The jury process for eGovernment Excellence Award 2010 recently concluded. The Award is organized by the eGovernment Authority under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Information and Communication Technology, were more than 100 qualified participations were assessed in the various sections.

The jury process lasted for 5 days from 4th to 8th May 2010 where the 8 local and international specialized jury members held their meetings at the eGovernment Authority (EGA) premises to complete their assessment. The jury was selected based on their experience in the ICT field.

On this occasion the under the patronage of His Excellency Shaikh Ahmed bin Atteyatallah Al Khalifa, Minister for Cabinet Affairs, Minister Responsible of Telecommunications the eGovernment Authority held a ceremony for the jury members and the organizing committee for the eGovernment Excellence Award 2010.

His Excellency Shaikh Ahmed bin Attayatallah Al Khalifa hailed the efforts of the Jury and their level of professionalism and transparency.

H.E. stated that: “the eGovernment Excellence Award was able in a relatively short time to attract innovation and encourage fair competition to provide the best digital projects. The Award played a key role in enhancing Bahraini IT products and qualified them to win regional and Arab Awards.

H.E. Shaikh Ahmed bin Atteyatallah Al Khalifa also stated that “The aim of the Award is to encourage innovation in the field of ICT in Bahrain and spread the awareness of the digital culture among members of the society and public and private institutions”

The head of the Jury Committee Dr. Julia Glidden from the UK praised this year’s Award and confirmed that compared to last year, the Award witnessed increased participation and she said: “The quality of applications was very strong, often making it extremely hard for the us as a jury to select a winner”.

For his part, Dr. Tariq Al Sindi member of the jury and Director of Higher Education Review Unit at the Education and Training Quality Assurance Authority said that “Applications were innovative and distinct. We have felt the spirit of fair competition which confirmed the maturity and awareness in Bahrain society in the field of ICT” He confirmed that the ICT infrastructure in the Kingdom of Bahrain is the main drive behind this level of participation and the potentials the Kingdom provides in the field of enhancing electronic performance.

Member of the Jury Dr. Adel Al Alawi, Vice President at the ISACA (Bahrain) said “all the criteria for the Award were very high and works were assessed by a strong jury of experts in the field which gave a sense of trust and credibility to the assessment and selection process”

Mr. Mazen Hadad, member of the jury and member of the Bahrain Internet Society said “I impressed by a number of applications, especially in the Individuals category, as we were able to know the ideas and of the public and their support to develop the egovernment program”.

It is worth mentioning that the Award this year included three sections: Ministries and government entities and it includes 6 categories (Best e-Content, Best e-Service, e-development Award, Best e-project, e-economy Award and e-learning award). The private sector section contains 3 categories (Best provider of technology solutions, e-economics Award and e-learning Award). The section dedicated for individuals contains 2 categories (e-Citizen Award, Best e Proposal). The e-learning Award is included for the first time in the sections of ministries and private sector.

It is worth mentioning that winners of the Award shall be announced during the opening ceremony of the Bahrain International eGovernment Forum 2010 on 17th May. H.H. Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa shall honor the winners.

For more information please visit the official website of the eGovernment Excellence Award: www.egovawards.bh