ICTA hosts ‘e-Swabhimani’ Awards celebrating outstanding digital innovators

Established as one of the most prestigious national events, the e-Swabhimani Gala Awards 2019 organised by the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) was held on 18 October at Shangri-La hotel. It was held with much pageantry to recognise and champion the nation’s digital social innovators.

The colourful event was graced by Minister of Digital Infrastructure and Information Technology Ajith P. Perera, and a distinguished gathering of dignitaries including senior Government officials, industry leaders, digital entrepreneurs and media.

Nominations were accepted across nine categories including Government and Citizen Engagement, Health and Well-Being, Learning and Education, Environment and Green Energy, Culture and Tourism, Smart Settlement and Urbanisation, Business and Commerce, Inclusion and Empowerment and Digital Entertainment. 

Forty-four outstanding digital innovations with social impact were honoured at the awards gala. Be it a simple SMS based solution, or a refined VR tool, these winners presents local value, quality of content and the social impact on the society.

How innovative were this year’s nominees using digital solutions to take action on local issues? How much impact do the projects make? Do they evoke change in the society? Carefully weighing all those options, the Grand Jury which comprised of 17 eminent experts from the industry, academia and government selected the winners. 

e-Swabhimani serves as a stepping stone to the World Summit Awards (WSA), a global initiative implemented within the framework of United Nation’s World Summit on Information Society (WSIS). It contributes to the UN sustainable development goals agenda by recognising local digital content with an impact on society, demonstrating the richness and diversity of innovative applications. As ICTA is the National Expert for WSA in Sri Lanka, the Jury selected from among the winners, 6 nominations for submission to the WSA 2019. 

Today it is a rapidly changing, highly interconnected and digitalised world. Creating positive social, economic and environmental change requires the smart use of digital innovation and interactive, local content. e-Swabhimani makes entrepreneurs believe, that they can make an impact.