A. Entry Eligibility Guidelines for All Applicants to NBQSA / APICTA
1. The Intellectual Property Rights of the product or application must be with the company which is submitting the nomination / University which the student/s apply from.
OR
if its Intellectual Property Rights is owned by the offshore parent of the local company then at least 51% of the development effort including research and development and design of the product or application, must have been undertaken by the Sri Lankan entity.
OR
If the Client and Developer jointly apply, the Intellectual Property Rights owner (either party of the two, who has to be a 100% Sri Lankan entity) has to provide explicit written consent for the joint nomination submission.
2. The product under consideration should not have been awarded a Gold Award at the NBQSA competitions held within the last three years, unless substantial enhancements have been made on the winning entry.
B. Company Eligibility
The company must be a legally registered entity in Sri Lanka.The company can be a 100% Sri Lankan company,
OR
A joint venture/partnership between a Sri Lankan company(ies) and a foreign company(ies). But the Sri Lankan shareholders must own at least 51% of the total shares.
OR
A subsidiary company of a foreign company which is independent in its operations & management.
C. Tertiary Student Eligibility
A student or a group of students who are registered as active undergraduate students in a higher-learning institution in Sri Lanka, such as college or university by the application closing date.
OR
A student or a group of students who have graduated with a Degree from a higher-learning institution in Sri Lanka, such as college or university within one year prior to the application closing date of the Competition Year.
E.g. If NBQSA 2024 application closing date is 19th July 2024, students who have graduated between 20th July 2023 and 19th July 2024 are eligible to apply.
D. Postgraduate Student Eligibility
A student or a group of students who are registered as active postgraduate students in a higher-learning institution in Sri Lanka, such as college or university by the application closing date.
OR
A student or a group of students who have graduated with a Postgraduate Degree from a higher-learning institution in Sri Lanka, such as college or university within one year prior to the application closing date of the Competition Year.
E.g. If NBQSA 2024 application closing date is 19th July 2024, students who have graduated between 20th July 2023 and 19th July 2024 are eligible to apply.
E. Individual or Group Eligibility (Non-Student Categories)
All members of the group need to be Sri Lankan Citizens at the time of application submission.
Note : If a Group nomination receives any recognition in which a certificate is awarded. They will receive a single certificate with the names of all group members.
F. Category wise eligibility criteria (In addition to above)
1. Tertiary Student Categories (Technology / Business)
See Above C. Tertiary Student Eligibility
2. Postgraduate Students
See Above D. Postgraduate Student Eligibility
3. Head Categories (Other than Student, In House)
- B. Company Eligibility (Above)
Plus - The R&D and design efforts of the product should be undertaken in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan effort should not only be limited to providing code cutting outsourced services.
- The product or application shall have been in use for at least six months (Excluding pilot run) with at least one client. Client Declaration or relevant usage related statistics (e.g. Appstore/playstore links for product) should be attached with the application indicating the period of use and satisfaction level.
4. In House Category
- B. Company Eligibility (Above)
Plus - The R&D and design efforts of the product should be undertaken in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan effort should not only be limited to providing code cutting outsourced services.
- The product or application shall have been in use for at least six months (Excluding pilot run) with at least one internal department/unit. A Declaration or relevant usage statistics (e.g. Appstore/playstore links for product) should be attached with the application indicating the period of use and satisfaction level certified by the head of the department/unit.
5. Startup Cross Category
- The company must be a legally registered entity in Sri Lanka. The company can be a 100% Sri Lankan company,
OR
A joint venture/partnership between a Sri Lankan company(ies) and a foreign company(ies). But the Sri Lankan shareholders must own at least 51% of the total shares. - The Startup Company should be initially registered within the period of three years prior to the application closing deadline.
E.g. If NBQSA 2024 application closing date is 19th July 2024, Startups who’s initial company registration is after 20th July 2021, and before 19th July 2024 are eligible to apply. - Client Declaration or relevant usage related statistics (e.g. Appstore/playstore links for product) should be attached with the application indicating the period of use and satisfaction level.
- In order to apply to startup cross-category, the entry must first apply to a relevant Head Category.
6. R&D Cross Category
- B. Company Eligibility (Above)
Plus - The R&D and design efforts of the product should be undertaken in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan effort should not only be limited to providing code cutting outsourced services.
- The product could be completed fully but not yet actively marketed, or is already actively marketed but still no customers or installation, or not been completed but its features and functionalities can be demonstrated. A Declaration or relevant usage/pilot statistics (e.g. AppStore/PlayStore links for product, pilot run evidence) should be attached with the application.
- In order to apply to R&D cross-category, the entry must first apply to a relevant Head Category.
7. Technology Categories
In order to apply to any technology categories, the entry must first apply to a relevant Head Category.
