Five organisations and one individual today received Bangabandhu International Cyber Security Awareness Award 2023 for their significant efforts and pioneering initiatives for building cybersecurity awareness.

State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak announced the names of the recipients at the award giving ceremony at the Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel in Dhaka chaired by ICT Secretary Md Shamsul Arefin.

Supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Hi-tech Park Authority and the Digital Security Agency of the ICT Division recognised the extraordinary endeavours in the domain of cyber security awareness.

Tamjid Rahman, a student of St. Joseph school in Dhaka, received the award in the category of the Cyber Security Awareness and Education while two organisations—End Now Foundation of India and Bite Capsule of Bangladesh— received the award in the category of Cyber Security Innovation Award for Entrepreneurship.

Digital Security Cell of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission and Bangladesh Police Women Network jointly won bagged the award in the category of Cyber Security Leadership Awards for government officials, public service providers, and professionals.

Pathchala Foundation received the Bangabandhu International Cyber Security Awareness Special Recognition Award.

Cybersecurity awareness at all levels, technology development, development of policy framework and international cross-border collaboration are important to ensure cybersecurity, Palak said.

Abu Sayed Md Kamruzzaman, director general at DSA, said this is the first time this award has been introduced and the cell has received a good response.

However, the number of applications meeting all the conditions and international applications was relatively low, because of a lack of a campaign regarding the award.

"We will launch a much larger campaign in the future to garner more responses," he added.