Brunei ICT Awards (BICTA) 2024 Winners Announced

​​​​​The Brunei ICT Awards (BICTA) 2024 Ceremony was held this morning at the Plenary Hall, International Convention Centre (ICC), Berakas. His Royal Highness Prince Haji AlMuhtadee 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 BICTA, consented to grace the event as the Guest of Honour.

Upon arrival, His Royal Highness was greeted by:

i. Yang Berhormat Pengiran Dato Seri Setia Shamhary bin Pengiran Dato Paduka Haji Mustapha, Minister of Transport and Infocommunications;

ii. Yang Mulia Ir. Awang Haji Mohammad Nazri bin Haji Mohammad Yusof, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications as Co-Chairman I of BICTA 2024 Steering Committee;

iii. Yang Mulia Pengiran Sarimah binti Pengiran Haji Abdul Latiff, Chairperson, InfoCom Federation Brunei (IFB) as Co-Chairman II of BICTA 2024 Steering Committee; and

iv. Yang Mulia Ir. Haji Jailani bin Haji Buntar, Chief Executive of the Authority for Infocommunications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI). ​​

The ceremony began with a recital 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.

The event proceeded with a Welcoming Remarks by Yang Berhormat Pengiran Dato Seri Setia Shamhary bin Pengiran Dato Paduka Haji Mustapha, Minister of Transport and Infocommunications. In his Welcoming Remarks, amongst others, he shared about the overall number of BICTA entries this year. A total of 158 entries were submitted, representing an increase of 70% from the previous year. This is the highest number ever recorded in BICTA competition, with schools and teaching staff having the most participation. This demonstrates an extraordinary interest from the younger generation, who are passionate to explore and create innovative solutions to meet the various challenges we face today.

(Welcoming Remarks of Yang Berhormat Minister of Transport and Infocommunications will be provided once checked upon delivery).

His Royal Highness also consented to view a BICTA 20 Years video, which showcased BICTA’s achievements over the past two decades. The event proceeded with a presentation of the BICTA 2024 Chief Judge’s report by Yang Mulia Pengiran Sarimah binti Pengiran Haji Abdul Latiff, in her capacity as the BICTA 2024 Chief Judge. This was followed by a video on the “Journey of BICTA 2024” which featured a compilation of activities and experiences from BICTA participants throughout the year.

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

i. 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

ii. Three (3) Cross Categories, namely Start Up, Research and Development, and Technology.

Sekolah Rendah Rimba III with their product ASK ALAI was named as winner for the Primary School Category, who received a trophy, certificate and cash prize of B$1,000.00.

Five (5) merit recipients were presented to:

i. Sekolah Persediaan Arab, Bandar Seri Begawan with their product ScamCareBN;

ii. Seri Mulia Serjana International School with their product TerraBN Sentinal;

iii. Sekolah Rendah Lambak Kanan 49 with their product Pixel Pioneer 49ERS;

iv. Sekolah Rendah Lambak Kanan 49 with their product Code CRAFTER 49ERS; and

v. Sekolah Rendah Tumpuan Telisai with their product Bantu Pelajar Kitani.

Each merit recipient received a trophy, certificate and cash prize of B$500.00.

Sekolah Menengah Berakas with their product name Project Aquacool Evaporative Cooling Suit was named as winner for the Secondary School Category, who received a trophy, certificate and cash prize of B$1,500.00.

Five (5) merit recipients were presented to:

i. Chung Hwa Middle School, Bandar Seri Begawan with their product TrashMove;

ii. Chung Hwa Middle School, Bandar Seri Begawan with their product Parents Care;

iii. Maktab Anthony Abel with their product Intellect Trails Puzzle;

iv. Chung Hwa Middle School, Bandar Seri Begawan​​ with their product InnerPal; and

v. Maktab Sains Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan with their product Intention.

Each merit recipient received a trophy, certificate and cash prize of B$800.00 each.

​Universiti Teknologi Brunei with their product BirthPro VR:Low Risk Birth VR Simulation was named as winner for the Tertiary School Category, who received a trophy, certificate and cash prize of B$2,000.00.

Two (2) merit recipients were presented to:

i. Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali with their product Intelligent Maqra’ah Online Al-Quran; and

ii. Universiti Tekonologi Brunei with their product Sustainable Smart Water Management System At Home Using IoT

.

Each merit recipient received a trophy, certificate and cash prizes of B$1,000.00 each.

SOUL CAT Entertainment with their product VAGUE was named as winner the Consumer and Business Services Category, who received a trophy, certificate and cash prize of B$5,000.00.

One (1) merit award was presented to Rumine Corporation with their product Safety XR. They received a trophy, certificate and cash prize of B$2,500.00.

DigiNations with their product DigiThink was named as winner for the Inclusion and Community Services Category. They received a trophy, certificate and cash prize of B$5,000.00.

One (1) merit award was presented to Datastream Digital Sdn Bhd (DST) with their product eZakat. They received a trophy, certificate and cash prize of B$2,500.00.

There was no winner for the Industry Category. However, Progresif Sdn Bhd with their product ding! was named as the merit award recipient. They received a trophy, certificate and cash prize of B$2,500.00.

There was no winner for the Public and Government Category. However, Public Service Commission with their product PSCR 2.0 was named as the merit award recipient. They received a trophy and certificate.

There was no winnerfor the Start Up Category. However, SOUL CAT Entertainment with their product VAGUE was named as the merit award recipient. They received a trophy, certificate and cash prize of B$2,500.00.

Pararoutte Company with their product Empowering Rural and Urban Resilience: Holistic FloodTech was named as winner for the Research and Development Category. They received a trophy, certificate and cash prize of B$5,000.00.

One (1) merit award was presented to DigiNations with their product DigiThink. They received a trophy, certificate and cash prize of B$1,500.00.

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

One (1) merit award was presented to AlQuatic Enterprise with their product AlQuatic. They received a trophy, certificate and cash prize of B$1,500.00.

His Royal Highness then consented to award two (2) Smart Nation Awards to a non-winning entry which has fulfilled the aspiration of Brunei’s Smart Nation through digital transformation. These recipients were presented with a plaque and certificate. They were as follows:

i. TechBru Solution (B) Sdn Bhd with their product AssetTrack+ for Logistics and Transport sector; and

ii.    Pusat Teknologi Pendidikan (EdTech), Kementerian Pendidikan with their product SUMBER, Digital Resource Management System (DRMS) for Education sector.

There was no Smart Nation Awards recipient for Tourism, Agriculture and Construction sectors. Trophies for all the awards categories and Smart Nation Awards plaques presented to winners and recipients were sponsored by Imagine Sdn Bhd.

eZakat by Datastream Digital Sdn Bhd (DST) was named as the BICTA 2024 Royal Patron Award, which was awarded for the best of the best among winners of all the categories. His Royal Highness consented to receive a Pesambah presented by Yang Berhormat Pengiran Dato Seri Setia Shamhary bin Pengiran Dato Paduka Haji Mustapha, Minister of Transport and Infocommunications. His Royal Royal Highness later proceeded to tour BICTA 20 Years Gallery and product showcase of all BICTA 2024 winners.

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 2024, which will be held later this year in Brunei Darussalam. APICTA is a prestigious international ICT competition, participated by 17 member economies from the Asia Pacific region. Brunei Darussalam has won four (4) winning awards and 32 merits since joining APICTA in 2001.

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

This year’s BICTA is themed as Smart Nation Through Digital Transformation, which is in line with the Digital Economy Council’s vision and Digital Economy Master Plan 2025 that focuses on the importance of leveraging digital technology for socio-economic development and enriching communities with skills and knowledge to participate effectively in the digital economy.

[EN​​D]