InnovateNB Award Finalists and Winners

We are proud to announce the top three finalists of each InnovateNB Award Category. The InnovateNB Hall of Fame inductees will be announced in the coming weeks. Please join us at the InnovateNB Award on Thursday, October 12th for the reveal of the 2023 list of ‘Ones to Watch’.

See last year’s winners and finalists here.

Emerging Innovator

This award recognizes a distinguished innovator who has demonstrated excellence in the early stage of their careers, or in the early stages of an innovative breakthrough. This could be an individual, student, or newcomer who has made or is making innovative contributions to their field or community.

Finalists:

Sydney Rankin, Profitual

Laura Richard, Saltwinds Coffee

Curtis Kennedy, Symbodi

Diversity and Inclusion Champion

This award recognizes a forward-thinking individual, organization or initiative that has demonstrated leadership in creating and driving diversity and inclusion to improve the environment for employees, customers, partners and their community.

Finalists:

Joanne Owuor, the Uzima Network

Constantine Passaris, Professor of Economics, UNB/New Brunswick Multicultural Council

Jenna White, Jenna's Nut Free Dessertery

Public Sector Award for Innovation

This award recognizes either the adoption of an innovative new solution or approach for the delivery of a new or existing service/product that is offered to the public sector, or a private organization that delivers service or solutions to the Government of New Brunswick. The innovation may also have been achieved through a partnership between the public and private, not-for-profit, or academic sectors. 

Finalists:

Suzanne Dupuis Blanchard, Université de Moncton

Cindy Donovan, Loch Lomond Villa

Safety First Collaborators - a joint initiative between Saint John-based organizations Teen Resource Centre, The Saint John Learning Exchange, the HOME-RL lab at UNB, and Housing Alternatives Inc.

Productivity Improvement by Adopting Technology

This award recognizes an established business that has recently adopted technology or adapted existing technology in order to improve efficiencies in their process and organizational results.

Finalists:

Toner Outdoor Signs

Imperial Manufacturing

Sparta Manufacturing

Innovation in Academia and Research

This award recognizes the individuals and research groups that have a significant impact on the province of New Brunswick through research and innovation. This impact could be on the health, social and/or economic sectors of the province through policy development and/or commercialization.

Finalists:

Dr. Julia Woodhall-Melnik and Dr. Tobin LeBlanc Hayley, co-directors of the HOME-RL Lab at the University of New Brunswick

Paul Cook, Interim Director, Research Institute in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (RIDSAI)

Yassine Bouslimani and Sid Ahmed Selouani, Université de Moncton

Most Innovative Startup

From a great idea to thinking outside the box, in technical or managerial terms, this award recognizes a company in business for less than ten years with something fresh to say in the marketplace or using an innovative approach to addressing an old problem.

Finalists:

Picketa Systems

Gray Wolf Analytics

PLAEX™ Building Systems

Innovation Champion

This award recognizes the efforts of an individual or company who has demonstrated a commitment to creating, fostering, promoting and encouraging innovation (technological, social or economic) in any sector or industry in New Brunswick. This could be by promoting the idea of innovation, providing or creating an environment to foster innovation, or creating a positive impact based on innovation in communities or the province overall.

Finalists:

J Hebert Smith Centre, with special recognition to Energia

Curtis Howe, Mariner Partners

Nick Scott, ShiftFlow Innovation & Design

Most Innovative Product or Service

This award recognizes a successful launch of an innovative product or service by a private sector company in the past 5 years. Products or services could still be at the validation stage, however, there must be some measure of success either identified or established.

Finalists:

Four Eyes Financial

PLAEX™ Building Systems

Picketa Systems

Economic Impact Through Innovation

Innovation is the foundation of our growing economy. This award recognizes a company or organization that has demonstrated sustained economic impact in New Brunswick driven by innovation resulting from employment growth over time.

Finalists:

Joint Economic Development Initiative (JEDI)

Smart Skin Technologies

Chinova Bioworks