The GIMI Innovation Awards recognize and celebrate the best organizations and individuals driving innovation across the public, private, and social sectors. Winners gain global recognition, credibility, media exposure, and a place in GIMI’s worldwide network of innovators.
Every entry is scored against published criteria by an expert jury, through application and review, virtual pitches, and a global awards ceremony with keynotes and panels. GIMI members can apply for free; non-members can purchase event tickets.
Every category is scored against published criteria so recognition reflects real, measurable innovation, not marketing. Each award is judged on a weighted rubric covering impact, novelty, scalability, and more.
Organizational Awards
Most Innovative Company
A private sector organization pioneering breakthrough innovations that significantly impact its industry or society.
Most Innovative Government Entity
A public sector organization transforming society through innovative policies, programs, and initiatives that address key challenges.
Most Innovative Project (Private Sector)
An innovation project ideated, incubated, and implemented by a private sector company, driving significant impact.
Most Innovative Project (Public Sector)
An innovation project ideated, incubated, and implemented by a public sector entity with profound demonstrated impact.
Most Innovative Project (Social Sector)
A social sector project demonstrating exceptional creativity, impact, and sustainability in addressing pressing social challenges.
Best Startup
An early-stage company demonstrating great potential through an innovative solution and a scalable business model.
Best Innovation Framework
The best methodologies or frameworks for innovation management, including partnership programs, processes, and strategy.
Best Innovation Hub / Science Park
Outstanding measurable impact by an innovation hub, science park, center, accelerator, or incubator in promoting innovation.
Individual Awards
Innovator of the Year
A chief innovation officer, innovation manager, or innovator in another role who showcases all innovator mindset traits and is a catalyst for change.
The Ronald Jonash Lifetime Achievement Award
An honorary award given yearly to a distinguished member of the community for long-term contributions to innovation. By nomination only; GIMI Board members scout and select the winner.
How to apply for the 2026 awards
Submit your application through the GIMI Awards portal before July 31, 2026. Select your categories, complete the registration form, and the GIMI jury takes it from there.
1
May 8 – Jul 31
Call For Applications Open
2
Aug 3 – 6
Jury Review Phase
3
Aug 7
Finalists Announced
4
Aug 13 – 18
Virtual Finalist Pitches
5
Nov 5
Awards Ceremony, Cartagena
Judged by global innovation authorities
Applications are evaluated by a distinguished panel of innovation leaders from across industry, academia, and standards bodies.
Ronald Jonash
GIMI Chairman
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Ronald Jonash
Chairman of the Global Innovation Management Institute
Ronald Jonash is the Chairman of the Global Innovation Management Institute (GIMI), the world’s largest innovation management training and certification organization. With over 50 years of consulting experience, Ronald has been at the forefront of leading growth and innovation practices at Arthur D. Little and the Monitor Group before his tenure at IXL. He has dedicated much of his career to helping senior management teams at over 50 leading global companies develop and implement new options and innovations to support sustainable business growth and profitability. At GIMI, Ronald has spearheaded advancements in “Innovation 4.0,” focusing on the next generation of advanced, digitally-enabled innovation capabilities and tools. His extensive experience includes leading innovation district projects involving universities, companies, associations, and governments across multiple regions and countries, co-developing Innovation Leadership Programs for over 2000 mid-career professionals, and directing major research initiatives for the US Department of Commerce and other organizations. Ronald’s academic credentials include a BA in Architecture/Engineering from Princeton University and an MFA in Architecture and Systems Design from Princeton, where he has also taught at Tufts University and Hult International Business School. He is a co-author of several influential books on innovation, including “The Innovation Premium” and “Leverage Technology in the New Global Company.” Ronald’s expertise spans a broad range of industries and disciplines, including energy, healthcare, mining, education, economic development, and public services, underscoring his commitment to fostering innovative and sustainable solutions.
Brett Trusko
Founder & President, IAOIP
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Brett Trusko
Founder of IAOIP and the International Journal of Innovation Science
Dr. Brett Trusko is a global leader in innovation science, a PhD, a Distinguished Professor, award winning best selling author, founder and editor of International Journal of Innovation Science, and a serial entrepreneur. He is also the founder and chair of the International Association of Innovation Professionals. (IAOIP.org). A sought after speaker, Brett has delivered hundreds of dynamic speeches in the science of innovation across the globe. Having authored 6 books, with Global Innovation Science Handbook noted in the 2015 Prose Awards in the Engineering and Technology segment, Brett is dedicated to advancing innovation science for everyone -especially to help disadvantaged communities to innovate their way out of poverty. A professor and evangelist of big data and bioinformatics, Brett was recently named as one of “20 Professors Changing Health Information Technology” by MedicalTechnologySchools.com. Breaking the mold of “those who can’t teach” – prior to advancing his academic career, Brett worked in big six consulting, was a CPA, a CFO and Controller, and is a Master Black Belt Six Sigma. He currently is on faculty at Texas A&M and Mt. Sinai Medical School in NYC.
Annika Steiber
ISO TC 279 Expert
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Annika Steiber
Expert for Working Group 1 ISO TC 279 – Innovation Management
Dr. Annika Steiber is a senior executive, advisor, author, and researcher with a Ph.D. in Management of Technology from Chalmers University in Sweden. Dr. Steiber has for decades conducted research on management for quality and innovation in a fast-changing world in parallel with senior executive, advisory, and board positions.
She was in 2024, the author of over 60 well-cited research papers and 17 scientifically based management books including The Google Model: Management for Continuous Innovation in a Rapidly Changing World, The Silicon Valley Model: Management for Entrepreneurship, and Managing in a Digital Age: Will China Surpass Silicon Valley.
For five years, she was a professor and the Director for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Menlo College (California, USA) and is currently the CEO of Management Insights, as well as of the RenDanHeYi Silicon Valley Research Center in parallel with acting as an ISO TC 279 and Singularity University expert.
Ao Kong
UN Private Sector Lead
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Ao Kong
Lead on Private Sector Partnerships at United Nations
Ms. Ao Kong brings nearly a decade-long progressive international leadership experience in global strategy, impact investing, technology for peace and development, and innovation through multi-sector. Currently, she is the Lead on private sector partnerships for the United Nations Resident Coordinator system which presents in 162 countries and territories to coordinate UN development system support to Governments in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. She is also a 92Y Belfer Center Women in Power leadership Fellow. Previously, she was Chief of Resource Mobilization, Outreach and Strategic Communications at United Nations Technology Bank; and also held various leadership positions in the ESG investing and biotech industry. Ms. Kong is a featured speaker and researcher for global fora including Milken Global Conference, Harvard Business Review, World Economic Forum, IEEE, Association for Computing Machinery, World Health Organization Bulletin, AI for Good. Awarded as “Pacific Delegate” by Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Relations, she has also been a MIT Solve Annual Challenge leader and judge for the previous years.
Marla Capozzi
Partner, McKinsey
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Marla M Capozzi
Partner, McKinsey
Marla Capozzi is a Partner in the Boston office. She is a leader and founder of CEO Alpha, McKinsey’s initiative to deliver outperformance for private company CEOs and to build the next generation of CEOs and leaders in private capital. For the past 26 years, Marla has served global clients on topics of ranging from strategy, growth, innovation, and digital transformation as well as designing leading senior executive capability building. Her clients are global private capital sponsors, CEOs, CFOs, and next generation CEOs in the US, Europe, and the Middle East currently. Marla co-authored one of 2026’s top 10 HBR articles on ‘What Every Company Can Learn from Private Equity.’ She was recently selected as one of the top 35 voices on LinkedIn in private equity. She was the first woman to Chair the Board of Trustees at Babson College, where she also earned an MBA with honors. An active member of the Boston community, she currently serves on the Boston Ballet Advisory Board and the Global Council for Junior Achievement Worldwide. She is active in the Boston venture community as a frequent MassChallenge start-up judge and mentor and angle investor.
Mark Fuller
IXL Center · Founder, Monitor Group
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Mark Fuller
Partner at IXL Center and Founder of Monitor Group
Mark Fuller is a business strategist, investor, academic, and author best known as the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Monitor Group, the global strategy consulting firm he helped build alongside Michael Porter. During his nearly three decades leading the firm, Monitor expanded to more than 2,000 professionals across 27 offices in 18 countries, advising corporations, governments, and institutions on strategy, competitiveness, and innovation. A graduate of Harvard College, Harvard Business School, and Harvard Law School, Mark began his career as a professor at Harvard Business School, where he collaborated with leading thinkers including Michael Porter, Clayton Christensen, and Chris Argyris. Throughout his career, he has advised global leaders, governments, and organizations navigating economic transformation and long-term growth. Today, Mark is the founding chairman and CEO of Rosc Global, a family office and venture investment firm focused on national competitiveness, structural trends, and frontier innovation. He is also a founding member of the World Economic Forum and has authored more than 200 publications on strategy, innovation, and economic development.
Stephen Shapiro
FAST Innovation
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Stephen Shapiro
Author & Innovation Instigator at FAST Innovation
Stephen Shapiro began his journey in innovation over 25 years ago, founding and leading a 20,000-person innovation practice at Accenture. He is the author of eight books, including his latest, You’re Not Playing with a Full Deck, and the creator of Personality Poker, an interactive experience played by more than 250,000 people worldwide. Stephen’s expertise has been featured on major television networks including CNBC, USA Network, and TLC, making his ideas as engaging on screen as they are on stage. He serves as a Senior Research Fellow with The Conference Board, has delivered presentations in over 50 countries, and was inducted into the Speaker Hall of Fame in 2015. Offstage, Stephen explores innovation through magic and music, two disciplines deeply connected to creative thinking. Magic gives him a chance to make the impossible possible, while playing the tenor sax lets him practice improvisational jazz, a form of innovation in real time.
Applications Fees
GIMI Members
Free
Platinum: 10 org + 2 tickets
Gold: 5 org + 1 ticket
Silver: 1 org + 1 ticket
Professional: 1 individual
If you’re not a member yet, check our membership packages
Held November 5, 2026 inside Innova Latam, Latin America’s leading corporate innovation summit
Recognition reaching 5,000+ innovation leaders across the region, plus GIMI’s global network
A curated room of C-level executives, leading corporations, and high-impact startups
25+
Countries
74%
C-level
5,000+
Community leaders
600+
C-level expected
Testimonials
Recognizing innovation that delivers
Bank of the Philippine Islands
“Reaching the #1 Net Promoter Score in 2 years and double-digit growth in revenue.”
Promigas
“Innovation is a core part of our strategy and one of the main enablers of our long-term vision.”
CEJAM Regional Rio de Janeiro
“It was really a very good experience to participate and to prepare this. One of the main benefits of participating in the awards was the visibility and the recognition we received, which motivates us to keep going.”
The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security
“The most rewarding things were the communication, the new people we met, receiving the trophy, and speaking on the panel. The most important thing from our second participation is to see what has improved from ourselves since last year. Our goal is to keep improving every year and see things from a different perspective.”
Bank of Africa
“It was a good opportunity to step back, connect the dots between our initiatives, and articulate them as a coherent transformation journey. The experience was both humbling and motivating due to the remarkable work done globally, strengthening our desire to continue innovating. On a human level, it was very enriching to meet people from all over the world and see that we can connect.”
Oslo Police District
“We were thrilled to be in Rio. Doing thorough work on the application puts you in the stage to prepare for the pitch, which we did as a team effort where we tried to be honest and put effort into having fun. Believing in your own story makes you shine through. I would also like to stress the good atmosphere; we made new friends, which is very inspirational because we share innovation thoughts and have the same energy to bring things forward.”
