AppsAfrica Innovation Awards 2019

The fifth AppsAfrica Innovation Awards, celebrate the best in mobile and tech from across Africa, showcasing the continents best innovations in 14 categories. The awards are open to corporates, established ventures or start-ups who have launched services in at least one African market.

The Awards continue to be a leading barometer of innovation from across the continent and provide winners with industry recognition, global publicity, and networking with 300+ industry peers at the Awards party in Cape Town on November 11th on the eve of AfricaCom. Winners are also invited to the 3rd Africa Tech Summit Kigali 2020 to join tech leaders, corporates, startups, and investors.

Key dates:
Applications – Open April – September 11th 2019
Shortlist announced – October 8th
Winners announced – November 11th in Cape Town

ELIGIBILITY

To enter the awards applicants should meet the following criteria:

• Applicants can be start-ups or incorporated companies
• Applications will be accepted from companies who have launched a product or service in at least one African market.
• If the service has not been launched at the time of judging it will be omitted.
• The product or service must address specific African needs as detailed within the specific category
• The applicant’s innovation can be any product or service utilising any technology
• Applicants must have launched the entry in at least one African market to date
• Applications must be specific and relevant to the category entered
• The applications are judged by an independent panel of judges whos decisions are final

Applications are welcome from mobile or technology ventures with services launched in at least one African market for the following award categories:

Disruptive Innovation Award
Business models are being disrupted across the continent using technology and innovation. This award seeks to recognise the disruptive innovations and new business models that are changing Africa. Entries open across all sectors.

Health Tech Award
This award celebrates the use of technology to improve health services in Africa. Entries may include a new service, device, software, hardware or use of apps, SMS, IVR or social media.

Best African App Award
This award recognises the best applications successfully launched on any platform to target African consumers or businesses. Entries are welcome across all sectors and platforms.

Enterprise Solution Award
This award celebrates enterprise services across Africa. Entries welcome from innovative ventures and mobile services streamlining, improving and helping business across Africa.

Blockchain Awards AfricaBlockchain Award
Few technologies have received as much attention in Africa as blockchain over the past year. This award will recognise initiatives that are utilising blockchain technology to increase the speed, efficiency, accuracy, transparency or cost-effectiveness of any sector in Africa.

Media & Entertainment Award
Mobile media, news and entertainment is now a burgeoning industry across Africa. This award seeks to recognise the best news and entertainment innovations. Examples include music, literary, gaming, children’s entertainment, lifestyle and video.

Educational Award
Delivering education has many challenges in Africa. This award recognises services which are striving to improve education by utilising mobile or other technologies.

Fintech Award
This award recognises the best fintech innovation including digital currency, bitcoin, mobile money, wallets, P2P, money remittances & transfers, point of sale or funding platforms.

Agritech Award
This award recognises the best tech innovations driving agriculture across the continent. This includes but is not limited to hardware, software, drones, big data, IoT services, mobile services or any technology supporting farmers, improving yields or supply chains in Africa.

Social Impact Award
This award recognises an inspiring use of technology that has a positive social impact for an African community while contributing to economic and social development.

IoT Award
This award recognises the most innovative internet of things (IoT) applications, devices, products or services from brands, companies, agencies or platforms that have excelled in utilising IoT across Africa in any sector.

mCommerce Award
This award is dedicated to celebrating the new wave of mobile commerce initiatives across Africa. Entrants might include online platforms, retail brands, portals, apps, classifieds, comparison sites and many more driving mCommerce across Africa.

Changing Africa Award
This award seeks to recognise the leading companies driving game-changing initiatives across Africa for the masses. Entrants might include MNO’s, leading tech platforms, hardware providers, banks, connectivity providers, OEM’s or any tech company driving progress across multiple African countries in any sector.

Mobility Award
This award seeks to recognise the leading ventures using technology such as hardware, software, robotics, drones or innovative mobile services that improve mobility, logistics or supply chains in an African market.