The sixth annual Best m-Government Service Award of the World Government Summit (WGS 2019) has received a record 4,646 entries from 87 countries.

The submissions included apps that seek to address a host of pressing issues facing governments with the aim of improving the lives of global citizens in the future. Furthermore, the GovTech initiative will see the UAE host the $100,000 GovHack Series – and the final at that – for the first time, with the winning start-up innovation announced on the last day at the summit.

Organized annually in line with the smart government vision of High Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the GovTech Prize seeks to motivate government entities, startups and students around the world to pioneer technological solutions to common global challenges.

A part of the upcoming seventh edition of the World Government Summit (WGS 2019), set to run at Madinat Jumeirah from February 10 to 12, the overarching GovTech Prize initiative will host the Best m-Government Service Award and the big prize money GovHack Series final.

The Best m-Government Service Award aims to encourage government institutions to provide innovative solutions through smartphone apps. Submissions fall into seven categories, each seeking to address a specific digital challenge faced by governments. The categories include: Data-driven Apps, Harnessing Smart Technology, Public Empowerment, Gamification, Innovative Service, Public Private Partnership and Accessible Government. This year’s categories have been developed in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In its sixth edition, this year’s Best m-Government Service Award has attracted a record number of submissions – 4,646 from 87 countries. The smartphone apps entered for consideration include a range of creative technological solutions to leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), accountability-building platforms that empower citizens to combat corruption, and performance management programs that standardize municipal reporting and service tracking. Altogether, the submissions demonstrate how investments in emerging technologies enables governments to provide better, smarter, and more integrated services that improve citizens’ lives.

Mohammad Bin Taliah, assistant director general for Government Services Sector at the Prime Minister’s Office in the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs and the Future, said: “Harnessing technological innovation is essential to develop better methods of tackling the challenges that will arise in our shared future. Every year, the GovTech Prize recognizes the best smart government initiatives as part of the UAE’s global mission to contribute to positive and inclusive change in our world through supporting innovation.”

$100,000 GovHack Prize Money

This year is also a groundbreaking year for the GovHack Series: it will mark the first time the event has been hosted in the UAE. Running from July 2018 through January 2019, the GovHack Series is a worldwide event hosted across five cities, where start-up participants solve issues that face governments worldwide with innovative start-up ideas. The various fields they seek to address include: governance and resilience, economy and society, environment and health, and future and progress. Participating teams must come up with innovative solutions to help governments better serve their citizens.

At each stop of the event, a winner for each category is announced and receives a $10,000 cash prize and a qualifying spot for the final, which is being hosted at WGS this year.

The winning teams from each leg of the competition then convene at WGS, where their winning innovations will be incubated at Dubai’s Area 2071. A grand winner will be announced at the event and receive a $100,000 prize.

The unique international competition covers Washington DC, Berlin, London, Santiago, New Delhi, with the aim being that the innovation produced in each city should be implementable within the host city.

With the aim of identifying the most impactful technological solutions developed by top-tier local technology startups that can help governments better serve their citizens as they prepare for the future, the GovHack Series brings together technology pioneers and government officials to promote creative collaboration, dynamic thinking, and technological advancement.

The hackathon attracts some of the best talent in the world – including established programmers, software developers, tech entrepreneurs, and university students – to solve the most critical problems of today. It puts top tech thinkers at the center of the push for future-ready ideas that generate shared public value.

Bin Taliah added: “The practical, real-world, solution-oriented character of each category of the GovTech Prize makes the award stand out for its timely contribution to resolving some of the most pervasive challenges facing humanity. As the pace of globalization and technological progress accelerates, the need to find smart solutions to our shared problems has never been greater. While smart technology is becoming increasingly integrated in the everyday lives of global citizens through mobiles, tablets, laptops, watches, and other gadgets, people in impoverished communities still struggle to satisfy their basic needs and human rights.”

The GovTech Prize seeks to bridge the gap between government decision makers and technology pioneers to encourage critical capability development and leverage new technologies to strengthen our communities. Core to its mission, the Prize rewards collaboration and creative ideas to ensure opportunities for innovation are identified and technology is utilized for the greatest social impact.

The World Government Summit 2019 is set to convene more than 4,000 participants from 140 countries, including heads of state and governments, as well as top-tier representatives of 30 international organizations. – TradeArabia News Service