Nominations for the 2020 Chicago Innovation Awards have closed. The winners will be revealed in October, and we will open nominations for the 2021 season in May.
What Winners Receive
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Recognition at the Chicago Innovation Awards
The Chicago Innovation Award winners, the Up-and-Comer Award winners, the Wintrust Neighborhood Award winners, and the People’s Choice, Collaboration, Social Innovator, TTS Tech-Enabled Award, Accenture Corporate Innovator Award, and SMS Assist Entrepreneurial Spirit Award winners are publicly honored at the Chicago Innovation Awards in fall 2020.
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Participation in the NASDAQ Bell ceremony
The winners will collectively participate in the ceremonial ringing of the closing NASDAQ bell in spring 2021.
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Meeting with the Mayor
Chicago Innovation will facilitate a conversation between the Mayor and the winners of the Chicago Innovation Awards to discuss how the city can accelerate the efforts of our hometown innovators.
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Meeting with the Governor
Chicago Innovation will facilitate a conversation between the Governor and the winners of the Chicago Innovation Awards to present their innovation to state leaders and discuss ways to advance innovation in Illinois.
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Meeting with Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle
Chicago Innovation will facilitate a conversation between President Preckwinkle and the winners of the Chicago Innovation Awards to make connections between their new products and services and the needs of the county.
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Top 100 Finalists Receive:
The top 100 finalists will each be awarded a scholarship to “The Practical Innovator” hosted through Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management ($2,500 value). This executive education course teaches the practical skills of innovation. These top 100 finalists are also profiled on our website during the People’s Choice Award voting, in which thousands of Chicagoans will view their innovation and vote for their favorite.
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All Nominees Receive:
All of those who work toward building the innovation community in the Chicago region should be recognized. For this reason, all organizations nominated for the Chicago Innovation Awards will be recognized at the Nominee Celebration in September 2020. Additionally, all nominees will be automatically considered for our Corporate Start-up Matchmaking program, which matches our region’s most innovative companies with the needs of large corporations.