Nominations and applications are invited for the 8th edition in the following categories:

Public Service and Good Governance

Citizen Service | Responsiveness | Social Welfare | Public Engagement | Grievance Redress| Transparency | Accountability

Improved and effective delivery and access of critical public information, citizen services, government schemes and entitlements are hallmarks of good governance and practices by public and social welfare agencies and related organisations, including run and managed by the government/s of the day. Such acts of good governance will have robust processes in feedback, grievance redress, two way communications and engagements between the public agencies and citizens, inclusion, transparency and accountability of services delivery and access and based on continuous innovations and improvisations.

  1. Initiatives by public services delivery agencies and departments that engage meaningfully and actively the citizen and public through the usage of social media platforms in public / citizen services and entitlements related information, updates, communications and feedback processes in localised, inclusive ways.
  2. Initiatives by these agencies using social media to solicit views, opinions, ideas, complaints, in relation to addressing issues, concerns in services delivery and access and encourages wider public / citizen participation through the agencies’ social media handles and profiles and sharing updates and actions taken.
  3. Initiatives through social media that engage all groups of citizens and communities, wider public and agencies together on critical issues of good governance practices and processes through social media based survey, campaigns, and mobilisation on issues of improved and effective public services delivery and access.

Rights, Advocacy and Community Mobilisation

Citizen rights |Justice| Liberty | Freedom| Empowerment

Enabling and strengthening access to Constitutional rights, its usage and practice as provided under other statutes, laws and provisions are signs of inclusive and welfare society and government. There have been issues and challenges in exercising such basic guaranteed rights due to ignorance, lack of awareness, apathy, difficult laws and regulations that makes enjoying these rights very challenging, especially for many groups and communities living on the social and economic edge.  This calls for and necessitates timely community engagement, mobilisation, citizen participation in advocating for easy and fear-free access to these rights and provisions and even to advocate for certain new rights that are fundamental to human life, liberty, justice and equality. Advocacy that mobilises citizens around these aspects as well as the public authorities in arriving at a broader consensus, understanding and action based measures are seen as vital signs of a vibrant democratic society and country.

  1. Initiatives by civil society, educational and other forms of organisations that uses social media to advocate positively to bring desired changes in exercising and safeguarding rights (around social, economic, cultural and institutional access) (example, advocating for improving online safety and security, right to health, right to public information and others).
  2. Efforts by a group or community that effectively uses social media platforms for social and developmental purposes for transparent and accountable processes and mechanisms in governance.
  3. Efforts by public / government agencies that advocate to enable positive social, behavioural changes in communities using social media around drug abuse, health and hygiene related, preventive health practices, girls education and others.

Education, Health, and Well being

Information | Education| Learning | Knowledge | Skills | Counselling | Wellness | Lifestyle

Social media platforms, tools have become empowering instruments to inform, educate, counsel, share, disseminate, engage, network on critical issues, opportunities, solutions, innovations, practices around education, health, and other aspects of social and economic inclusion. With increasing network, digital access, last mile connectivity and access, these educational and health outreach has provided an unparalleled access, though challenges have equally arrived in what is right, wrong, correct, false, true information and resources through such social media platforms.

  1. Educational initiatives in information, communication, sharing of content, resources and solutions, engaging learners and educators in advancing educational, counseling activities in educational problem solving.
  2.  Health information, communication and engagements through social media tools and platforms on both preventive, curative health related issues, reaching out to the last mile, with inclusive and localised ways.

Disaster & Crisis Management

Emergency Relief | Crisis Management | Troubleshooting| Response| Recovery| Rehabilitation

Managing a natural, health, epidemic situations like Covid, and any such social and economic crisis and disaster like situations have always been a stupendous challenge due to the need to respond faster, reach out to the affected groups and communities with critical information and communication in no time, provide continuous helpline and response systems and networks and reaching out with aid and assistance, towards displacement management and rehabilitation. Social media platforms, networks and reach have emerged as alternative response mechanisms in such disaster & crisis management encompassing rescue, readiness, mitigation, and resilience actions taken by authorities, volunteer groups, or other local departments.

  1. Initiatives harnessing social media to augment crisis management capabilities, reach, delivery and action oriented measures.
  2. Application of social media across Crisis Management Phases i.e Information dissemination, Disaster planning and training, and Collaborative problem solving and decision making.

Citizen and Community Media

Reporting| Informing | Sharing| Connecting| Voice for the Voiceless

Traditional media had a challenge in reaching out with news, stories and events that connected with people and communities due to lack of reach, illiteracy, affordability, and network. Satellite technology and communications paved the way for electronic media to fill these gaps with wider reach, choices, coverage and impacts. The current challenges are mainstream print and electronic media have become more professional and commercialised due to changing social, economic and political contexts. Therefore, stories, news, and updates on critical matters do not find space that concerns various issues for the citizens and communities. Social media has provided an unprecedented space in the form of citizens and community media in the hands of responsible individuals, communities, groups and organisations to fill these gaps in a more inclusive, decentralised, localised manner in local content delivery.

  1. Initiatives in responsible use of social media as a tool of citizen and community media by individuals, organisations, agencies to provide real, factual news, updates, stories that matter and impact wider groups and communities.
  2. Initiatives in using social media platforms to broadcast news, real-time stories, and photos to  people who are voiceless and do not have access to conventional media, reaching out to them overcoming the evils of fake news and misinformation.

Social Inclusion

Diversity | Gender | Empowerment | Rights | Justice

Social inclusion attempts to enable underprivileged and disadvantaged people, groups and communities to participate in mainstream processes, spaces and platforms and benefit from expanding opportunities. It guarantees that individuals have a voice in participation, decisions, mainstream networking, engagements that have an impact on their lives as well as equal access to services, opportunities, and political, social, and physical environments. And there has been constant efforts to have socially inclusive processes and provisions for people with disability, women, girls, tribal, minorities, transgenders, LGBTIQ and other such excluded groups.

  1. Social media initiatives by individuals, organisations  that incorporate and are vocal about issues, rights, opportunities for women,  LGBTIQ+, differently-abled, and religious, caste, race, and ethnicity inclusion.
  2. Initiatives that enable the social, economic, and political inclusion of everyone, regardless of age, sex, handicap, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, or economic or other position, and facilitate the integration of the global information society.

Culture, Heritage & Travel

Customs | Civilization | Value | Traditions | Tourism

Natural, cultural and heritage preservation are signs of a vibrant society, its richness and strong roots and wisdom. This also encourages sustainable travel, tourism and supports local businesses, culture, and products, to plainly and informatively showcase priceless cultural items. Social media has opened unparalleled opportunities to preserve, promote, share, educate and inform about such cultures, history, traditions, knowledge, wisdom and share and promote tourism and travel hotspots.

  1. Public and private initiatives that use social media to preserve, promote local cultures, traditions, heritage, and natural richness.
  2. Initiatives that integrate social media platforms and products and bundle such richness with tourism and travel promotion and experiences thereby bringing up support for local economy, businesses, importance and national and global recognition.

Business, Commerce, and Enterprise

Marketing | Transactions | Demand Generation

Business, commerce and enterprise development has received a big boost with the advent of Social Media platforms, solutions, and tools. Individual entrepreneurs, nano-micro-small enterprises now have a vibrant opportunity for direct marketing, targeted marketing and promotion at local, national and international levels to look for markets at individual as well as networking levels. The existing and prevailing modes of marketing and promotion and its exorbitant costs and budget has restricted these categories of enterprises to limit outreach, market linkages and promotion. But with the social media power in one’s own hand and with advanced skills and marginal investments, such enterprises at community, and beyond have found great support to enhance business, enterprise, revenue and sustainability.

  1. Initiatives by individual, Nano-micro-small, women run enterprises and others using social media platforms and solutions have advanced their enterprise ventures, demand and market base, and economic sustainability in business.
  2. Enterprise initiatives using social media have been educating, entertaining and engaging with customers online; increasing enterprise reach, enhancing branding and building trust and helping create transparent relationships with buyers and resellers, enhancing better user experience for current customers while attracting new customers’ trust and loyalty.