The prize distribution ceremony of Nokia Calling All Innovators Pakistan 2010 developer competition was held at a local hotel here in Karachi. The competition winner received the grand prize of 1,000,000/- PKR in cash; along with paid travel and accommodation to demo the winning application at a Nokia specified event. The two runners-up received 500,000/- PKR in cash and 300,000/- PKR in cash respectively. These prizes were decided by the panel of judges comprising of Mr. Muhammad Amir Malik, Mr. Zia Imran, Ms. Jehan Ara and Mr. Farhan Chawla.

The winners in all four applications categories also received a one-year membership in Forum Nokia Launchpad, which is designed to accelerate mobile application development and elevate business visibility in the mobile world. It is ideally suited to companies that operate in the mobile space and work on Nokia platforms. All Forum Nokia Launchpad members have access to exclusive resources and support. (Value of 400 Euro)

Commenting on the award ceremony of Calling All Innovators Competition in Pakistan, Imran Mahmood, General Manager, Nokia Pakistan said,

“We are overwhelmed with the number of developers who submitted their applications for the competition. It only reaffirmed our belief that Pakistan has some of the finest developers to offer. It is truly a milestone for us to reach the final stage of first Calling All Innovators competition in Pakistan. It has been a sheer pleasure to see that we have a large group of technology enthusiasts in this country.”

Talking about the competition, Teemu Kiijarvi, Forum Nokia Developers Relations Manager said,

“It is a great achievement and a proud moment for the Nokia team as well as the Pakistani developers to come together on a single platform. This event only marks the beginning of a fruitful and winning partnership between Forum Nokia and Pakistani developers. We want to have a dialogue with the developers and engage them with our platform and offerings to offer them the services that are tailored around their needs. Calling All Innovators is a step towards this goal.”

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Guest Dr. Mohammed Yaseen, PTA Chairman said,

“Today’s event symbolizes the progress of Pakistan’s telecom industry. It is an honor for us to have players like Nokia in the industry who are playing a critical role in furthering not only their business but are also fuelling the growth of industry on the whole. By providing a breeding ground for Pakistani developers, Nokia is really taking a lead in bringing to Pakistani consumers the most relevant mobility experience. It is a positive sign for the telecom industry that companies like Nokia are diverging into new grounds and signifies a shift in telecom industry.”

Through Calling All Innovators competition, Nokia aimed to offer new opportunities for local developers to grow their business – whether it was someone new to mobile or an experienced coder.  The competition challenged mobile and web application developers to submit entries for locally relevant content in English or Urdu in any of these four categories; Eco/Being Green, Entertainment, Productivity and Life Improvement. Details about each of these categories are available on http://www.callingallinnovators.com/about_the_contest.aspx

The entries were submitted on http://www.callingallinnovators.com/login.aspx. Submissions closed in June 2010 and the final winners were announced at the prize distribution ceremony.  All eligible entries received were judged by the industry experts. Criteria for choosing the winner included quality and functionality; uniqueness and innovativeness; usability and creativity; and ability to fulfil users’ needs in terms of relevancy and customer adoption.

More information about Nokia’s Calling All Innovators Pakistan, can be found online at http://www.callingallinnovators.com/pakistan.aspx

Author: Bilal Ahmed

Bilal Ahmed is the Authour of Techpakora. He loves to know lattest info regarding telecom industry that is the reason for writting this Blog. If you like this article then post you valuable comments.You can follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

Nokia Calling All Innovators Pakistan 2010 Competition Results Announced