BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – The Collective Art Events co-founder Shinny Chia has been shortlisted as one of the 21 global finalists of the 2020 Shell LiveWIRE Top Ten Innovators Awards.
The creative entrepreneur is competing for a chance to receive funding, expert mentoring and the opportunity to benefit from vast linkages within Shell’s global network, LiveWIRE Brunei said in a press statement.
The competition, which rewards businesses that demonstrate excellence in innovation, received 136 applications from 15 countries this year.
Solutions that address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will be highly valued in this year’s competition, themed “Creating a More Liveable World”.
Chia has been credited for running the Community for Brunei marketplace, which was created to help small and medium enterprises sell their products online amid the COVID-19 crisis.
Since setting up The Collective Art Events in 2014, she has also won the Rice Bowl Startup Awards and partnered with the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Foundation to run a community centre in Kampong Ayer.
LiveWIRE Brunei Programme Manager Hj Abdul Yusrin Dato Hj Mohd Salleh said: “We’re thrilled to see entrepreneurs from Brunei competing for the Top Ten Innovators awards. This is a great opportunity to showcase the innovative practices of entrepreneurs and place Brunei on the world map.”
Ten winners will be awarded across three categories in the competition – energy transition, environment and circular economy as well as local prosperity.
Members of the public can vote for the finalists from September 7-16. The public can cast their votes using their email address or social media account.
An expert panel of judges will determine the ranking of the top ten innovators, with an announcement of the winners during Global Entrepreneurship Week from November 16-22.
Winners and two runners-up in the three categories will be awarded US$20,000 and US$10,000 respectively.
One enterprise will also receive the Outstanding Achievement Award of US$10,000 for making a significant contribution to combating the socio-economic impact of COVID-19.
S&R Aquafarm earned the runner-up prize in the awards last year, the first time a Bruneian business was placed in the top 10 since the launch of the global competition in 2015.