Nominations for the Institute of Information Technology Professionals South Africa’s (IITPSA) 2022 President’s Awards are currently open and set to close on 31st August. This year, the annual awards ceremony is adding a new category – Dynamism in ICT Youth Award. 

As the name would suggest, this new category is aimed at highlighting the outstanding achievements of students, IT entrepreneurs or IT professionals under the age of 35.

With 2022 marking the 65th anniversary of the President’s Awards, the new category is joined by long existing ones, such as IT Personality of the Year and Visionary CIO, and include the Technology Excellence Award and Social Responsibility/Community Award.

“The new award has been introduced because the IITPSA is passionate about growing the South African IT skills pipeline and broader ecosystem. By recognising outstanding students, exceptional young professionals embarking on their IT careers and entrepreneurs innovating in IT, we aim to encourage them and raise their public profiles,” noted IITPSA president, Admire Gwanzura, in a press release sent to Hypertext.

“This year’s theme (Sapphires) is appropriate on several levels. Sapphires are formed as a result of heat and intense pressure, and once cut and polished, they are brilliant, rare and exceptionally hard stones. Likewise, pressure and polish have shaped the brilliance we see in many of South Africa’s IT leaders today,” he added. 

To browse the categories, as well as submit your nominations by 17:00 on 31st August, you can head to the IITPSA site here.

The finalists for the 2022 President’s Awards are set to be announced in October, with the event itself scheduled to take place in November.