Outstanding initiatives that use the power of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to empower women and girls are invited to submit nominations for the prestigious "Equals in Tech" Awards. Nominations are being accepted through 15 September 2017, with submissions encouraged from around the globe.

The 'Equals in Tech' Awards (formerly the GEM-TECH Awards) is an annual initiative designed to promote gender equality and mainstreaming in technology. The awards are now part of Equals an ITU and UN Women global partnership to achieve gender equality in the digital age. In addition to supporting gender equality in the ICT field and advancing the role of women as ICT decision-makers, the awards also showcase how ICTs can be used to dramatically improve social, political and economic outcomes for women and girls.

"Bridging the gender digital divide is a clear prerequisite if we want the 21st century to become the century of gender equality. Women and girls all over the world need equal rights and equal opportunities to shape the global knowledge society. This award should be an inspiration to bring out the practical and imaginative ideas that will drive change. We look forward to the nominations for the 'Equals in Tech' Awards and to learning how these inspiring people and organizations are already making a difference," said UN Women Executive-Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.

"Women play a valuable role in the ICT field, which ITU strongly recognizes and encourages. As part of this commitment to gender equality, ITU is honored to co-organize the 'Equals in Tech' Awards. These awards also serve to demonstrate how the capacity of ICTs can be leveraged to empower women," said ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao.

The nominated initiatives will be judged by a distinguished panel of partners and previous winners, recognized as Equals in Tech Awards Advisers. This group will also work together to share their best practices and to promote the call for nominations. Members include representatives of the British Computer Society Chartered Institute for IT, the StrongHer initiative, the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, the World Wide Web Foundation, the Working to Advance STEM Education for African Women Foundation, and the Internet Society.

The 'Equals in Tech' Awards are presented in three categories representing the pillars of the overarching Equals initiative:

Access: Develop gender responsive ICT governance, policy and access: initiatives focused on new legislation, policy frameworks or internal corporate strategy to improve women's digital technology access, connectivity and security.

Skills: Encourage women and girls to pursue education in STEM studies: initiatives encouraging more women in the STEM field (science, technology, engineering and math), focusing on the development of more relevant content, and addressing and overcoming cultural and social barriers that women face when entering a STEM education.

Leadership: Promote women in the technology sector: initiatives that promote gender equality in ICT careers, especially initiatives where girls and women are cultivated as creators, developers, leaders and decision-makers.

The prestigious 'Equals in Tech' Awards ceremony will held in Geneva, Switzerland, during the Internet Governance Forum taking place 18-21 December 2017. Final details will be communicated closer to the date.

For more information about the Equals initiative and Equals in Tech awards, visit: equals.org

Learn more about previous winner projects at: bit.ly/GEM-TECHWinners2016

Submit your nomination at:  bit.ly/EqualsAward-nomination