Guidelines| SEOUL SMART CITY PRIZE

Guidelines

Read more about the Guidelines on how to apply to the Seoul Smart City Prize here. Download

You can also download the Prize Brochure here. Download

Download the application form for Tech-InnovaCity here. Download

Download the application form for Human-CentriCity here. Download

Download the application form for Leadership here. Download

Theme

Fostering digital transformation through innovative and inclusive approaches for sustainable smart cities

The Seoul Smart City Prize is given in the following three categories

Tech-InnovaCity

Projects that focus on integration of innovative policies and technologies in all sectors of society and domains ranging from mobility, safety, welfare, environment, energy, culture, and governance.

Human-CentriCity

Projects that are designed to prioritize digital inclusion in smart city development, thereby overcoming or mitigating the digital divide, and that aim to serve specific target groups among the citizen population, such as the elderly, youth, and the disabled.

Leadership

Individuals that have demonstrated leadership in developing or promoting the innovative use of technology and data to impact the lives of global citizens.

* In addition to the above categories, Special Mentions can be given to projects selected by the Seoul Prize Organizing Committee based on the theme and criteria of the Prize.

Eligibility

All local governments, smart tech solution providers, and public organizations, individuals, are eligible to apply for the Seoul Smart City Prize.

Please note that individuals are only eligible to apply for the Leadership category. You can find more details about the eligible applicants in Eligibility (pg. 4-5) of the Guidelines.

Tech-InnovaCity Prize & Human-CentriCity Prize

Cities

Local and regional governments that have developed and/or implemented policies that align with one of the Prize categories. * Governments of all levels, including national, can be considered if the project or initiative targets a select number of cities and/or is deemed in line with the Prize objective by the evaluation bodies.
Corporations

For-profit businesses in the private sector ranging from multinational corporation (MNC), small and medium-sized enterprises(SMEs) to start-ups, that have actively engaged and invested in one of the Prize categories.
Institutions

Governmental and non-governmental institutions, associations and alliances, national and subnational public agencies, international organizations, as well as academic institutions, think tanks and universities, non-profit organizations that have designed and carried out projects that match one of the Prize categories.

Leadership Prize

The Leadership Prize is open to individuals who contributed to bringing innovation and/or innovative application of technology and data, excellent use of technology and data that increased the quality of life of city residents, achieved significant impact (concepts, values, agendas, projects, products) on the smart cities industry or urban community, and has demonstrated collaborative effort and leadership to tackle urban problems through innovative approaches.

Nomination of individual candidates for the Leadership Prize can be made upon the candidate’s permission, by submitting the Leadership Application Form to explain how the individual’s achievements align with the Leadership Prize.

Nomination can strictly be made by individuals in any of the following categories:

Individuals who have worked for local governments, corporations, public or non-governmental organizations in the smart cities field over the past 10 years
Mayor or head of city offices and departments within the municipal government
President or CEOs of businesses, industry associations, consortiums, and cooperatives
Head of international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and civil society
Head of universities, academic institutions, and research centers

While self-nomination is also permitted, individual candidates should approach potential nominator(s) in the following categories for a letter of recommendation, which is included in the Leadership Application Form:

Mayor or head of city offices and departments within the municipal government
President or CEOs of businesses, industry associations, consortiums, and cooperatives
Head of international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and civil society
Head of universities, academic institutions, and research centers
Signature from more than 30 citizens can replace the letter of recommendation

Timeline

Registration & Application Process

1. Click Application on the website menu.

2. Choose the correct entity type (City, Company, Institution, Individual) among the categories you plan to apply (Tech-InnovaCity, Human-CentriCity, Leadership).

3. Fill out the registration form.

4. Fill out the application form that includes both qualitative and quantitative questionnaires.

5. Submit Application Form.

6. You will receive an application confirmation email upon submission.

7.Read more details on the application submission process and restrictions in Registration & Application Process (pg. 6-7) of the Guidelines.

Evaluation Criteria

	Tech-InnovaCity	Human-CentriCity	Leadership
Relevance to the Theme	Technological Novelty, Transformative Implementation of Existing Technology	Addressing Digital Divide DE&I (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) Environmental and Financial Sustainability	A candidate contributed to bringing innovation and/or innovative application of technology and data, excellent use of technology and data that increased the quality of life of city residents, achieved significant impact (concepts, values, agendas, projects, products) on the smart cities industry or urban community, and has demonstrated collaborative effort and leadership to tackle urban problems through innovative approaches. *3rd party nomination or a letter of recommendation required for self-nomination
Aim of Efficiency	User Friendliness, Application Complexity, Technological Applicability	User Friendliness, Service Accessibility Technological Applicability
Governance	Transparency, Institution and Policy, Accountability, Monitoring and Evaluation, Digital Compatibility	Transparency Institution and Policy Accountability Monitoring and Evaluation Digital Compatibility
Promotion of Multidisciplinary Teamwork	Collaborative Effort (PPP & PPPP - Public Private People Partnership) Stakeholder Diversity	Collaborative Effort (PPP & PPPP - Public Private People Partnership) Stakeholder Diversity City Voices
Data Security and Ethics	Advocacy for Data Security (Privacy, Transparency, Data Sovereignty, Rights-Respecting) Data Management Strategy Organizational Responsibility Encryption of Private Data	Advocacy for Data Security (Privacy, Transparency, Data Sovereignty, Rights-Respecting) Data Management Strategy Organizational Responsibility Encryption of Private Data

Evaluation Process

: The first round of the evaluation will be conducted by the WeGO Secretariat and involves a process of screening the received applications. The WeGO Secretariat has the right to ask for any clarification or additional information from applicants, if necessary. Based on the evaluation methodology, when deemed necessary, additional public data at both the city- and country-levels for analysis will be added.

: The second round of the evaluation will be conducted by the Evaluation Committee, using a scoring system to determine semi-finalists. The Evaluation Committee will rate each application in accordance with the evaluation criteria and the five (5) highest-scoring applications of each category (Tech-InnovaCity, Human-CentriCity, Leadership) will move on to the second evaluation round.

: The third round of the evaluation will be conducted by the Prize Council to select the finalists. The Prize council will conduct the third round of evaluation to discuss the application materials of the semi-finalists and select the winners based on a voting system. *Finalists will be announced on the website on July 31, 2023.