BCX is calling upon Small to Medium, as well as Corporate Enterprises to submit their entries for the Digital Innovation Awards 2020. The BCX Awards honours and celebrates South African organisations that are innovating and changing the course of their industries. More specifically, the award is looking for digital innovations across all industry sectors – businesses that use technology to improve an existing process or product or have developed an entirely new process or product.

Entries will be opened until 30 September 2020.  This Award is aimed at setting the standards for businesses as they take on the challenge to embrace digitalisation, in turn contributing to the economic strength of the country.

“Our work during this pandemic made us think long and hard about adversity, crisis and our role at BCX. We believe that great innovations, and innovators, thrive in tough times. Therefore, this year’s BCX Digital Innovation Awards is not just a competition, it is a call to action for all of us to work together in building a better world,” says Jonas Bogoshi, CEO of BCX.

Organisation can enter one of two categories:

• Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Digital Innovation Award - this category is for South African SMEs who have been in operation for more than 1 year and who are currently employing more than 5 people and earning less than R50 million in revenue. Part of the prize for the winner of this category is a potential partnership agreement with BCX.

• Corporate Enterprise Digital Innovation Award - this category is for large South African enterprises with an existing employee base of 200 or more. Part of the prize for the winner of this category is the BCX Innovation program.

Now in its second year, the Award seeks to reward businesses who have contributed to promoting technology advancements in their industries and the economic well-being of South Africa.  

“We are looking for innovations that have achieved remarkable results, meeting planned company KPI and if possible, have made a difference within South Africa,” adds Bogoshi.

Who should enter BCX Digital Innovation Awards?

The awards are open to South African enterprises which meet the following requirements:

• Entrants must be South African SME’s or Corporates.
• SME entries are open to enterprises that
  • Have been in business for more than one year,
  • Employ five or more people,
  • Have an annual turnover of up to R50 million.
• Corporate entries are open to enterprises that
• Employ more than 200 employees.
• All digital innovation entries must have been deployed between 2017 and the date of competition entry.
• Digital innovations entered must currently be in operation.
• Entrants must demonstrate how they have made use of technology to innovate.

2019 winners

The inaugural BCX Digital Innovation Awards in 2019 saw iiDENTIFii bagged first place in the SME category for their innovation in biometric identity authentication.

“It’s a great honour, it’s been very exciting. I had a good feeling and it’s great to actually get there. The partnership with BCX is going to be critical,” says Gur Geva, founder and CEO of iiDENTIFii.

For the Corporate Category, Old Mutual Group secured first prize for their innovations in Cognitive Automation and AI. “I am proud of the team that we have, and the management layers that we have, who have enabled us being recognised and affirming the project and program that we have been so focused on for the last 18 months,” says Kusheel Amritlall from Old Mutual Group.

What you need to enter

• Problem Statement – A concise description of the business challenge, and a typed description of the value proposition.
• The Digital Innovation Solution – A write-up describing how the business challenge was solved through digital innovation. This must include applicable visuals, reports, and timelines where available. The team that was involved in the project must also be named.
• Results / outcomes – A write-up of the results or outcomes of the project.
• Get full entry details at https://www.bcx.co.za/digitalinnovationawards/

The winners of this year’s BCX Digital Innovation Awards will be announced at the Sunday Times Top 100 Companies Awards event in November.

If you believe your organisation’s innovation have what it takes, you can enter the 2020 Digital Innovation Awards by visiting https://www.bcx.co.za/digitalinnovationawards/