Sept 6: Innovation Awards Deadline
The Forrest Four-Cast: Sept. 4, 2019
With summer officially behind us, we hope the start of the academic year brings a renewed intellectual enthusiasm and a wealth of exciting fresh ideas.
And there’s no better place to explore those concepts than SXSW. The application process for the many competitions that are part of March Magic is well underway with some key milestones coming up at the end of this week.
If you’re feeling passionate about your creation, apply for the 23rd annual SXSW Interactive Innovation Awards! Each year, they recognize the most exciting tech developments in the connected world.
The early / discounted entry deadline is end of the day this Friday, September 6. Late entries (with a higher application fee) will be accepted until end of the day on Friday, November 15.
A panel of industry peers and experts will select five finalists in each of 13 categories, looking at creativity, innovation, form, function and overall experience. All SXSW Innovation Awards Finalists will receive two complimentary Platinum registrations to come to SXSW 2020 next March to demonstrate their projects for SXSW attendees and the Innovation Awards Finalist Judges at the SXSW Interactive Innovation Awards Finalist Showcase where the 13 category winners, as well as the Best of Show and People’s Choice winners, will be announced. Participation in the Finalist Showcase is required for all award consideration.
All SXSW Innovation Awards entrants will be given the chance to register to attend SXSW Interactive at the lowest early bird rate.
See the 2020 categories and the 2019 winners below.
AI & Machine Learning
Honoring digital systems that have the ability to adapt to changing data, stimuli, and circumstances; replicating learning, problem-solving, and cognition.
2019 Winner iN: Cognitive Patient Care Assistant by Inspiren, New York, New York, USA
Climate, Culture and Social Impact
Honoring the best new projects and technologies that focus on social, cultural and environmental impact and encourage communities and individuals to participate in and contribute to the betterment of society.
New category
Health, Med, & BioTech
Honoring the best new technology to improve the quality, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness of prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care in health and medicine.
2019 Winner Butterfly iQ by Butterfly Network, Guilford, Connecticut, USA
Innovation in Connecting People
Honoring the most forward-thinking ways to connect and communicate with others.
2019 Winner Living First Languages Digital Platform by The Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation, Edgecliff, New South Wales, Australia
Music & Audio Innovation
Honoring the most innovative devices or services that change and improve the way we listen to, compose and enjoy music.
2019 Winner nuraphone — A Self-Learning Headphone by nura, Melbourne, Australia
New Economy
Honoring those redefining the exchange of goods and services, from the sharing economy, to virtual currency, to micro-finance, to mobile-device-payment systems, and beyond.
2019 Winner Biometric Payments & Age Validation by CLEAR, New York, New York, USA
Robotics & Hardware
Honoring the hottest new advances in the field of robotics and hardware.
2019 Winner My Special Aflac Duck™ by Aflac, Sproutel, Carol Cone On Purpose & The Nation of Artists, Los Angeles, California, USA
Smart Cities, Transportation & Logistics
Honoring innovations in eco-friendly or sustainable energy, transportation, delivery and IoT technology, making life in the connected world a smarter, cleaner, and more efficient Internet of Everything.
2019 Winner Dubai Paperless Strategy by Smart Dubai, Duabi, United Arab Emirates
Speculative Design
Honoring the best new work that uses design to re-think products, systems and worlds and address the challenges, opportunities and possibilities of the future.
2019 Winner Argus: A Water Monitoring Plant by Parsons School of Design, The New School, New York, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Student Innovation
Honoring exceptional student projects and startups that focus on interactive technology for the future.
2019 Winner Graphene Brain-Computer Interface by Brane Interface, Austin, Texas, USA
Visual Media Experience
Honoring content creation and delivery that moves beyond passive viewership by providing a more immersive and engaging entertainment experience.
2019 Winner HBO’s SXSWestworld by Giant Spoon, New York, New York USA
Wearable Tech
Honoring the new hardware that revolutionizes the convenience, comfort, functionality, efficiency, and fashion of having a device literally “on you.”
2019 Winner The Eargo Max Hearing Aid by Eargo, Mountain View, California, USA
XR
Honoring breakthroughs in augmented, virtual and mixed reality technology including the application of new hardware or software which truly make the “virtual” a reality.
2019 Winner Fundamental Surgery by FundamentalVR, New York, New York, USA
Questions? Check out the Innovation Awards FAQ? or email interawards@sxsw.com.
Learn more about the 2020 Community Service Awards here, which has its final deadline this Friday.
Hugh Forrest serves as Chief Programming Officer at SXSW, the world’s most unique gathering of creative professionals. He also tries to write at least four paragraphs per day on Medium. These posts often cover tech-related trends; other times they focus on books, pop culture, sports and other current events.
