Seoul Smart City Prize Announces Semi-Finalists for 2024

Seoul, August 29th — The Seoul Smart City Prize, an international award that honors innovation and excellence in smart city development, is proud to announce the semi-finalists for its 2024 edition. This year, the competition has been fierce, with cities, organizations, and leaders from across the globe presenting cutting-edge solutions that enhance everyday urban living. The semi-finalists have been selected across three key categories: Tech-Innovacity, Human-Centricity, and Leadership.

More than 200 application submissions were made across 54 countries and 104 cities, with regional distribution made globally throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, North America and Oceania. You may check the list of semi-finalists via the Seoul Smart City Prize official website: www.seoulsmartcityprize.com/ceremony.html.

The 2024 Semi-finalists are invited to this year’s Prize Ceremony occurring during Seoul Smart Life Week. Invitation to Seoul Smart Life Week is one of the rewards for the winners as well as being provided exhibition booth space, technical and cultural tour program, training program, and a chance to conduct feasibility studies through the Smart City International Cooperation Program with financial support.

The beauty of the Seoul Smart City Prize lies in its emphasis on capturing efforts despite differences in the smart city development stages, infrastructure, and resources each city is faced with. The criteria and indicators of Seoul Smart City Prize are carefully selected to capture both the current trends in smart city development as well as the respective stages of development, capabilities, and resources of each case. The Seoul Prize, namely, does not award only those that use the most advanced technology but applying existing technologies in innovative ways. 

As the Seoul Prize not only promotes innovative but inclusive digitalization, there is an inclusive aspect even as part of being the winner such as: 

• Forming a community and network of Seoul Prize winners for a diverse range of opportunities for engagement and expansion of their initiatives.
• Invite winners to the following year’s Prize ceremony and events. This year to the Seoul Smart Life Week (SLW) where they are provided with exhibition booths, tour programs, and invitations to present their project.
• Finalists of the Seoul Smart City Prize will get the opportunity to receive a 4-week online and offline training program from the Seoul Human Resource Development Center (SHRDC).
• Offers an opportunity to select cities to implement a smart city project, including assistance to conduct pre-feasibility studies, with financial support. 

Inspiration from 2023 Winner
The success of the 2023 Seoul Smart City Prize winner serves as a prominent example of how it can lead to significant opportunities. Last year’s winner, São Paulo, Brazil impressed the judges with its innovative approach to enhancing accessibility for individuals with disabilities and was selected to take part in the Smart City International Cooperation Program. São Paulo plans to utilize this feasibility study opportunity to assess the practicality and efficacy of their proposed initiative, ensuring that their smart city project is not only innovative but also feasible and sustainable. Through their partnership with WeGO, the Seoul Metropolitan Government, and Seoul Urban Solutions Agency (SUSA), São Paulo will be able to upgrade its Accessible Service Network Map (ASNM), which will improve accessibility by providing accurate and comprehensive information about accessible facilities. This initiative exemplifies how smart city projects can make a meaningful impact on urban living by integrating technological solutions to address essential social needs.

Furthermore, the winners of the Seoul Smart City Prize 2023 will join a 4-week online and offline training program from the Seoul Human Resource Development Center (SHRDC), through a series of virtual live lectures and a 1-week long offline training session in Seoul. City representatives will get the opportunity to hear about various solutions and projects in energy, environment, water, waste management, AI, data, IoT, climate, traffic, agriculture, cybersecurity, mobility, health, ICT, digitalization and much more from other regions that provide knowledge-sharing beyond borders. Participants will also attend Seoul Smart Life Week and have the opportunity to meet the 2024 Seoul Smart City Prize winners. 

The finalists in each category will be revealed at the Seoul Smart City Prize Ceremony on October 10th, 2024 in Seoul. The winners will be celebrated for their contributions to creating more livable, sustainable, and resilient urban environments. For more information about the Seoul Smart City Prize, please visit www.seoulsmartcityprize.com.

About WeGO

The World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization (WeGO), is a membership-based international association of local governments, smart tech solution providers, and institutions committed to the transformation of cities into smart sustainable cities through facilitating public-private partnerships (PPP). WeGO was founded by 50 member cities in 2010 as the World e-Governments Organization, hence our acronym. In response to the evolving concept of smart cities, WeGO expanded its vision and mandate at the 7th General Assembly (2017) and its name to the World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization. WeGO’s Secretariat is based in Seoul, Korea, and has regional offices in East Asia (Chengdu, China), the Mediterranean (Beyoglu, Turkey), Africa (Abuja, Nigeria), Middle East & North Africa (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates), Latin America (Cuenca, Ecuador), and Central Asia (Almaty, Kazakhstan). As the leading platform on smart city development, WeGO’s mission is to share knowledge and good practices in e-Governance; strengthen administrative efficiency and transparency; advance digital capacity; facilitate civic involvement; bridge the digital divide and inequality; and promote cooperation solidarity among cities and local governments around the world.

WeGO serves for its members as their international platform to improve the quality of life, innovate in the delivery of public services, and strengthen regional competitiveness.

Press Contact:
Name:  Kakim Danabayev
E-mail: kakim@we-gov.org
Phone: +82-70-4202-9169