{"id":56644,"date":"2026-03-07T20:57:53","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T12:57:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/asia-pacific\/?p=56644"},"modified":"2026-08-03T17:44:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T09:44:48","slug":"call-for-entries-women-digital-leadership-award-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/asia-pacific\/whats-new\/call-for-entries-women-digital-leadership-award-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Call for Entries: Women Digital Leadership Award 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"578\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/asia-pacific\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/women_and_ai_image3-1024x578.jpg\" alt=\"Woman working on laptop, surrounded by floating digital cubes in a high-tech, futuristic environment.\" class=\"wp-image-56653\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/asia-pacific\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/women_and_ai_image3-1024x578.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/asia-pacific\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/women_and_ai_image3-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/asia-pacific\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/women_and_ai_image3-768x434.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/asia-pacific\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/women_and_ai_image3.jpg 1360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-women-trust-and-the-new-ai-reality\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Women, Trust, and the New AI Reality<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>8 March 2026, Hong Kong<\/strong>: In celebration of the International Women\u2019s Day, the GSMA APAC is inviting submissions for the Women Digital Leadership Award 2026, to be presented at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.m360series.com\/asean\">M360 ASEAN 2026<\/a> on 10 September at Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur. The award highlights women\u2019s leadership and innovation in AI and digital technology across Asia-Pacific, addressing challenges such as under-representation and algorithmic bias.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;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 \u2014 systems that millions rely on every day. Yet she told me that when she presents findings or flags concerns about algorithmic bias, she\u2019s still sometimes asked whether she \u201cchecked 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&#8221;.<br><em>&#8211; Christina Cheung, Marketing Director, APAC, GSMA.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stories like hers aren\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Looking back at 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/asia-pacific\/whats-new\/digital-nation-awards-2025-the-winners\/\">Last year\u2019s winners<\/a> showed the strength of women\u2019s leadership in digital technology:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Tara Neal<\/strong> \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/asia-pacific\/general\/changetheface\/is-chatgpt-a-man-or-a-woman-exploring-gender-bias-in-genai\/\">Insight on AI, digital trust, gender bias<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Muntaha Asim<\/strong> \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/asia-pacific\/general\/changetheface\/empowering-her-one-cycle-at-a-time-my-journeyas-a-young-woman-leading-change-in-pakistan\/\">Championing women\u2019s voices in digital safety<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Katherine Ng<\/strong> \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/asia-pacific\/general\/changetheface\/creating-digital-trust-and-empowering-women-with-inclusive-ai\/\">Advancing responsible tech for SMEs<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Chanita Craythorne<\/strong> \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/asia-pacific\/general\/changetheface\/if-ai-isnt-built-for-women-it-isnt-built-for-half-the-world\/\">Highlighting online harms affecting women and girls<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Why this year matters<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As AI becomes central to telecom operations, customer safety, cyber defense, and digital services, women remain under\u2011represented in technical roles, governance, and leadership. Research shows women face higher automation risk and less access to emerging AI\u2011driven opportunities \u2014 yet they are also leading key innovations across network resilience, scam prevention, health tech, and service design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What we\u2019re inviting in 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To mark International Women\u2019s Day, GSMA APAC invites submissions on: <strong>Women, Trust, and the New AI Reality<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Formats:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Articles, research insights, case studies<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Short videos or podcasts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Personal reflections from AI, network, or policy work<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some suggested topics: AI for safer online spaces for women; Gaps in current digital systems; Job impacts and opportunities in the AI economy; Women\u2011led 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<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Why you should apply<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This award recognizes insight and leadership \u2014 not job titles. Last year\u2019s winners gained visibility and new opportunities to shape digital transformation. In 2026, it could be you or someone you nominate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What happens next<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Selected submissions will appear on the <strong>GSMA APAC #ChangeTheFace <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/asia-pacific\/diversity4tech\/blog\/?newspage=1\">blog<\/a><\/strong>. The Top entries will be recognized at the Digital Nation Awards of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.m360series.com\/asean\"><strong>M360 ASEAN 2026<\/strong><\/a> on 10 September 2026 in Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This award is part of a wider effort to ensure women lead the development, deployment, and governance of AI across APAC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Submission period has ended<\/strong>. Thanks everyone for your participation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a id=\"_msocom_1\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Women, Trust, and the New AI Reality 8 March 2026, Hong Kong: In celebration of the International Women\u2019s Day, the GSMA APAC is inviting submissions for the Women Digital Leadership Award 2026, to be presented at M360 ASEAN 2026 on 10 September at Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur. The award highlights women\u2019s leadership and innovation in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3732,1727],"tags":[],"algolia_discover_type":[],"class_list":["post-56644","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-changetheface","category-whats-new"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v27.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Call for Entries: Women Digital Leadership Award 2026 - GSMA Asia Pacific<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/about-us\/regions\/asia-pacific\/whats-new\/call-for-entries-women-digital-leadership-award-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Call for Entries: Women Digital Leadership Award 2026 - GSMA Asia Pacific\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Women, Trust, and the New AI Reality 8 March 2026, Hong Kong: In celebration of the International Women\u2019s Day, the GSMA APAC is inviting submissions for the Women Digital Leadership Award 2026, to be presented at M360 ASEAN 2026 on 10 September at Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur. 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