Annual Awards Program to culminate in October 2021 with the announcement of the 2021 Intelligent Community of the Year

(September 21, 2020 – New York City) – While preparing to announce its Intelligent Community of the Year for 2020 in 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 22nd Intelligent Community of the Year at the 2021 ICF Global Summit in October 2021. The 2020 cycle, currently in progress, will conclude on October 29 at this year’s virtual ICF Global Summit.

“Intelligent Communities are ones that plan,” said ICF co-founder Robert Bell. “So, naturally, we are already in discussion with many aspiring Intelligent Communities regarding the 2021 Awards Cycle. We receive information from communities to update our database throughout the year, and we reward each one with a free Snapshot Report of their readiness. But the opportunity to gain international recognition through our awards always brings in a rush of questionnaires. We invite interested communities to reach out to us as they begin to prepare their questionnaires and look forward to learning more about their efforts to grow their economies, societies and cultures on a digital foundation.”

More information and a questionnaire for the Awards Program can be found at www.intelligentcommunity.org/questionnaire. There is no cost to submit a questionnaire. The deadline to nominate a community for entry into consideration for the 2021 Awards cycle is January 11, 2021.

In that month, ICF and its team of Analysts will review ICF’s community database and, based on the ICF Method, name the Smart21 Communities of 2021 in February.

The Smart21 Communities of 2021 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 2021, finalists of the Intelligent Community of the Year Award, in June 2021. Of those seven, one will go on to be named Intelligent Community of the Year at the 2021 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 180 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]