AfricaCom Awards 2012 Entries

AfricaCom Awards 2012– entries are open for the 5th annual AfricaCom Awards that acknowledge and recognize leaders and innovators from the African Digi-sphere.  Several new categories have been added to this popular and influential industry awards event.

Entries close 7th September 2012. 

For more information on how to enter or any other aspect, please check out our website: http://www.africacomawards.com/

The 2012 AfricaCom Categories reflect the changing digital landscape in Africa.

• Best Network Improvement – an eye-catching, successful initiative that has significantly improved a network in Africa, since the end of November 2011.
• Most Innovative Service –  a popular new offering which, from conception to execution, has been an innovation. It could be for the consumer or the enterprise markets, and could be messaging, m-commerce, video, etc. It will be in an African market, and should have offered significant new prospects for revenue & delighting customers since November 2011.
• Best Quality User Experience – Customers in Africa are increasingly demanding cool and engaging products, and this category recognises offerings from all sectors – service providers, device manufacturers, broadcasters, app developers, etc. So this award recognises a successful initiative in Africa that’s offered a superior quality of user experience in the past year.
• Best Cost Efficiency Initiative for Africa – an outstanding new initiative from a telecoms or ICT solution provider, or from an operator/ service provider (mobile, wireless, fixed or ISP), which has enabled greater cost-efficiency in the provision of telecoms, media and ICT services in Africa since November 2011.
• Rural Telecoms Award – an exceptional vendor solution, or operator/service provider initiative or service, which has extended and/or improved telecommunications services in rural and under-served Africa since November 2011.
• Best Backhaul Solution for Africa – recognises a fibre, satellite, or wireless solutions provider that has significantly improved backhaul capacity, with measurable improvements in quality and reliability of service, in Africa since November 2011.
• Best Marketing Campaign – for an inspiring and effective marketing campaign (can include new brand launch), advertising campaign, or innovative distribution strategy, launched by an operator/ service provider in Africa since November 2011.
• Best Smart-Device for Africa – for the innovation and creativity taking place in the African device market since November 2011. Smart-phones, net-books, and other smart devices strive to cater to the continent’s particular challenges and opportunities at the right price – which has succeeded?
• Best Pan African Initiative – for an initiative taken by an organisation or a group of organisations to improve telecommunications services at a regional or continental level across Africa since November 2011.
• The 2012 Mobile Data and Social Media Award – Mobile data, apps and online communities are the next growth areas in Africa’s mobile industry, so this award recognises innovation and creativity in the world of mobile data and social media – whether it is a new app, a social networking platform, popular content/media or successful data services – this category highlights the latest and leading initiatives from digital Africa.
• Industry Personality of the Year *Free to enter – This illustrious award is in honour of the most upstanding and inspiring figures working in Africa’s telecoms, ICT and media industries – the winner will be nominated and voted for by their peers.
• Changing Lives Award – This special award recognises an inspiring initiative that has significantly impacted African telecommunications in the community and contributed to economic and social development since November 2011.

AfricApps Awards – To celebrate the launch of AfricApps at AfricaCom this year, we will celebrate the winning entrants of the following App-focused awards:

•  Best Smart-Phone App in Africa *Free to enter

This will be recognising the next African ‘Angry Birds’, the interactive smart-phone application which is showing the most innovation in engaging the content hungry consumer.

•   Best Feature-Phone App in Africa *Free to enter

This category recognises innovation in feature phone native applications. These are the apps that are dominating the African market and providing entertainment, education or enterprise opportunities to the                consumer

Orange African Social Venture Prize

As the first edition was a great success, Orange is proud to launch the second edition of the Orange African Social Venture Prize.
The project aims at promoting social innovation for development, thanks to information and communication technologies, through financial and management support to new businesses. 

Rewarding ventures using technology for development purposes
The African Social Venture Prize will reward for the second time three projects or enterprises addressing needs of the ‘bottom of pyramid’ market in Africa through technology. The digital projects range from e-health and mobile banking to digital and mobile applications for education or agriculture. They therefore represent huge opportunities for social development.

The Etisalat Nigeria Prize for Innovation seeks to promote the use of mobile broadband in Africa.

Broadband is primarily mobile in the African continent and critical to its economic development. A rise of ten mobile phones per 100 people boosts GDP growth by 0.6%, which results in improved market information flow assisting small to medium sized businesses attract customers, and ultimately improving social links.

The prize will reward the most innovative existing mobile telecommunications product or service that provides a significant utility to African mobile users. The product or service would have been launched in the last 12 months, seen impressive uptake from customers and made a visible commercial or social impact on the community.