Awards FAQ

The Innovation Research Interchange (IRI) developed the Innovation Excellence Awards in 2023 to honor individuals, teams, and organizations that are pushing boundaries to set new organizational standards in innovation and shaping the industries of tomorrow. 

The Innovation Excellence Awards are for companies and individual leaders, from any industry and at any location in the world. Anyone can nominate an Excellence in Innovation Award candidate by describing their high-impact, innovation-related projects and achievements using the online nomination form. Technology and consulting partners may submit entries to recognize their clients or customers so long as the client has approved the nomination. The project and individual achievements described in the form will be evaluated and scored by our panel of judges that are subject matter experts.

There are six (6) award categories, four (4) for projects and two (2) for individuals. The complete list is available here. When reviewing nominations, the IRI review team may reassign entries to a different category if it is determined that such a change would allow the entry to be judged more competitively.

• For IRI, NAM, and MLC members:
  • Members receive one (1) free entry.
  • Additional entries are subject to a $195 fee.
• For non-members:
  • Each entry is subject to a $295 fee.

Each enterprise can submit up to five project entries but may only be a finalist for three awards per season. There’s no limit on individual nominations. Technology and consulting partners can submit unlimited client projects, but only one project or individual per enterprise. If an enterprise exceeds the entry limit, all entrants will be contacted to decide which submissions will be judged. 

All information included in the nomination form is considered confidential and will only be viewed by IRI staff along with the Innovation Excellence Awards panel of judges. The IRI may draw on the information in preparing profiles of the awards finalists and winners. 

Innovation Excellence Awards finalists will be notified in March 2025, followed by a public announcement through press releases e-newsletters, and IRI social media. Finalists will receive a social media packet and be recognized at the Innovators Summit in Chicago, May 19-21, 2025, where the winners will be announced. In-person attendance is highly encouraged.