inDrive ICT Award 2025: Grand Finale of Nepal’s Biggest Tech Festival

The grand finale of the “inDrive ICT Award 2025” will be held on Friday, with awards presented in 17 categories.

The grand finale of the tenth edition of the ICT Award will take place on Friday in Kathmandu and will be the year's most significant technology festival.

The grand finale of the tenth edition of the ICT Award, which is a prestigious accolade in the information and communication technology sector, will take place on Friday, Poush 04, 2082.

The “inDrive ICT Award 2025, in association with NepalPay QR, TingTing powered by Sasto Tickets, MIT, and KMC,” will be held at The Plaza in Pulchowk, where awards will be presented in 17 different categories.

Organized by Living with ICT since 2016, the ICT Award program has reached its grand finale after completing the selection process and various pre-events over the past six months.

To honor outstanding institutions, enterprises, innovators, and individuals in the information and technology sector, awards will be presented in 17 categories: 16 national categories within Nepal and one international category.

Similarly, outstanding startups from all seven provinces will also be honored through the Province Startup ICT Recognition 2025.

Targeting South Asian countries, the South Asia Startup ICT Award will be presented to the best startup among the SAARC nations.

The grand finale of the ICT Award 2025, a special technology-sector celebration jointly organized by Living with ICT and the ICT Foundation Nepal, will feature more than 1,000 distinguished guests from Nepal and abroad.

For the selection of the tenth edition of the ICT Award, a jury committee consisting of 14 national experts and 4 international experts, along with a 15-member advisory committee, was formed.

According to the organizing committee, more than 750 applications were received through open online nominations this year across 15 categories and recognitions.

Under Category A, the award categories include Startup, Product, Rising Star Innovation, and Social Innovation.

The individual award categories include Professional Excellence, Entrepreneur, Nepali Diaspora, Pioneer, and the Ncell Woman Icon ICT Award.

The institutional and corporate award categories include Digital Education (Public Sector), Digital Education (Private Sector), Digital Governance, Digital Services ICT Award (Enterprise Sector), and Digital Services ICT Award (Neo Sector).

Under Category D, the South Asia Startup ICT Award is included.

In addition, among the semifinalists in Category A, the startup, innovation, or product receiving the most public votes will be awarded the Public Choice ICT Award.

Before the grand finale, various activities were held in Kathmandu, including a two-day Startup and Idea Fest, grand jury and speed-dating sessions, training programs, mentoring sessions, television programs, public voting, and field visits.

Razan Lamsal, the convener of the award, stated that every possible effort has been made to ensure that the selection process is transparent, fair, and of the highest standard. He emphasized that the ICT Award is not merely an awards program but a catalyst for digital transformation and the growth of the digital ecosystem.

The annual award program has consistently encouraged and promoted individuals and organizations working in or aspiring to work in the information technology sector.

Additionally, startups, products, and innovations participating in the competition are offered opportunities for further investment and market expansion.

Award winners will receive a trophy and formal recognition.

To ensure the success of the grand finale on Friday, inDrive is the title sponsor, while NepalPay QR and the AI communication platform TingTing are associated partners.

Nepal’s No. 1 travel agency, Sasto Tickets, along with Model Institute of Technology and Kathmandu Model College, are the main collaborators.

Furthermore, the event is supported and partnered by nationally and internationally renowned institutions, including the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Department of Information Technology, the Industrial Enterprise Development Institute, Nepal Telecommunications Authority, HamroPay, Nabil Bank, ReSecurity, Aadim College, FuseMachines, NAS IT, and others.

The program will be broadcast live by Himalayan Television and other media outlets, featuring special performances by various artists.

To participate in the awards, more than a dozen startups and members of the Nepali diaspora from various countries will arrive in Nepal.

Interested individuals can purchase tickets for the ICT Award 2025 on the official website, www.ictaward.org.

According to the organizers, this is likely to be the largest and most grand technology-sector event ever held in Nepal.