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.

This award recognizes an innovative, new company with less than ten (10) years of operating history. This company must have created an innovative product or service that is disrupting the marketplace.

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

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.

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. Economic impact can be defined as employment and/or revenue growth.

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.

This award recognizes a forward-thinking individual, organization or initiative that has demonstrated leadership in creating and driving diverse and inclusive products or practices to improve the experience for employees, customers, partners and their community.

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.

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.

This category recognizes individuals or teams who are working on innovative, new products, services, or solutions that can advance innovation in the province. These Innovators to Watch may not be far enough along yet to be nominated for the other award categories - but they are on the pathway and deserve to be highlighted and recognized. They are truly Innovators we need to watch! Recipients will be featured during the InnovateNB Awards.