The German Innovation Award recognizes innovations that have a lasting impact. The competition supports the winners in communicating their product innovations better and more efficiently. Companies can initiate a nomination for the competition themselves—ideally as soon as possible, as the application deadline after being nominated is February 2nd.
Design, brand and innovation: Only with this triad are companies prepared for the tough competition of Industry 4.0 and digitalization — according to the “German Design Council”, the initiator of the German Innovation Award.
What is behind this competition?
From young to established, from large corporations to micro-enterprises, from B2B to B2C: The award is aimed at all companies that offer a unique solution with a high impact. And this also sets the prize apart from others: It doesn't recognize mere innovations, but only those that demonstrably improve the offering for the user. Even if they are details of an overall solution.
Quite a few innovations that represent a genuine increase in utility value, such as detailed components for driving safety in electric vehicles, are often overlooked in the overall innovative performance of the industry. And this is precisely where the German Innovation Award bridges the gap: The innovations with the greatest impact are often hidden in the details, and the competition aims to make this visible. This type of innovation can be found in a wide variety of industries and sectors, including services and digital services.
What really counts in the German Innovation Award?
The evaluation criteria for the German Innovation Award include topics such as the level of innovation, user benefits, and cost-effectiveness. The innovation strategy should consider aspects such as social, ecological, and economic sustainability, as well as energy and resource use. Factors such as location and employment potential, longevity, market readiness, technical quality and functionality, materiality, and synergy effects also play an important role for the jury.
Companies can nominate their projects and products for the competition themselves. If their idea is convincing, they will be nominated by the panel of experts and must then submit the application documents for their innovations. Submit by February 2, 2018.
