nbqsasrilanka's photostream

Press Release

The National Best Quality Software Awards (NBQSA) 2008

Creating history in the Sri Lankan ICT Industry the National Best Quality Software Awards (NBQSA) competition, the only National software competition recognizing exceptional achievements in Sri Lanka, will mark its tenth anniversary in October this year.

The National Best Quality Software Awards (NBQSA) since 1998 has afforded opportunity to individuals and organisations, having made outstanding contribution to the development of ICT in Sri Lanka, to showcase and benchmark their products. Over the years the event itself has grown in recognition and prestige, both locally and internationally. Today NBQSA is regarded a symbol of achievement and serves as a vessel to gain international recognition for locally developed ICT products enabling them to successfully compete in the global market.

Microsoft Sri Lanka has pledged support for three consecutive years starting 2008 as the Strategic Partner for NBQSA. Other major sponsors for this year are Dialog Telekom PLC as Platinum sponsor, Bank of Ceylon as Gold Sponsor, and Intel Sri Lanka and IFS Sri lanka as Bronze Sponsors. The Electronic Media Sponsors are ETV and Siyatha FM.

The three primary objectives of NBQSA are, to provide recognition to outstanding achievements of individuals and organizations in Sri Lanka who/which have contributed to the development of ICT, to create a window to gain international recognition for locally developed ICT products, and to improve standards and the quality of local ICT products and services to be able to compete in the international market place.

The competition is open in sixteen categories of software ranging from Applications and Infrastructure Tools software to Media and Entertainment Applications Software. Gold, Silver and Bronze awards are presented in these categories provided that there are winners in these categories.

The Judging Process is carried out by a Panel of Judges consisting experts from diverse disciplines such as IT, Academia, Management, Accounting, Marketing etc. The appointment of Judges adheres to strict criteria and conditions to ensure unbiased and objective evaluation as well as strict confidentiality.

The NBQSA overall Gold winners for the past three years were Affno (Pvt) Ltd. in 2007 won the overall Gold for their “Expenditure Management System”, while 2006 it was bagged by Dialog Telekom Ltd., Microimage (Pvt) Ltd. & University of Moratuwa collectively for their “Disaster and Emergency Warning Network” and in 2005 went to “the Localised Mobile Messaging & Browser” by Microimage (Pvt.) Ltd.

Winners of the National Best Quality Software Awards competition will be eligible to compete in the Asia Pacific ICT (APICTA) Awards competition.

NBQSA winners are automatically eligible for the Asia Pacific ICT Awards (APICTA), an international Awards Program initiated by the Multimedia Development Corporation of Malaysia to increase ICT awareness in the community and assist in bridging the Digital Divide. Sri Lanka won her first ever APICTA Gold in 2006 when Nuwan Senaratna from University of Colombo School of computing (UCSC) with his project on Automatic Music Composition (AMC) solution defeating 78 entries in the Tertiary category. In 2007 too Sri Lanka was able to sustain the Gold in the Tertiary category when students from SLIIT showcased their Tripwire Project. Sri Lankan contestants for APICTA Tertiary category are sponsored by the BCS Sri Lanka Section. The next APICTA is to be held in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Awards Categories

•Applications & Infrastructure Tools
•Security
•Financial
•Industrial
•Health Care
•Communications
•Media & Entertainment
•Tourism & Hospitality
•General
•Research & Development
•Secondary Student Project
•Tertiary Student Project
•Education & Training
•E -Government & Services
•Start-Up
•In-house

Please visit www.nbqsasrilanka.org for details.