A month before Connected Summit, a call for entries is advertised inviting Kenyan companies that have innovative ICT products in the market to submit their product or service. Citizens are also asked to nominate organizations that have products in the various advertised categories. The eligibility criteria require the applicant to meet the following requirements:

• Company officially registered in Kenya
• Product or service that is complete and has been in use for at least 6 months
• Product or service that has Kenyan citizens as end-user (can be delivered through a third party company or organization)
• Product or service that addresses at least one of the Vision 2030 social economic pillars

In the first call for proposals in 2011, 170 applicants participated, 88 were considered for review and 11 were selected as finalists. In 2015, participation was up to 338 entries. In 2022, a total of 57 innovations in 10 selected categories were submitted. A shortlisting process was conducted and 31 innovators were selected for the second evaluation. 7 innovators were then selected as winners to exhibit at the summit in Diani. The majority of participants are between 26 -35 years old. Like many ICT competitions and awards, women make up about 15% of participants.

A panel of experts are invited to review and select winners from the proposals submitted. All proposals are submitted online. The panel meet for 2-3 days and review and score evidence submitted for each proposal that meets the criteria. The panel then deliberates and selects runner-up and winners for the awards.

The winners and runner ups are presented with trophies and certificates at an award ceremony during the Connected Summit.

The awards have always been sponsored by some of the most innovative companies in Kenya. Their sponsorship demonstrates their commitment to supporting excellence and creativity in Kenya’s ICT sector.