Judging Process
The adjudication will be conducted in three stages. Entrants who pass the eligibility screening will be invited to the Assessment. Shortlisted entries will then proceed to the Category Judging. The Judging Panel, composed of professionals from the fields of information technology, social services, and education, will select the Gold, Silver, Bronze awards and Certificate of Merit based on the following criteria:
- Innovation and Creativity in ICT
- Functionality
- Market Potential/ Performance, Internal User Buy-in or Public Acceptance
- Benefits and Impact
- Quality
Winner of the Gold Award in the streams of “Smart Transformation (Solution for Charitable Sector)”, “Smart Ageing” and “Smart Empowerment” will be eligible to compete for the 2025 Hong Kong ICT Awards: Smart People Grand Award. In addition, the Judging Panel will also select the winner for the Best AI Application Award from all shortlisted entries in the Category Judging.
Finally, the winner of Smart People Grand Award will enter the Grand Judging, competing against the Grand Award winners of the other seven award categories of the 2025 Hong Kong ICT Awards for the Award of the Year.
In the course of evaluation, assessors may require access to relevant information in the applicant’s possession and access to the applicant’s premises. The applicant will be notified in advance if such access is required. Any information supplied by the applicant for the purpose of the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2025 will be treated as confidential, and will not be released by the Leading Organiser and related parties without the applicant’s permission.
Judging Criteria
| Award Streams | Innovation and Creativity | Functionality | Market Potential/ Performance | Benefits and Impact | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Smart Transformation (Solution for Charitable Sector) |
25%
|
25% |
20% |
15% |
15% |
|
Smart Empowerment |
25%
|
25%
|
20%
|
15%
|
15%
|
|
Smart Ageing |
25% |
25% |
20% |
15% |
15% |
Best Use of AI
| Innovation and Creativity | Benefits and Impact | User Experience / Buy-in | Ethical Consideration |
|---|---|---|---|
|
30% |
25%
|
25% |
20% |
Detailed Judging Criteria
Innovation and Creativity in ICT (25%)
- Innovation Initiation
- Creativity in terms of modality
- Innovation and creativity in intervention & innovative application for service modification or transformation
- Being new and the first in Hong Kong, the region, or the world
Functionality (15%)
- Satisfying the critical challenges of enhancing security, integration solutions, infrastructure, service user experience, community and partnership connections, data proficiency or digital talent leadership, and ultimately enhancing the quality of life of their targeted clients
- Fulfillment of goals of the project
- Functionality and comprehensiveness of the project
- User-friendliness
Market Potential/ Performance, Internal User Buy-in or Public Acceptance (20%)
- Cost effectiveness (capital/ human resources/ time etc.)
- Return-on-investment (ROI)
- Unique selling proposition / competitiveness
- Market response / adoption by target users
- Potential for replication / further development and sustainability of the project
Benefits and Impact (25%)
- Enabling effective organizational change management
- Enhancing service capacity and quality
- Enabling data collection and analytics for informed decision-making
- Direct and indirect benefits to target users / society
- Transforming the industry in alignment with smart city development
- Proficiency to developing Sector Connectivity
Quality (15%)
- Significant improvements / special achievements over existing efforts
- Attainment in meeting industrial standards or following best practices (i.e. W3C accessibility for Website Projects)
- Other achievements / recognitions (i.e. Awards) gained
Innovation and Creativity in ICT (25%)
- Innovation Initiation
- Creativity in terms of modality
- Innovation and creativity in intervention & innovative application for service modification or transformation
- Being new and the first in Hong Kong, the region, or the world
Functionality (15%)
- Satisfying the critical challenges of enhancing the sustainability of an ageing society
- Fulfillment of goals of the project
- Functionality and comprehensiveness of the project
- User-friendliness
Market Potential/ Performance, Internal User Buy-in or Public Acceptance (20%)
- Cost effectiveness (capital/ human resources/ time etc.)
- Return-on-investment (ROI)
- Unique selling proposition / competitiveness
- Market response / adoption by target users
- Potential for further development and sustainability of the project
Benefits and Impact (25%)
- Satisfying user needs
- Creating significant and positive changes or influence for the benefit of the target users and the community
- Raising public awareness on digital inclusion / caring and inclusive community with use of ICT
- Transforming the industry in alignment with smart city development
- Sustainability of impacts (long-term vs short-term)
Quality (15%)
- Significant improvements / special achievements over existing efforts
- Attainment in meeting industrial standards or following best practices (i.e. W3C accessibility for Website Projects)
- Other achievements / recognitions (i.e. Awards) gained
Innovation and Creativity in ICT (25%)
- Innovation Initiation
- Creativity in terms of modality
- Innovation and creativity in intervention & innovative application for service modification or transformation
- Being new and the first in Hong Kong, the region, or the world
Functionality (15%)
- Satisfying the critical challenges of creating a more caring and inclusive community, including but not limited for the underprivileged
- Fulfillment of goals of the project
- Functionality and comprehensiveness of the project
- User-friendliness
Market Potential/ Performance, Internal User Buy-in or Public Acceptance (20%)
- Cost effectiveness (capital/ human resources/ time etc.)
- Return-on-investment (ROI)
- Unique selling proposition / competitiveness
- Market response / adoption by target users
- Potential for further development and sustainability of the project
Benefits and Impact (25%)
- Satisfying user needs
- Creating significant and positive changes or influence for the deprived group to address pressing social challenges and problems
- Raising public awareness on caring and inclusive community with use of ICT including but not limited for the underprivileged
- Transforming the industry in alignment with smart city development
- Sustainability of impacts (long-term vs short-term)
Quality (15%)
- Significant improvements / special achievements over existing efforts
- Attainment in meeting industrial standards or following best practices (i.e. W3C accessibility for Website Projects)
- Other achievements / recognitions (i.e. Awards) gained
Innovation and Creativity (20%)
- Novelty of approach on addressing a particular problem or challenge
- Use of unconventional algorithms, methodologies, or techniques that go beyond traditional approaches
Benefits and Impact (30%)
- Alignment with the goals and needs of the targeted user group or society at large
- Collaboration and interdisciplinary approach involving collaboration across different disciplines, such as computer science, social work, psychology, or other relevant fields
- Scalability and replicability in different contexts, for examples, different organization or industries
- Sustainability in terms of resource efficiency, long-term viability, collaboration and knowledge sharing into the wider AI community
- Performance of intended function or targeted problem-solving
- Accuracy, precision, and reliability of the AI system in delivering its intended outcomes
- Scalability in handling increasing volumes of data, users, or transactions
User Experience / Buy-in (25%)
- Integrated user experience of smooth and intuitive experience for end-users. Emphasizing the importance of a seamless and user-friendly interface
- Flexibility in adapting different scenarios, datasets, or user requirements in changing conditions or evolving need
Ethical Consideration (25%)
- Ethical and responsible AI practices on its adherence to ethical protocol, guidelines or adoption gateway and responsible AI practices to prioritize privacy, security, fairness, transparency, and accountability in its design, implementation, and usage
- Data governance of data management practices that protect user privacy, ensure data integrity, and comply with relevant legal and regulatory requirements