Call for Nominations for the SDG Awards
SDG AWARDS APPLICATION FORM – Google Form
SDG AWARDS APPLICATION FORM – PDF Version
CityNet Secretariat is proud to announce the launching of the SDG Awards. As an extension of the Urban SDG Knowledge Platform, the SDG Awards will celebrate the accomplishments of all CityNet members towards pioneering projects to localize the Sustainable Development Goals in Asian cities. The SDG Awards will culminate in an event that will be held during the 9th CityNet Congress on 21 September 2022 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
CityNet Secretariat, UNESCAP, and Seoul Metropolitan Government established The Urban SDG Knowledge Platform in 2017 to promote knowledge exchange, city to city cooperation, and the localization of best urban practices in cities throughout the Asia Pacific region. Thanks to our members’ contributions, the platform has compiled over 360 case studies and regularly receives between 1,000-2,000 visitors per day. For five years, CityNet members have contributed case studies on a wide range of themes and SDG targets, under budgets big and small. It’s high time to recognize the best practices of CityNet members through good-natured competition: the SDG Awards.
CityNet Secretariat is hereby calling on all CityNet members to put their best cases forward by nominating cases to be evaluated by other CityNet members and a panel of esteemed judges. CityNet members may choose to either nominate an existing case that they submitted to the Urban SDG Knowledge Platform or submit a fresh case for consideration. CityNet Secretariat is seeking nominations and submissions from a wide range of geographical areas, SDG targets, and themes. To ensure equal representation among the cases that address diverse development goals, the SDG Awards will cover five main categories based on the most popular urban development themes and SDG targets featured in cases that have been uploaded to the platform. The five awards categories are as follows:
[Extra Categories]
- Citizen’s Choice Award: voted on by citizens in CityNet member cities during the first evaluation
- Member’s Choice Award: voted on by CityNet General Assembly at the 9th Congress
- Most Photogenic Case: voted on by CityNet General Assembly at the 9th Congress
Applicants may nominate up to 3 cases if they fall under different awards categories. To be eligible to compete, the case study must have been uploaded on the Urban SDG Knowledge Platform by 1 July 2022. To be considered, the submitter must also not have any membership fee arrears. In total, the Secretariat is looking to nominate 5 cases per category for a total of 25 nominees. (If a higher amount or an insufficient number of cases is nominated, the Secretariat will use its discretion to adjust the number to 25, while considering equitable representation of geographical regions.)
After the nomination is completed, the first evaluation will be conducted via an online survey by CityNet members in July. This will result in a shortlist of 10 “SDG Champions” (2 per category), that will be invited to submit a short pitch video and be evaluated in the second round.
During the second evaluation, CityNet Secretariat shall secure an expert panel of judges to evaluate the 10 finalist cases. These judges may include the upper leadership of CityNet, representatives of UN bodies, and other experts on urban SDGs implementation. The 10 finalists will be invited to attend the awards ceremony at the 9th CityNet Congress. CityNet Secretariat will sponsor the airfare and accommodation of 1 representative per city/organization. At Congress, the General Assembly will vote live to determine the 1st, 2nd, 3rd place winners as recipients of the top prizes, which will include trophies and sponsorship for upcoming site visits in Korea, an unparalleled opportunity to meet with experts in urban planning. A detailed prize table can be found below:
To enter the SDG Awards, please fill out the application form. Case study nominations or new case submissions must be submitted by Friday 1 July. To nominate or submit more than one case, you may complete the application form multiple times. All CityNet members will be eligible to vote for the finalists during the first evaluation period in July and the CityNet General Assembly will vote live for the winners at the SDG Awards Ceremony on September 21st. To submit a new case, please fill out the attached offline upload form and upload it to the application form with at least 3 pictures. For any inquiries, please get in touch with Chris at CityNet Secretariat through email at sdgplatform@citynet-ap.org.
~ SDG AWARDS APPLICATION FORM ~
SDG Awards Nominee Submission Form (Editable PDF)
Sample Offline upload form Urban SDG platform
Urban SDG Knowledge Platform – Guidance for case study
Chris Di Gennaro is a Program Officer at CityNet, where he manages the Urban SDG Knowledge Platform, a joint project with UNESCAP and the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Previously, he worked at ESCAP to organize an urban innovation themed startup competition. Chris holds a Master of Korean Studies from Yonsei University and a Bachelor of Psychology from Vassar College. He is keenly interested in the workings of cities and facilitating sustainable urban development.
