Annual Awards Program to culminate in October 2022 with the announcement of the 2022 Intelligent Community of the Year

(November 18, 2021 – New York City) – After announcing Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada as the Intelligent Community of the Year this October, the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) has opened nominations for the next cycle of its prestigious international awards program for cities and regions.

The Awards Program, which is run by the New York-based think-tank, will name its 24th Intelligent Community of the Year at the 2022 ICF Global Summit in October 2022. The 2022 cycle, currently in progress, will conclude at next year’s ICF Global Summit.

More information and a questionnaire for the Awards Program can be found at www.intelligentcommunity.org/index_questionnaire. There is no cost to submit a questionnaire. The deadline to nominate a community for entry into consideration for the 2022 Awards cycle is January 11, 2022.

Communities that submit a questionnaire receive several additional benefits, including a free Snapshot Report, offering a top-level comparison of their communities to the global data set of Intelligent Communities. They are also eligible to purchase a full Analytics Report that analyzes their communities’ performance, readiness and maturity on 30 aspects and offers recommendations for action. In addition, communities that submit a questionnaire are able to apply for membership in the Intelligent Community Forum, which opens ICF’s network to them for learning, economic development and strategic partnerships.

“ICF is probably best known for its award program,” said co-founder Robert Bell, “but at heart, we are a learning and teaching organization. The information provided by the communities that compete in the program are the inspiration for the ICF Method of economic, social and cultural development in the digital age we share with aspiring communities around the world.”

In January 2022, ICF and its team of Analysts will review ICF’s community database and, based on the ICF Method, name the Smart21 Communities of 2022 in February.

The Smart21 Communities of 2022 will become part of ICF’s network of over 180 Intelligent Communities around the world, and will receive media coverage, investment inquiries and independent validation of their community’s progress in preparing to prosper as technology continues to create challenges – and opportunities – faced by communities around the globe.

Of those Smart21, seven will advance to be named the Top7 Intelligent Communities of 2022, finalists of the Intelligent Community of the Year Award, in June 2022. Of those seven, one will go on to be named Intelligent Community of the Year at the 2022 ICF Global Summit.

More about the ICF Method
The ICF Method is a set of critical success factors for the creation of Intelligent Communities, developed by ICF over 20 years of research with hundreds of cities and regions around the world. It provides a guide for small, midsize and large communities to follow in creating inclusive prosperity, social health and cultural richness amid the immense disruptions of the digital economy. You can learn more about the ICF Method here: https://www.intelligentcommunity.org/method

About the Intelligent Community Forum
The Intelligent Community Forum (www.intelligentcommunity.org), headquartered in New York, is a global network of 185 cities, metro regions and counties with a think tank at its heart and a mission to make everyone’s “hometown” at great place. ICF studies and promotes the best practices of the world's Intelligent Communities as they adapt to the new demands and seize the opportunities presented by broadband and digital technology. To help cities and regions build prosperous economies, solve social problems and enrich local cultures, the Intelligent Community Forum conducts research, hosts events around the globe, publishes books, and produces its high-profile annual international awards program. The Forum sponsors research Institutes in North America dedicated to the study of the movement, and national organizations in Canada and Taiwan, both home to many Intelligent Communities. In 2012 ICF was invited to participate at the Nobel Peace Prize conference in Oslo and in 2014, its model and work was recognized by the U.S. Department of Commerce under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which, according to the American government, was "aimed at creating a more flexible and responsive system of workforce development to meet the needs of employers looking to fill 21st century jobs.” For more information, go to www.intelligentcommunity.org/icf_membership. For more details on the Intelligent Community Forum’s recent publications and programs, www.intelligentcommunity.org.

Intelligent Community Forum Contacts
Matthew Owen
Director of Operations
Intelligent Community Forum
Phone: +1 646-291-6166 (x105)
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @Newcommunities

Victoria Krisman
Communications Manager
Intelligent Community Forum
Email: [email protected]