On Thursday evening, a ceremony awarding the winners of the Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation was held in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

On Thursday evening, the organizers of the Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation announced five cities as winners during a ceremony in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province.

Out of 15 nominees, the winners were Bogota in Colombia, Chalandri in Greece, Gwangju in the Republic of Korea, Kampala in Uganda, and Xianning in China. Xianning, which is in Hubei province, also won the title of "the City of Your Choice".

The Guangzhou-based award, given once every two years, aims to promote the exchange of urban innovation and development experience, recognize cities and local governments for successful innovation and development promotion, advocate for a scientific approach to urban innovation and development, and promote sustainable development of cities worldwide.

The thematic areas include social inclusion and shared prosperity, environmental protection and resilience, public services and infrastructure, urban heritage and cultural preservation, smart cities and technology governance.

The award was jointly launched in 2012 by Guangzhou, the World Association of the Major Metropolises and the United Cities and Local Government (UCLG).

According to Claudia Lopez Hernandez, Mayor of Bogota, Colombia, and President of the World Association of Major Metropolises, the award plays an essential role in promoting global communication among cities.

"We're trying to build this network of not only mayors but communities, local leaders, and local entrepreneurs who can share experiences or innovative solutions," she said.

Over the past 11 years, the award has gathered 1,635 cases from 653 cities and local governments in 101 countries, with projects mainly involving areas of infrastructure and public service, urban planning and good governance, partnerships, technology, city resilience, social management and gender equality.

Additionally, the winners of the Medal of Honor this year are Antalya in Turkey, Cape Town in South Africa, Iztapalapa in Mexico, Jakarta in Indonesia, Kazan in Russia, Mannheim in Germany, Pimpri-Chinchwad in India, Ramallah in Palestine, Sao Paulo in Brazil and Tehran in Iran.

Following the announcement of the winners, the 2023 Global Mayors' Forum was also held in Guangzhou on Friday, with a theme of city innovation and cooperation to drive high-quality development.