The 9th edition of the Indrive ICT Award 2024, organized by Living with ICT and supported by Ncell Foundation, in association with NepalPay QR, Genese, and Zoom, has successfully concluded. Awards were distributed across 15 categories, and outstanding startups from all seven provinces were recognized with the Startup Recognition Award.

The grand event, attended by over 1,000 dignitaries, was held at the Hyatt Regency Kathmandu. Minister for Communications and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung, the chief guest, inaugurated the event by lighting a ceremonial lamp using digital technology.

The awards were presented by notable figures, including Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung, the Chief Minister of Karnali Province, and the Vice-Chair of the National Planning Commission, Prof. Dr. Shivaraj Adhikari.

This year's Pioneer ICT Award was conferred on Prof. Dr. Suresh Raj Sharma, founder of Kathmandu University. The Ncell Women Icon ICT Award went to Bandana Sharma, Head of Digital Banking and Card Division at Nepal Bank. Similarly, the Professional Excellence ICT Award was awarded to Dr. Bishesh Khanal, founder of NAMICA, while the Entrepreneur ICT Award was presented to Manohar Adhikari, founder of Foodmandu. The Nepali Diaspora ICT Award was won by Nami Baral, co-founder of Neural Company.

The Indrive Startup ICT Award was secured by Crimson Tech, while the Asia Foundation Social Innovation ICT Award 2024 was awarded to GeoKrishi. The Product ICT Award was won by API Management System, and the Rising Star Innovation ICT Award was bagged by SpeakUp Nepal. Additionally, the Hamro Pay Public Choice ICT Award was won by Zapp Services, receiving the highest votes. The South Asia Startup ICT Award 2024, which targeted startups across South Asia, was won by Hyphen SCS from India. Other startups from different countries in the Top 5 were also recognized.

In the institutional categories, the Digital Governance Award was won by the Supreme Court, while the Digital Services Award was secured by IME Pay. The Digital Education ICT Award was awarded to Sukuna Secondary School, Morang (Public Sector) and LRI School, Kalanki (Private Sector).

Outstanding startups from all seven provinces were honored with the Province Startup ICT Recognition 2024. From Koshi Province, Delta Tech Pvt. Ltd. was recognized, while Tejas Tech Pvt. Ltd. represented Madhesh Province. Similarly, Aviyantrik Karmashala Pvt. Ltd. from Bagmati Province, Akash Digital Pvt. Ltd. from Gandaki Province, Ninja Infosys Pvt. Ltd. from Lumbini Province, Business Online Services Pvt. Ltd. from Karnali Province, and Far West Infotech & Research Center from Sudurpaschim Province received accolades for their outstanding contributions.

The awards ceremony featured musical performances by singer Mahesh Kafle and singer Asmita Adhikari, adding a special touch to the event. Addressing the event, Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung acknowledged the government’s shortcomings in the development of information technology. “We declare an IT decade but fail to allocate sufficient budgets for its implementation. Nepal still lacks an IT park. The state must focus on infrastructure development and policy reforms to create a conducive environment for the private sector,” he said.

Karnali Province’s Chief Minister Yam Lal Kandel expressed that the ICT Award sends a positive message about development and progress during a time of public discontent and frustration.

In his welcome remarks, Razan Lamsal, Chairperson of the ICT Award, highlighted that this program has been working towards the development and promotion of the digital ecosystem since 2016, not only in Nepal but internationally. He emphasized the need for the government to undertake policy reforms and extend further support.

Chair of the Education, Health, and ICT Committee of the House of Representatives, Ambar Bahadur Thapa, noted that technology has connected the world, but Nepal is still lagging in IT development. National Planning Commission Vice-Chair Prof. Dr. Shivaraj Adhikari lauded the ICT Award for identifying and spotlighting talent from across the country and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to prioritizing IT and startups.

The ICT Award has been held annually since 2016 and is regarded as Nepal’s largest and most prestigious award in the field of information and communication technology. It is also an official partner of international awards like the WSA Awards and Aurora Tech Awards.This year, over 800 online nominations were received across 14 categories. A panel of 14 national and three international experts conducted over 25 meetings to complete the selection process.

As part of the pre-event activities, startup meetups were held in all seven provinces, along with a two-day Startup and Idea Fest, boot camps, mentoring sessions, industry visits, field visits, speed dating, and presentations. The grand finale was broadcast live on Kantipur TV HD, Hamro Patro, the ICT Award Facebook page, and the YouTube channel.

The event was supported by Indrive, Ncell Foundation, NepalPay QR, Genese, and Zoom, with additional collaboration from the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Department of Information Technology, and the Nepal Telecommunications Authority. Partners included The Asia Foundation (Innovation Partner), Smart-en Technology (Powered By Partner), and Fortinet (Security Partner).

Winners of Indrive ICT Award 2024

1.    Indrive Startup ICT Award: Crimson Tech
2.    Product ICT Award: API Management System (APIMS)
3.    Rising Star ICT Award: SpeakUp Nepal
4.    Asia Foundation Social Innovation ICT Award: GeoKrishi
5.    Hamro Pay Public Choice ICT Award: Zapp Services
6.    Digital Education ICT Award (Private Sector): LRI School, Kathmandu
7.    Digital Education ICT Award (Public Sector): Sukuna Secondary School, Morang
8.    Ncell Women Icon ICT Award: Bandana Sharma
9.    Pioneer ICT Award: Prof. Dr. Suresh Raj Sharma
10.    Entrepreneur ICT Award: Manohar Adhikari
11.    Nepali Diaspora ICT Award: Nami Baral
12.    Professional Excellence ICT Award: Dr Bishesh Khanal
13.    Digital Services ICT Award: IME Pay
14.    Digital Governance ICT Award: Supreme Court
15.    South Asia Startup ICT Award: Hyphen SCS (India)
16.    Province-Level Startup ICT Recognitions: (From Koshi to Sudurpaschim)
•    Delta Tech Pvt. Ltd.
•    Tejas Tech Pvt. Ltd.
•    Aviyantrik Karmashala Pvt. Ltd.
•    Akash Digital Pvt. Ltd.
•    Ninja Infosys Pvt. Ltd.
•    Business Online Services Pvt. Ltd.
•    Far West Infotech & Research Center.