Awarded to an individual or team whose leadership and creative use of existing or development of new technology has benefited the environment for equity, diversity, accessibility, and inclusion in the Richmond metropolitan area or the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Criteria:
• This individual/group has used technology in an innovative and creative way to enrich the environment for equity, diversity, accessibility, and inclusion either in the Richmond metro area or throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia.

• Nominee(s) must demonstrate how they have employed existing or new technology to provide a more affirming environment and sustain support for historically underrepresented groups.

• Nominee(s) must demonstrate intent to be a catalyst for change in the areas of equity, diversity, accessibility, and inclusion.

Awarded to an individual or team from an organization in central Virginia that displays the most innovative use(s) of technology to deliver services, advance their mission, or impact our community.

Criteria:
• This individual/group has used technology in an innovative and creative way to deliver services, advance their mission, transform their industry, or impact the community.

• Nominee must showcase a demonstrable impact on their community and the technology ecosystem in Richmond through their work

Awarded to a K-12 student who has demonstrated a meaningful impact on the technology ecosystem in Richmond.

Criteria:
• Must matriculate in grades K-12 specifically within Richmond or surrounding counties at the time of nomination

• Awarded for a demonstrable impact, product, or program that advances the technology ecosystem within Richmond

• Award winner will be selected based on excellence within an “above and beyond” initiative that took place outside of a class assignment

• Must showcase a high degree of innovation or uniqueness, offering a compelling offering that is not currently available in the greater Richmond marketplace

Awarded to a local technology company delivering technology solutions and/or services to external clients that build capacity and increase operational efficiency.

Criteria:
• Intended for the vendor and consultant community that specialize in providing technology solutions for client companies

• Must showcase a strategic and innovative solution that changes business process or procedure

• Must provide tangible financial or business value and increase operational efficiency for a client

Awarded to a public agency, or organization benefitting the public good, whose creative use of existing or development of new technology enhances processes, methodologies and/or services for their own or others' benefit.
Criteria:• Awarded for excellence and innovation on a project, process, or business transformation

• Must demonstrate how discovery, collaboration, iteration, prototyping, etc. contributed to the conception and development of the innovation

• Must demonstrate how the innovation satisfies an existing need or creates a new need that is not currently available in the market.

• Must showcase distinct, game changing advantages over any alternatives.

• The innovation must showcase compelling ways in which it was communicated, how users were engaged, and how it was delivered to the marketplace.

• The value proposition must be clearly achieved, fulfilled and validated in the marketplace.

• The project should have a long-term impact and be an inspiration for future innovation and innovators

Awarded to a company whose creative use of existing or development of new technology enhances processes, methodologies and/or services for their own or others' benefit.

Criteria: • Awarded for excellence and innovation on a project, process, or business transformation

• Must demonstrate how discovery, collaboration, iteration, prototyping, etc. contributed to the conception and development of the innovation

• Must demonstrate how the innovation satisfies an existing need or creates a new need that is not currently available in the market.

• Must showcase distinct, game changing advantages over any alternatives.

• The innovation must showcase compelling ways in which it was communicated, how users were engaged, and how it was delivered to the marketplace.

• The value proposition must be clearly achieved, fulfilled and validated in the marketplace.

• The project should have a long-term impact and be an inspiration for future innovation and innovators

Awarded to an individual whose leadership resulted to create competitive advantage, optimize business processes, enable growth or improve relationships with customers.

Criteria:
• An executive who has primary IT leadership responsibility for an entire company, business line, or geography.

• In the past year, has demonstrated leadership to successfully manage and champion technology initiatives.
Examples include: • Led technology efforts on a day-to-day basis, while receiving positive results from internal employee surveys.

• Improved the internal IT organization (e.g., restructured, new technology, use of automation, use of analytics, improved risk management, improved reporting)

• Led technology efforts related to a major company change (e.g., taken a company public/private, led merger/acquisition activities, introduced a new product into the marketplace)

• Significantly boosted a company’s IT presence in a geography

Awarded to a cyber security project that showcases breakthrough innovation and creativity in the practice and application of cyber security.

Awarded to a cloud computing project that showcases breakthrough innovation and creativity in the practice and application of cloud computing.

Awarded to a project that showcases breakthrough innovation and creativity in the practice and application of data science.

Awarded to a legislator(s) who have made a positive impact on the technology sector in the previous year.

Awarded to an individual or organization that has made a significant impact on the growth of technology in this region, and/or the advancement of Greater Richmond as a center for technology innovation.