Karachi: The Pakistan Software Houses Association for IT & ITES (P@SHA) has formally opened applications for the 22nd P@SHA ICT Awards, calling on technology companies, startups, entrepreneurs, students, women-led businesses and public sector innovators from across Pakistan to submit nominations.<\/p>\n
P@SHA, the apex trade body representing the country\u2019s IT and IT-enabled Services industry, has been holding the awards for more than two decades as a national platform to acknowledge innovation, excellence and technological achievement. The 2026 edition is scheduled to be held in Karachi in September.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s awards will cover 10 core categories and 41 sub and cross categories. Entries will recognise work in areas including Artificial Intelligence, FinTech, Cybersecurity, HealthTech, Cloud Computing, Digital Government, Sustainability, Enterprise Solutions, Emerging Technologies and several other fields.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the launch, Senior Vice Chairman of P@SHA and Brand Chair Muhammad Umair Nizam said the awards celebrate the talent, innovation and achievements that are taking Pakistan\u2019s technology sector forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe P@SHA ICT Awards recognize and celebrate the talent, innovation, and achievements advancing Pakistan\u2019s technology sector. As Pakistan\u2019s premier AI-enabled awards, they highlight the companies, startups, and individuals developing transformative solutions and contributing to digital innovation. We encourage innovators from across Pakistan to participate and showcase their excellence on this national platform,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mr Nizam added that applications for the awards are free, allowing equal opportunity for startups, SMEs, established technology companies, exporters, students, women-led ventures and public sector digital initiatives.<\/p>\n
The P@SHA ICT Awards are regarded as Pakistan\u2019s most prestigious technology awards and also serve as the country\u2019s official route to the Asia Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA) Awards. Winners and runners-up represent Pakistan at APICTA, one of the region\u2019s major technology platforms. Pakistani companies have regularly received international recognition at APICTA, reflecting the country\u2019s rising strength in innovation and digital excellence.<\/p>\n
The launch comes at an important time for the national technology sector. In FY2026, Pakistan recorded USD 4.6 billion in IT exports, marking a record level and showing the sector\u2019s growing global competitiveness and increasing contribution to the economy. Pakistani technology companies are serving clients in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific and Africa through software development, AI solutions, fintech, cybersecurity, cloud services, gaming and digital products.<\/p>\n
Dr Shoab Ahmad Khan, Chair of the P@SHA ICT Awards Committee, said innovation is emerging from every part of the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cInnovation is taking place across every region of Pakistan. The P@SHA ICT Awards recognize the individuals and organizations whose ideas and solutions are driving digital transformation and strengthening Pakistan's position as an emerging global technology hub,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Applications will remain open until 30 July 2026. After the deadline, entries will be assessed through a transparent, merit-based judging process by an independent panel of national and international experts from industry, academia, entrepreneurship and technology.<\/p>\n
Finalists will be announced before the P@SHA ICT Awards Night, which will bring together industry leaders, policymakers, investors, development partners and technology professionals to mark Pakistan\u2019s leading digital achievements.<\/p>\n
Technology companies, innovators and entrepreneurs interested in taking part can review eligibility criteria, award categories and submission guidelines at www.pashaictawards.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
P@SHA has launched applications for the 22nd ICT Awards 2026, inviting nominations from technology firms, startups, students, women-led ventures and public sector innovators across Pakistan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":20005,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[94],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20006","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pakistan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20006","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20006"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20006\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/20005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20006"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20006"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.peakpoint.pk\/en\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}