The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) plans to recognize efforts by governments and organisations worldwide to empower women and girls using Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

ITU will present the Gender Equality and Mainstreaming in Technology (GEM-TECH) Awards to governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as well as private stakeholders in technology.

ITU wants all government members, NGOs and companies to participate by online nominations which are opened until 31 July.

“Companies, government offices, NGOs and individuals are urged to get their nominations in for the annual Gender Equality and Mainstreaming in Technology (GEM-TECH) Awards,” ITU said in a statement.

The GEM-TECH award is a joint ITU/UN Women prize recognising outstanding efforts in using the power of information and communication technology (ICT) to empower women and girls.

The nominations span three categories:

Applying Technology for Women’s Empowerment and Digital Inclusion: initiatives related to women’s social, economic, political empowerment, combating gender-based violence (both offline and online), and driving sustainable development.

Promoting Women in the Technology Sector: initiatives that promote more gender equality in ICT/STEM education and careers, especially initiatives where girls and women are cultivated as creators, developers, leaders and decision-makers.

Developing Gender-Responsive ICT Governance: initiatives focused on new legislation, policy frameworks or internal corporate strategy to improve women’s access, connectivity, security, digital literacy and citizenship, skills development and rights.

ITU says that a shortlist of nine finalists will be announced at the end of September, with the final three winners selected by a committee of experts from ITU, UN Women, and a panel comprising 2015 GEM-TECH winners.

The awards will be conferred at a prestigious ceremony to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, as part of the ITU Telecom World event (14-17 November 2016).