The Stockholm Challenge 2008 features a six category Award for ICT for Development projects. The Challenge programme 2008 has been targeting ICT for Development projects globally. Great efforts have been put into the search for excellent examples of information and communication technologies that show convincing benefits to people and communities, wide impact and proofs of future sustainability.

The jury of the Stockholm Challenge Award has selected the 2008 finalists in six categories, a total of 145 outstanding ICT projects. They are presented on the Challenge Event site per category. The categories included Culture, Economic Development, Education, Environment, and Health.

All finalist projects were invited to come to Stockholm and participate in Challenge Week, May 19-22 in Kista, north of Stockholm City. The Challenge event included a welcome reception, six parallell workshops according to the categories, a plenary session & discussion, study visits and the celebrations. An extended program and social gatherings brought together the most inspiring ICT entrepreneurs, researchers and students from all over the world to share experiences and knowledge. They all joined some of the six working groups according to the Challenge categories and contributed to outlining the Challenges, Impact and Partnerships in the context of their projects implementation. The result of their work were presented at the plenary session of 21 May by their delegates.

The best projects have won the prestigious Stockholm Challenge trophies. The Awards celebrations took place in the evening on May 22, in the Blue Hall, venue of the Nobel Banquet. During this evening, the winning project in each category was announced and presented with the Challenge Trophy and a check of 5.000 Euros.

"The standard of the projects in the Stockholm Challenge Award this year is better than ever", says project manager Ulla Skidén and adds: "the criteria for participation have been set to a higher level compared to earlier years. Participants needed to more clearly demonstrate social impacts and sustainability with their projects in 2008. This resulted in 145 exceptional projects from more than 50 countries."

This round of the Stockholm Challenge had a special feature, The Stockholm Challenge GKP Awards 2007, which was a parallel event in cooperation with Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP). The awards were open in the Culture, Economic Development, Education and Public Administration categories, specifically requiring multi stakeholder partnerships. Out of hundred entries that made the cut to the jury, four category winners were acknowledged during the GK3 Conference in Kuala Lumpur in December 2007.

IIS is closely associated with the Stockholm Challenge: Yuri Hohlov, Chairman of IIS Board of Directors, was invited to join the very first release of the Award launched in 1997 - the Global Bangemann Challenge and served as Challenge Jury member until 2005. Tatiana Ershova, IIS General Director, superseded him in 2006 and has served already two terms as a Jury member in the Culture and Education categories. Yuri was invited to the Stockholm Challenge 2008 as its senior member to moderate the Public Administartion workshop. Tatiana, as current juror, moderated the Education workshop. Both IIS representatives presented the Stockholm Challenge Trophies and money checks to the winners during the Award Ceremony.

IIS Technical Director Konstantin Ershov also joined the Challenge Week events this year.

For more information about the Stockholm Challenge 2008 please visit http://event.stockholmchallenge.se/