On September 14, 2023, the preliminary results for the 6th Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation (Guangzhou Award) were announced at an international urban innovation symposium held in Guangzhou. The event, attended by over 100 representatives from organizations such as the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), Metropolis, the Guangzhou Institute for Urban Innovation (GIUI), and participating cities, unveiled the 15 cities that have made it to the shortlist for innovative urban initiatives.

The selected initiatives are proposed by the following cities -Antalya, Türkiye; Bogotá, Colombia; Cape Town, South Africa; Gwangju, Korea; Halandri, Greece; Iztapalapa, Mexico; Jakarta, Indonesia; Kampala, Uganda; Kazan, Russia; Mannheim, Germany; Pimpri Chinchwad, India; Ramallah, Palestine; São Paulo, Brazil; Tehran, Iran; Xianning, China.

It's worth noting that this edition of the Guangzhou Award attracted a total of 274 applications from 193 cities and local governments from 54 countries and regions. The shortlisted urban innovation initiatives were meticulously evaluated and approved by the 6th Guangzhou Award Technical Committee, composed of 11 experts from 11 countries. The evaluation criteria included innovation, effectiveness, applicability, impact, and alignment with the New Urban Agenda (NUA).

Established in 2012 by the UCLG, Metropolis, and the city of Guangzhou, the Guangzhou Award aims to promote improvements in global urban governance, innovation, and sustainable development.

According to officials from the Guangzhou Foreign Affairs Office, more than 90 cities participating in this edition of the Guangzhou Award are first-time entrants, underscoring the award's growing international influence in fostering exchanges and mutual learning among global cities and local governments.

During the announcement ceremony, Emilia Saiz, Secretary General of UCLG, emphasized that the Guangzhou Award serves as a platform for discovering, documenting, and sharing local urban innovation initiatives. "Through the involved networks, Metropolis, and UCLG with the leadership of the city of Guangzhou, we are ensuring the up-scaling of practices and the links between local, regional, and global agendas," she said.

The next step for the 6th Guangzhou Award is the online defense session for the shortlisted urban initiatives, scheduled for November this year. During this session, a panel of judges will select five winning cities and ten cities to receive honorable mentions. The official awards ceremony will take place during the Forum of Mayors 2023, which is scheduled for December 7th to 9th.

全球15个城市入围！第六届广州奖入围城市名单揭晓

9月14日，第六届广州奖初评结果发布会暨国际城市创新研讨沙龙在广州举行，来自世界城地组织、世界大都市协会、广州国际城市创新研究会以及参评城市等100余名代表参加。会上揭晓15个入围城市创新案例名单。

此次入围的城市创新案例来自土耳其安塔利亚、哥伦比亚波哥大、南非开普敦、韩国光州、希腊哈兰德里、墨西哥伊斯塔帕拉帕、印度尼西亚雅加达、乌干达坎帕拉、俄罗斯喀山、德国曼海姆、印度宾布里金杰沃德、巴勒斯坦拉姆安拉、巴西圣保罗、伊朗德黑兰、中国咸宁等城市。

据悉，本届广州奖共吸引来自54个国家和地区193个城市和地方政府的274个项目申报参评。此次公布的入围城市创新案例由来自11个国家的11位专家组成的第六届广州奖技术委员会，根据创新性、成效性、应用性、影响性以及《新城市议程》相关性等标准综合评选审定。

为积极推动改善全球城市治理与创新和可持续发展，2012年，世界城地组织、世界大都市协会和广州市联合创设了广州奖。

据广州市外办相关负责人介绍，在本届广州奖参评城市中，有90多个城市是首次参评，这充分展现了广州奖在全球城市和地方政府交流互鉴活动中日趋增强的国际影响力。

发布会上，世界城地组织秘书长艾米莉亚·塞兹表示，广州奖是发现、记录、传播地方城市创新知识经验的平台。“通过三个主办方之间的紧密合作，我确信这一平台会不断发展壮大，助力地方接轨国际议程。”

据悉，第六届广州奖入围城市优秀案例线上答辩会将于今年11月举行，届时将由评审委员会评选产生5个获奖城市和10个荣誉奖章城市，并在12月7日至9日举行的2023年全球市长论坛期间举办颁奖仪式。

文、图丨羊城晚报全媒体记者 邹丽珍 通讯员 穗外事
翻译丨刘佳慧
责编丨古司祺
校对丨桂晴