Celebrating the World’s Boldest Innovations
Join a global movement recognizing excellence in tech, design, impact, and creativity.
Celebrating BOLD Ideas That Shape the Future
The BOLD Awards is a global platform that honors exceptional individuals, companies, and projects making breakthrough contributions to the digital economy and society. Launched in collaboration with leading innovation platforms and communities, the awards spotlight transformative ideas across technology, sustainability, creativity, and impact.
With 22+ forward-thinking categories ranging from AI and FinTech to Social Impact and FashionTech, BOLD Awards recognizes those who dare to innovate beyond convention.
What Makes BOLD Different?
What sets BOLD Awards apart is our unapologetic celebration of the game-changers, rule-breakers, and future-shapers. While traditional awards look to the past, we spotlight BOLD innovations defining what’s next—across AI, Web3, sustainability, deeptech, creative industries and beyond.
This isn’t just a trophy moment; it’s a global stage that fuses cutting-edge tech, visionary storytelling, and powerful networking. From the stringent criteria and virtual crowd-voting to our high-impact gala dinner, BOLD Awards is where impactful work meets real-world recognition, and BOLD thinkers connect to spark the next wave of disruption.
BOLD categories
BOLD Awards welcomes entries relating to individuals, projects or companies in 22 categories of digital industries and the technology that powers them. A single processing fee allows for a submission to be entered in up to two award categories – which ones will you choose? Answers to other most frequently asked questions can be found at FAQs.
Boldest Crowdsourcing
Crowdsourcing platforms and initiatives that can demonstrate achievement of clear business milestones will be rewarded in this category. We will consider the approach to crowd participation, platform design and functions. Judging will not be based on size or number of users but on efficiency, ingenuity, and proven business success.
Boldest AI
This award is open to any Artificial Intelligence (AI) standalone project or as part of a larger project. The success of the project should be demonstrated in terms of how the development of AI led to improved performance or its ability to solve real problems.
Boldest FinTech
This category recognizes fintech innovations that boost the financial health of businesses and advance financial inclusion. Judging considerations include technology infrastructure, security and market share.
Boldest AR/VR
This award is for the best overall AR/VR and XR project from an aesthetic, usability, and technology perspective. Additional points are given to evidence of multiple successful applications of AR/VR reality technology.
Boldest Future of Work
The award recognizes the best companies who are bravely embracing the future of work – whether building and managing remote teams, automating tasks and workflows, or creating new digital tools, and platforms that enhance productivity and employee well-being.
Boldest Cybersecurity
The award identifies and rewards cybersecurity firms, individuals and products that are working to keep our data and electronic assets safe among a growing threat from hackers and malicious software. This award will be presented to those who are on the frontlines of the effort to prepare, defend and respond to this growing threat.
Boldest Mobility
This category recognizes startups, individuals or companies who are bringing the very best mobility solutions, public transport, and other intelligent transport systems and applications and have the potential to make a profound impact on the modern world. This award highlights some of the most ambitious, innovative, and successful sustainable mobility solutions.
Boldest IOT
This category recognizes excellence in Internet of Things IOT innovation on connected devices and digital transformation in specific fields, highlighting the results that are transforming industries and the exceptional work of IOT.
Boldest Crypto
This category recognises the most reliable cryptocurrency related projects and services whose contributions have made exceptional gains to the crypto ecosystem. This may include, but is not limited to: Cryptocurrency Market Exchanges, Crypto Trading or Lending Platforms, and Crypto Liquidity Providers.
Boldest Crowdfunding Project
This category is for a crowdfunding campaign that delivered much more than funding. Projects entered into this category should be able to demonstrate the steps taken to invite others to support their cause and help raise funding.
Boldest HR Tech
The HR Tech Award honors innovative HR technology solutions that revolutionize recruitment, employee engagement, and workforce management. This category showcases AI-driven tools and platforms that streamline HR processes and enhance organizational performance.
Boldest EdTech
This category recognizes the use of new technology that significantly enhances the learning experience in K-12, Higher Education, and Skills and Workforce sectors. Judging considerations will focus on its ability to support a wide range of educational activities and learning styles.
Boldest InsurTech
This category recognizes insurtech emerging technologies that deliver operational excellence, business model innovation, strong risk prevention, and data analytics. Entries are welcome from insurers, technology service providers, general agents, data aggregators, and related entities.
Boldest eGaming / eSports
This category recognizes the achievements across major egaming/ esports disciplines including gaming software, networks, mobile, IT, and infrastructure.
Boldest HealthTech
This category recognizes innovative tech solutions, tools, and/or services to solve health and health care problems, provide compassionate care, and build healthier communities.
Boldest Blockchain
This category recognizes significant contributions to the advancement of blockchain and NFTs distributed ledger technology and its applications. Consideration will be given to offering increased understanding, accessibility, efficiency and adoption of blockchain and NFTs by tapping into wider audiences and driving adoption.
Boldest SaaS
This award will be given to the software solutions provider which can best demonstrate an innovative approach to the development and continuous improvement of their SaaS offering. Applicants are encouraged to supply client case study materials or testimonials.
Boldest New Media / AdTech
This category is designed for fantastic examples of digital communications and platforms that increase exposure and drive business results. This includes any media – from podcasts, blogs/ vlogs, influencer marketing, video sharing platforms, and adtech – that are delivered digitally.
Boldest Open Innovation
This category is open to any organization that can show excellence in the way it has used open innovation and strategy within its own business to improve its performance and growth. Entrants should present clear evidence of how open innovation has delivered results and how this benefits both its organization and collaborators.
Boldest Science
Entrants for this category must be able to demonstrate an innovative and creative approach in a scientific project. This category is open to any organization or individual who developed science-based solutions that can demonstrate a quantifiable benefit for the world.
Boldest Robotics
This category is for a robotics project that stands out in terms of innovation, quality, value, and engineering. Projects entered into this category should demonstrate the creation of new products, applications, process automation or markets in robotics.
Boldest Design
This Award recognizes excellence in all areas of design enterprise and celebrates the richness of the design profession and its practitioners. We are looking for the most imaginative initiatives, whether that is in website design, design usability, product design, or any other area of design. Something original, exciting and practical. Submissions should be able to prove demonstrably how UI and/or UX design has led to tangible, positive results.
What does BOLD look like?
Our BOLD Alumni are diverse, remarkable, and impact-driven.
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