Definition :
Any Information and Communication Technology project or research performed by a student or a group of students from a Secondary School or Junior College.

Cluster Category : Education and Training
Product Definition :
Any application software, hardware or its combination that promotes a program or programs to develop, support and administer the training, general knowledge, academic, technical, vocational skills and cultural attainments of individuals.

These programs are used for schools, preschool activities and childcare centers, colleges, universities, schools for the mentally retarded or physically handicapped, educational radio and television stations, libraries, enterprise or museums.

Cluster Category : Research and Development
Product Definition :
Any Information and Communication Technology research and development done to discover and invent new knowledge, products, processes, and services or to create new and improved products, processes, and services required by market needs.

Any Information and Communication Technology product or creation that has been completed fully but not yet actively marketed or it is already actively marketed but still no customer or installation at the customer site yet provided its marketing effort is still less than one year since its product completion.

IPR of the Research and Development product must be owned by the company who nominates the product entry.

Specific Category : Start-up Company
Nomination Description
Start-up Company is an Information and Communication Technology company who develop an innovative and potential superior ICT Product but the company itself is still considered at the early stage of inception. The Start-up Company must meet the following criteria,

-The company must be a company registered under company eligibility for nomination rule
-Company registration must not more than 3 years from the date of APICTA competition
-Founder of the company and or the product developers must still be the major share holder of the company
-The company must not be a subsidiary of a well-established parent company.
-The company has not received substantial funding from VC or other investor other than their own funding

Cluster Category : Financial Industry Applications
Product Definition :
Any application software, hardware or its combination to support and enable process of transferring and managing capital or funds or monetary related entities within or across the enterprise in a various related industry such as banking, insurance, stock exchange, and multi finance.

Cluster Category : Industrial Applications
Product Definition :
Any application of software, hardware or its combination required by engineering automation to increase its process performance of creating products and services, improve efficiency and productivity e.g. Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing (CAD/CAM), optimization devices and system, process effectiveness monitoring tools, data acquisition software, SCADA, process and discrete manufacturing, oil and gas etc.

Cluster Category : e-Logistics
Product Definition :
Any application software, hardware or its combination to support and enable the process of planning, implementing, and controlling the efficient, effective flow and storage of goods, services, and related information from the point of origin to the point of consumption in order to meet customers’ requirements.

Cluster Category : Media and Entertainment
Product Definition :
Any application software, hardware or its combination that
• relates to the process of combining text, sound, pictures, and/or videos, to create a diversion that holds the attention (entertainment), in the form of Multimedia, Infotainment, Immersive and interactive. Included in this category is the application as afore mentioned through internet medium and mobile devices delivery; or,
• provides management and technical support to the news and entertainment industry such as Television Broadcasting, Radio Broadcasting, Cinema, Live Entertainment, Publishing, Newspaper, Internet News.

Cluster Category : Tourism and Hospitality
Product Definition :
Any application software, hardware or its combination that supports service based industry comprising a number of tangible and intangible component such as transport, foods and beverages, tours, souvenirs and accommodation, health-tourism, culture, adventure or simply escape and relaxation.

In addition, P@SHA started three local awards last year:

Cluster Category: Best ICT Employer

Cluster Category: Best ICT Brand Development

Cluster Category: Best ICT Growth

The winners of the P@SHA ICT Awards compete with the Best of breed solutions in the region. It is a great opportunity to benchmark your product against others in your space, and also to network with other technology companies in the region. Sometimes we win, sometimes we don’t but the competition highlights the kind of cutting edge products that are being developed in Pakistan and positions us as an IT destination.

Read Jawwad Farid’s experience of participating and benefiting from winning the P@SHA Award and then going on to participate at APICTA. It shows how one can build relationships through these competitions that eventually benefit the company commercially. It is an opportunity that you should not miss if you have developed a product that you feel is cutting edge. The APICTA network itself is a market that opens up to you as does venture capital from the region.

This year Pakistan will have 6 judges at the APICTA Awards 2007. We want at least 15 companies (whose airfare will be covered by P@SHA) to compete at APICTA. Don’t miss this opportunity to profile your product and win an Award for Pakistan.

The student category is also important so if you know of any student projects that deserve recognition, please ask them to nominate their projects for the P@SHA Awards.

For additional information on the Awards feel free to drop Jawwad Farid (jawwad@avicena.com), Yusuf Jan (yjan@mixitusa.com), or me (jehan.ara@gmail.com) a line.

Great tips from Jawwad on APICTA Do’s & Dont’s – lessons learnt. Nomination forms and other details can be downloaded here.