His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah ibni His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office as the Royal Patron of Brunei ICT Awards (BICTA), consented to grace the BICTA 2026 Awards Ceremony as the Guest of Honour. The ceremony was held this morning at the Plenary Hall, International Convention Centre (ICC), Berakas.

Upon arrival, His Royal Highness was greeted by Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Mohammed Riza bin Dato Paduka Haji Mohammed Yunos, Minister of Transport and Infocommunications; Yang Mulia Ir. Awang Haji Mohammad Nazri bin Haji Mohammad Yusof, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications as Co-Chairman I of BICTA 2026 Steering Committee; Yang Mulia Pengiran Sarimah binti Pengiran Haji Abdul Latiff, Chairperson, InfoCom Federation Brunei (IFB) as Co-Chairman II of BICTA 2026 Steering Committee; and Yang Mulia Ir. Haji Jailani bin Haji Buntar, Chief Executive of the Authority for Infocommunications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI).

During the event, His Royal Highness in his Sabda underscored the importance of systematic and sustained investment in research and development (R&D), the development of highly skilled human capital and strategic partnerships with industry.

His Royal Highness emphasised that the time has come for Brunei Darussalam to advance beyond being a user of technology towards becoming a leader in the creation and development of home-grown innovation, particularly in strategic areas such as food security and people-centred public services.

On BICTA, His Royal Highness called for the platform to continue nurturing ideas and talent capable of being translated into practical solutions, intellectual property and impactful local enterprises. These efforts should be supported by a stronger Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) ecosystem, including the development of the National Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy Framework, in line with Digital Brunei 2030 and its focus on data and artificial intelligence as key drivers of national transformation.

With regard to the development of the 5G Campus Network at Universiti Brunei Darussalam and Universiti Teknologi Brunei, His Royal Highness expressed the hope that the network would serve as a testbed for future technologies, enabling research outcomes to progress from proof-of-concept to market-ready and competitive products. The achievements of Bruneian participants at the Asia Pacific ICT Alliance Awards (APICTA) further demonstrate that local talent can compete internationally when provided with appropriate guidance, opportunities and support.

In concluding his Sabda, His Royal Highness expressed appreciation to the Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications, the Authority for Infocommunications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI), InfoCom Federation Brunei (IFB), government ministries, educational institutions and industry partners for their continued commitment to BICTA.

His Royal Highness also congratulated the winners and all participants, and encouraged all parties to continue innovating to create value, address shared challenges and build a prosperous and resilient future for Brunei Darussalam.

The ceremony began with the recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah and Doa Selamat, led by Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Haji Awang Salim bin Haji Awang Besar.

This was followed by welcoming remarks from Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Mohammed Riza bin Dato Paduka Haji Mohammed Yunos, Minister of Transport and Infocommunications. In his welcoming remarks, the Minister of Transport and Infocommunications highlighted the role of the Brunei ICT Awards (BICTA) in strengthening the country's technology and innovation ecosystem. BICTA 2026 received 328 entries, representing an increase of approximately 70 per cent from the previous year and reflecting growing interest and participation in the sector.

The Minister emphasised that the success of an innovation should be measured not only by the recognition it receives, but also by its ability to address real needs, enhance productivity, improve service delivery and generate value for society and the economy.

BICTA will therefore continue to be strengthened as a platform that enables promising solutions to be tested, adopted more widely and supported in reaching broader markets. These efforts also contribute towards the achievement of the Wawasan Brunei 2035 NKPIs, particularly the target of increasing research and development expenditure to one per cent of Gross Domestic Product, as well as enhancing international recognition of Bruneian achievements in science and technology.

Yang Mulia Pengiran Khairi bin Pengiran Haji Metussin, in his capacity as the Chief Judge of BICTA 2026, presented the Judges' Report. The ceremony continued with the screening of a video titled “The Journey of BICTA 2026," featuring a compilation of activities conducted throughout the year and reflections from BICTA participants.

His Royal Highness then consented to present prizes to the winners and recipients of each category and the BICTA Royal Patron Award.  There were ten (10) categories comprising:

Seven (7) Main Categories, namely Primary School, Secondary School, Tertiary School, Consumer and Business Services, Inclusion and Community Services, Industrial, and Public and Government; and Three (3) Cross Categories, namely Start Up, Research and Development, and Technology.

Primary School Category​

Seri Mulia Sarjana School with their product CLEAN-BIT AI was named as winner for the Primary School Category, who received a trophy contributed by BIBD, certificate and cash prize of B$1,000.00 contributed by Dynamik Technologies Sdn Bhd.

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Ten (10) merit recipients were presented to:

​i. Sekolah Rendah Amar Pahlawan Kluster 3 with their product DbibirBN; 

ii. Sekolah Rendah Rataie Mukim Bokok, Temburong with their product KantinKu; 

iii. Sekolah Rendah Rataie Mukim Bokok, Temburong with their product VocabQuest V2; 

iv. Sekolah Rendah Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah with their product PeaceBuddy; 

v. Seri Mulia Sarjana International School with their product Deliver-Bot; 

vi. Sekolah Rendah Rimba I with their product KiraQuest; vii. Sekolah Rendah Sungai Tali Lumut II with their product SENASync; 

viii. St. Andrews School with their product EcoGuard; 

ix. Sekolah Arab Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah with their product SAFEZONEBN 2.0: Smart Anti-Bullying & School Discipline Monitoring System; dan 

x. Sekolah Rendah Dato Marsal with their product WIRA MIB. 

 

Each merit recipient received a trophy contributed by BIBD, certificate and cash prize of B$500.00 contributed by Dynamik Technologies Sdn Bhd, ITIS Wescots Technologies Sdn Bhd, Evyd Technology Sdn Bhd and Imagine Sdn Bhd.

Maktab Sains Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan with their product name KINETRA was named as winner for the Secondary School Category, who received a trophy contributed by BIBD, certificate and cash prize of B$1,500.00 contributed by Sprintville Technologies Sdn Bhd.

Five (5) merit recipients were presented to:

i. Sekolah Ugama Arab Menengah Perempuan Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha with their product PetaNova;

ii.Sekolah Menengah Menglait with their product NUTRIScanBuddy;
iii. Sekolah Ugama Arab Menengah Perempuan Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha with their product Chaching.bn;

iv. Sekolah Menengah Rimba with their product RimbaScan 2.0: Smart AI Plant Assistant; and

v. Sekolah Menengah Berakas with their product stARdy App.

Each merit recipient received a trophy contributed by BIBD, certificate and cash prize of B$800.00 each, contributed by Sprintville Technologies Sdn Bhd.

Laksamana College of Business with their product EduPath was named as winner for the Tertiary School Category, who received a trophy contributed by BIBD, certificate and cash prize of B$2,000.00 contributed by Datastream Digital Sdn Bhd (DST).

Two (2) merit recipients were presented to:

i. UBD x UTB with their product XINU: ColourCue; and

ii. Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) with their product SignaVoice Glove.

Each merit recipient received a trophy contributed by BIBD, certificate and cash prizes of B$1,000.00 each contributed by Datastream Digital Sdn Bhd (DST).

Tazrah Digital Sdn Bhd with their product Tazrah Mobile App was named as winner of the Consumer and Business Services Category, who received a trophy contributed by BIBD, certificate and cash prize of B$5,000.00 contributed by Unified National Networks Sdn Bhd (UNN).

One (1) merit award was presented to SOUL CAT Entertainment Sdn Bhd with their product BodyTrack. They received a trophy contributed by BIBD, certificate and cash prize of B$2,500.00.

NiceFolks with their product PaceMate was named as winner for the Inclusion and Community Services Category. They received a trophy contributed by BIBD, certificate and cash prize of B$5,000.00 contributed by Unified National Networks Sdn Bhd (UNN).

One (1) merit award was presented to ChemBuddy Supreme+ with their product ChemBuddy Supreme+. They received a trophy contributed by BIBD, certificate and cash prize of B$2,500.00.

There was no winner for the Industrial Category.

One (1) merit award was presented to Anian Sdn Bhd with their product Smart IoT Manhole Access Monitoring System. They received a trophy contributed by BIBD, certificate and cash prize of B$2,500.00.

Public and Government Category​

No winner or merit recipient was selected for the Public and Government Category.

SOUL CAT Entertainment Sdn Bhd with their product BodyTrack was named as winner for the Start Up Category. They received a trophy contributed by BIBD, certificate and cash prize of B$5,000.00.

One (1) merit award was presented to Haus of Nahkya and Co. with their product Haus of Nahkya. They received a trophy contributed by BIBD, certificate and cash prize of B$2,500.00 contributed by Imagine Sdn Bhd.

Cognicare Technology with their product Care4U was named as winner for the Research and Development Category. They received a trophy contributed by BIBD, certificate and cash prize of B$5,000.00.

One (1) merit award was presented to Intelligent Maqra`ah with their product Intelligent Maqra`ah. They received a trophy contributed by BIBD, certificate and cash prize of B$1,500.00.

Datastream Digital Sdn Bhd (DST) with their product MyDST SuperApp was named as winner for the Technology Category. They received a trophy contributed by BIBD, certificate and cash prize of B$5,000.00.

One (1) merit award was presented to DeepLynx.ai Technologies with their product Docusleeve. They received a trophy contributed by BIBD, certificate and cash prize of B$1,500.00.

BodyTrack by SOUL CAT Entertainment Sdn Bhd was named as the BICTA 2026 Royal Patron Award recipient, which was awarded for the best of the best among winners of all the categories. They received a BICTA Royal Patron trophy, BICTA medallion contributed by Progresif Sdn Bhd and cash prize of B$10,000.00.

His Royal Highness then consented to receive a Pesambah presented by Yang Berhormat Minister of Transport and Infocommunications. His Royal Highness later proceeded to the product showcase of all BICTA 2026 winners, Brunei Darussalam's winner at the APICTA Awards 2025 and the nation's Silver Award recipient at the ASEAN Digital Awards (ADA) 2026.

Apart from receiving cash prizes and trophies, winners in each category will be selected to represent Brunei Darussalam at the Asia Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA) Awards 2026, which will be held later this year in Jakarta, Indonesia. APICTA is a prestigious international ICT competition, participated by 14 member economies from the Asia Pacific region. Brunei Darussalam has won four (4) winning awards, one (1) first runners-up, five (5) second runner-up, and thirty-seven (37) merits since joining APICTA in 2002.

BICTA is an annual ICT competition organised by the Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications in collaboration with the Authority for Infocommunications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) and InfoCom Federation Brunei (IFB). The competition is aimed to stimulate innovation and creativity in ICT among individuals, students and local enterprises. BICTA is also supported by the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Ministry of Education and Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB).

This year's BICTA Awards carried the theme “Innovating for a Digital Brunei," emphasizing the advancement of inclusive and sustainable innovation to enhance productivity, strengthen competitiveness and drive economic growth in line with the aspirations of Digital Brunei 2030.

 

Jalan Menteri Besar

Bandar Seri Begawan, BB3910

Brunei Darussalam

 

14 Rabiulawal 1448H

27 August 2026