This year the BCX Digital Innovation Awards received 61 entries, made up of 45 SME and 16 Large Enterprise entries.
“BCX understands that innovation is not an end-point, but an evolving, constant journey that requires hard work and collaboration as much as it does creativity and a great idea,” says Mandisa Ntloko-Petersen, chief marketing officer at BCX.
“In past crises, companies that invested in innovation delivered superior growth and performance post-crisis. The BCX Digital Innovation Awards recognises those companies that are leapfrogging or innovating with technology to solve current challenges and that moves us forward.”
The shortlist of the Top 10 SME and Top 10 Large Enterprise entries is as follows:
| Shortlisted SME Entries | Shortlisted Large Enterprise Entries | |
| OLYMPIA HOLDINGS | RTT LOGISTICS | |
| RESPONSE 24 | 1 LIFE VANTAGE | |
| TECHNOVERA | BUDGET INSURANCE | |
| PAYMENT NOW | OLD MUTUAL GROUP – SMEgo | |
| MACROCOMM INNOVATE | ESKOM | |
| PARGO | OLD MUTUAL GROUP – COMMA INSURE | |
| THE STUDENT HUB | MACROCOMM UTILITIES | |
| DATA SIMPLIFIED | 1st FOR WOMEN | |
| SMARTFILL DISPENSER | AUTO AND GENERAL | |
| LOGOSFLOW | MILADYS |
BCX’s search for digital innovation in South Africa will now enter the next stage where the shortlisted entrants will deliver a seven-minute pitch between 20 and 21 October 2021 before a panel of judges, including Irene Ochem, founder and CEO of the Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF); Nomonde White-Ndlovu, chairperson of Wired4Women; Mmaki Jantjies, head: innovation and transformation at Telkom Group, Mandisa Ntloko-Petersen, chief marketing officer at BCX; and Shaheen Vawda, chief sales officer at BCX.
Winners of the BCX Digital Innovation Awards 2021 will be announced at the Sunday Times Top 100 Companies Awards event on 11 November.