ITU marks 150th Anniversary with Awards for ICT Innovation

Houlin Zhao, secretary-general, ITU, has launched the ITU150 Awards that will be presented at the commemorative event in Geneva on 17 May 2015, World Telecommunication and Information Society Day.

“ITU’s 150th anniversary provides an excellent opportunity for ITU membership to celebrate the innovations that have led to the evolution of today’s telecommunications/ICT ecosystem, one of the greatest engineering feats ever, as well as to look to future developments. On this occasion, the ITU150 Awards will honour individuals from Government, ICT industry, Academia and Civil Society who have contributed to improving the lives of people around the world through ICT innovations developed, promoted or implemented by ITU,” said Zhao.

The deadline for nominations is 15 March and the results will be communicated to the laureates on 1 April. Additional information on the criteria and the nomination process for the ITU150 Awards is available at www.itu.int/en/150/Pages/awards.aspx.

Nominations may be submitted only by ITU membership.

World Telecommunication and Information Society Day marks the establishment of ITU on 17 May 1865 with the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention in Paris. A full day of events is planned this year on 17 May in Geneva, including the Awards Ceremony and a multimedia smart show.

ITU Members will also be celebrating this special 150th anniversary across the globe. Throughout 2015, ITU will organize several events highlighting ICTs as the drivers of innovation and sustainable development both at ITU headquarters in Geneva and around the world.