Each edition will comprise a total of five categories, which include Public Services and Smart City, among others. The winner of each category will receive a 20,000-dollar (USD) prize. 

(Report by Zhou Qiumin [reporter] and Sui Waixuan [correspondent], Xinxi Shibao / Information Times)

In the press conference held yesterday to present the Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation, abbreviated as the Guangzhou Award, in its 2012 edition, the official opening of the call for entries was announced. The award seeks to recognise and showcase innovative practices in the public sector, which have been successfully implemented in cities and local governments worldwide. An edition will be held every two years and will feature five categories, which include Public Services and Smart City. The winner of each category will receive a 20,000-dollar (USD) prize.

Joint cooperation of UCLG and the city of Guangzhou in the creation of the Guangzhou Award

The Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation is a joint cooperative initiative created by United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), the World Association of the Major Metropolises (Metropolis) and the city of Guangzhou. It is open to cities and local governments worldwide and seeks to recognise innovative projects in the public sector which have been successfully implemented. 

The Secretary of the Municipal Committee, Mr Wan Qingliang, the Deputy Secretary-General and the Mayor of Guangzhou, Mr Chen Jianhua, led the ceremony and delivered speeches to extend their best wishes for the competition and to set forth the goals of the award. 

During the event, Mr Wan Qingliang, Mr Chen Jianhua, the Secretary-General of UCLG, Ms Emilia Saiz, and the Secretary-General of the World Association of the Major Metropolises, Ms Montserrat Pallarès, officially launched the Organising Committee for the Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation as well as the official website. 

Mr Wan Qingliang declared his wish that “each of the UCLG members share their valuable experience with Guangzhou”. 

During the ceremony, Mr Wan Qingliang expressed his sincere congratulations for the establishment of the Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation. Mr Qingliang hopes that Guangzhou’s advocacy and hosting of the award in this first edition conveys that its foremost priority is the well-being of its inhabitants. Moreover, he endorses a concept of urban development that combines a low-carbon economy, the features of a smart city and the conditions for a happy life. To this end, Guangzhou endeavours to explore new approaches to urban development so as to foster urban-rural integration to achieve prosperity for all its citizens. He expressed his fervent hope that each member of the extensive community of UCLG and the World Association of the Major Metropolises would share their valuable experience and help broaden and enhance the space and the vision for new urban development patterns, as well as put them into practice thanks to the inspiration, creativity and freshness they demonstrate when promoting innovative development.

To quote Mr Chen Jianhua, “the Guangzhou Award helps bring together the finest examples of innovation worldwide”.

Mr Chen Jianhua highlighted that the Guangzhou Award is conducive to pooling together the finest examples of innovation worldwide. The award is a think-tank bringing together all the innovative minds and successful experiences from every city and local government in the world, thereby becoming a storehouse of wisdom. In addition, it contributes towards promoting regulated urban development. Its importance does not only lie in “evaluating and rewarding” the successful experiences of cities and local governments in promoting innovation, but also and above all in assessing “their application and capacity for transformation”. By way of such a platform, every city in the world will be able to share what they have accomplished in the field of development and common prosperity for all. The award contributes towards raising the international profile of Guangzhou among the international community in projecting the image of a vibrant, creative, enterprising and enthusiastic city, and towards extending its reach and influence in key cities and major cities abroad.

Competition for designing a logo and coining a slogan for the Guangzhou Award 

Mr Liu Baochun, Director General of the Guangzhou Municipal Government’s Foreign Affairs Office, explained that the Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation is open to cities and local governments worldwide. The selection and appraisal process will be undertaken by a jury comprising a technical committee and reviewing committee, whose members are internationally renowned experts in this domain. The award will be held every two years and comprise five categories: Public Services, Organisation and Administration of Public Services, Partnerships and Citizen Involvement, Smart City and Sustainable City. The winner of each category will be awarded a 20,000-dollar (USD) cash prize, as well as a trophy and a certificate. 

During the presentation ceremony of the Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation, the competition for designing a logo and trophy as well as coining a slogan was also launched. The deadline for submitting entries will end on 30 April and the organisation will announce the winner to the public on 30 May. The rules and conditions governing the award are published on the official website of the Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation (www.guangzhouaward.org).

(Report by Zhou Qiumin, Xinxi Shibao / Information Times)