OAU, UI, UNILAG, CU battle for NiRA award

Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), University of Ibadan (UI), University of Lagos (UNILAG) and eight other universities are in contest for the .NG domain awards slated for April 2, 2016.

The awards, which is to be hosted by Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), are in celebration of the organisation’s 10th year anniversary and for promoting the .ng brand.

NiRA, founded on March 28, 2006, is charged with the management of Nigeria’s country code Top Level Domain Name (ccTLD), dot ng (.ng).

NiRA is the registry for .ng internet domain names, and maintains the database of names registered in the .ng country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) name space in the interest of Nigerians and the global Internet community.

The .ng web award and gala night, which aims to recognize the excellent achievements of members, stakeholders of the NiRA and the general public, who have contributed towards building a sustainable economy using technology relevant to the DNS Industry.

The award ceremony, which is to hold at Lagos Oriental Hotel, 3 Lekki Road, Victoria Island, Lagos by 5pm,

In a statement signed by Shina Badaru, a member of NiRA board of trustees, the organisation said in addition to stimulating the development of innovative and creative ICT solutions which would uplift the image of .ng locally and internationally.

AWARD CATEGORIES AND NOMINEES:

The following award categories and nominees have been shortlisted. Winners for each category will be determined through online voting and decisions of a Competent Award Jury selected based on their relevance and expertise.

The public is asked to vote for their preferred choice by logging to NiRA website.

BEST EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION WEBSITE/PORTAL

The nominees

• futa.edu.ng (FUTO, Akure)
• futo.edu.ng (FUTO, Owerri)
• unn.edu.ng (University of Nigeria, Nsukka)
• futminna.edu.ng (Federal University of Technology, Minna)
• unilag.edu.ng (University of Lagos)
• covenantuniversity.edu.ng (Covenant University)
• ui.edu.ng (University of Ibadan)
• oauife.edu.ng (Obafemi Awolowo University)
• abu.edu.ng (Ahmadu Bello University)
• unilorin.edu.ng (University of Ilorin)
• noun.edu.ng (National Open University)

.NG MEDIA AWARD

.ng media Award recognises excellence in journalism and other media-related activities. This category is open to all media houses in Nigeria: print, online and television.  This award is judged based on the level of local and original content promoted by such website.

The nominees

• nta.ng (National Television Authority)
• guardian.ng (The Guardian)
• leadership.ng (Leadership)
• dailypost.ng (Dailypost)
• thecable.ng (The Cable)
• dailytimes.ng (Daily Times)
• nigeriacommunicationsweek.com.ng (Nigeria Communications Week)
• techsmart.ng (Techsmart.ng)
• tailytrust.com.ng (Daily Trust by Media Trust Limited)
• techpoint.ng (Techpoint)
• tori.ng (Tori.ng)
• pulse.ng (Pulse.ng)
• thenet.ng (Thenet.ng)

TECHNOLOGY COMPANY OF THE YEAR

The nominees:

• etisalat.com.ng (Etisalat)
• google.com.ng (Google)
• mtnbusiness.com.ng (MTN)
• spectranet.com.ng (Spectranet)

MOST INNOVATIVE WEB COMPANY/ORGANIZATION

This award recognises organizations with the highest investment in their online presence that promotes innovation and marketing.

The nominees:

• slot.ng (Slot)
• jumia.com.ng (Jumia)
• cheki.com.ng (Cheki)
• privateproperty.com.ng (Private Property)
• hotels.ng (Hotels.ng)
• gloo.ng (Gloo.ng)
• olx.com.ng (OLX)

BEST BANKING WEBSITE/PORTAL

The nominees:

• fidelitybank.ng (Fidelity Bank)
• cbn.gov.ng (Central Bank of Nigeria)

TECHNOLOGY STARTUP COMPANY OF THE YEAR

The nominees:

• jiji.ng (Jiji)
• area.ng (The Area Show)
• showroom.ng (Showroom.ng)
• eazyhire.com.ng (Eazyhire)
• jara.ng (Jara)
• lands.ng (Lands.ng)
• pass.ng (Pass.ng)
• tolet.com.ng (Tolet.com.ng)

BEST HOSTING COMPANY

This award aims to continuously encourage the growth of local website hosting companies in Nigeria. To qualify for this category, content must be hosted in Nigeria.

The nominees:

• upperlink.ng (Upperlink Limited)
• galaxybackbone.com.ng (Galaxy backbone Limited)
• spectranet.com.ng
• mtnbusiness.com.ng (MTN)

MOST VALUABLE YOUTH ORGANIZATION

Youth organization that advocates for the development of the Nigerian Youth. To qualify for this category the organization must have an online presence with .ng domain name.

The nominees:

• youthempowerment.org.ng (Jim Ovia Foundation)
• yedi.ng (Youth Empowerment and Development Initiative)
• nacoss.org.ng (Nigeria Association of Computer Science Students)
• nysc.org.ng (National Youth Service Corps)

BEST STATE GOVERNMENT

This award recognizes the state government that have invested in technology to promote local content development.

The nominees:

• lagosstate.gov.ng (Lagos State)
• ondostate.gov.ng (Ondo State)
• osun.gov.ng (Osun State)
• deltastate.gov.ng (Delta State)
• riversstate.gov.ng (Rivers State)
• imostate.gov.ng (Imo State)
• enugustate.gov.ng (Enugu State)
• kano.gov.ng (Kano State)
• kadunastate.gov.ng (Kaduna State)

PUBLIC SECTOR: STAR WEBSITE AWARD

This award recognises the website/portal of the government agency that provides the best user experience.

The nominees:

• jamb.org.ng (Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board)
• waeconline.org.ng (West African Examinations Council)
• cac.gov.ng (Corporate Affairs Commission)
• nimc.gov.ng (National Identity Management Commission)
• firs.gov.ng (Federal Inland Revenue Service)
• immigration.gov.ng (Nigeria Immigration Service)
• galaxybackbone.com.ng (Galaxy Backbone)
• nigeriatradehub.gov.ng (Nigeria Customs Service)
• frsc.gov.ng (Federal Road Safety Commission)

NiRA PRESIDENTIAL AWARDS

These are special awards to be presented by the President of NiRA. The categories are:

BEST .NG CCTLD REGISTRAR

This award recognizes the best Registrar at Platinum, Silver, Gold and Standard levels. This award is based on number of transactions, amount transacted and investment in the DNS industry.

.NG MOST SUPPORTING SPONSOR

This award category recognizes and give credence to our supporting sponsors. The award is a special award to be presented by the President of NiRA.

NiRA PRESIDENTIAL AWARD FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

This award category recognizes and encourages the development of Youth in Nigeria. It is a NiRA Presidential award given to the Youth that have a combination of the best .ng website, best online local content and best use of ICT. This award is a special award to be presented by the President of NiRA.

NiRA PRESIDENTIAL AWARD FOR WOMEN DEVELOPMENT

This award aims to promote the participation and advancement of women in the ICT industry in Nigeria. It will encourage and stimulate the interest of young females to engage in ICT-related studies and subsequently, careers. This award will recognize the very best female in the ICT industry, celebrating her achievements, talents and reward her professional accomplishments. The award is a special award to be presented by the President of NiRA.

NiRA SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD

This is a Special Recognition Award Category presented by the President of NiRA.

AWARD ICONS

The winners in each category will gain access to the .ng Web Award Icon, which is available in various sizes and formats for inclusion on websites and marketing collateral.