GSMA APAC Women Digital Leadership Awards 2026

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Women Digital Leadership Awards

In celebration of the International Women’s Day, the GSMA APAC is inviting submissions for the Women Digital Leadership Award 2026, to be presented at M360 ASEAN 2026 on 9-10 September at The Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur. The award highlights women’s leadership and innovation in AI and digital technology across Asia-Pacific, addressing challenges such as under-representation and algorithmic bias.

  • I spoke recently with a senior AI engineer at a major mobile operator in Asia. Her team trains the models to detect scams and fraud across the network — systems that millions rely on every day. Yet she told me that when she presents findings or flags concerns about algorithmic bias, she’s still sometimes asked whether she “checked her assumptions with a more technical colleague. She is the technical colleague. She built the system. But her expertise is still questioned in ways her male peers rarely experience

    Christina Cheung Head of Marketing, APAC, GSMA

Stories like hers aren’t rare. Across MNOs in Asia-Pacific, women are driving some of the most advanced AI and network innovations, while still pushing against the same old expectations.

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Why this year matters

As AI becomes central to telecom operations, customer safety, cyber defense, and digital services, women remain under‑represented in technical roles, governance, and leadership. Research shows women face higher automation risk and less access to emerging AI‑driven opportunities — yet they are also leading key innovations across network resilience, scam prevention, health tech, and service design.

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What we’re inviting in 2026

To mark International Women’s Day, GSMA APAC invites submissions on: Women, Trust, and the New AI Reality

Formats:

  • Articles, research insights, case studies
  • Short videos or podcasts
  • Personal reflections from AI, network, or policy work

Some suggested topics: AI for safer online spaces for women; Gaps in current digital systems; Job impacts and opportunities in the AI economy; Women‑led innovations across digital services; Experiences deploying or regulating AI in APAC. But we want to hear from your experience, and no topic is off limits.

Due to overwhelming responses, we have now extended the submission deadline to end of June. Please submit your entry to Billy Chan at bchan@gsma.com by 30 June 2026.

Selected submissions will appear on the GSMA APAC #ChangeTheFace blog.

Awards

The best 3 write-ups will get an award trophy and be sponsored to attend the GSMA M360 ASEAN on September 9-10 in Kuala Lumpur.

Judging Criteria

  1. Relevance and Depth of Content in this year’s Topic (50% of the score)
    • Does the article address key issues relating to digital trust and women empowerment with AI?
  2. Practical solutions and recommendations (30% of the score)
    • Does the article offer actionable strategies or tools that women can use to enhance their digital trust with inclusive AI?
    • Are the suggestions realistic and backed by evidence or case studies?
  3. Engagement and clarity of writing (20% of the score)
    • Is the article engaging and well-structured, making it easy for readers to follow?

 

Awards Ceremony

Awards will be announced and presented during the Digital Nation Awards Cocktail Reception of the M360 ASEAN at The Grand Hyatt, Kuala Lumpur on 9 September 2026 from 5:30pm – 6:30pm. This is an invitation-only networking reception for VIPs attending the M360 ASEAN 2026 and Digital Nation Awards ceremony.

Public Announcement of Results

The results will be posted on the GSMA’s Asia Pacific website https://www.gsma.com/asia-pacific/  on 10 September 2026.