Chicago – November 06, 2026 -- The AI Leaders Council has opened free nominations for its new AI Innovation Awards, with entries closing December 31, 2026 and winners to be announced by January 29, 2027.
Awards span business functions from finance to cybersecurity
Categories cover operations, information technology, finance, cybersecurity, sales and marketing, human resources and other areas. The program also names an AI Agent of the Year and an Emerging AI Innovation of the Year. Judges will pick the AI Innovation of the Year, the highest honor, from among these winners.
Applicants must document business results and submit a video demo
Participation carries no fee. Each application requires a brief product description, key capabilities, demonstrated business results and a short video demonstration. Judging will be complete by January 15.
The program is open to AI technology providers of all sizes, from startups to established enterprise software vendors. Entries will be scored on innovation, functionality, practical applications and demonstrated business value.
Council pitches the awards as a discovery tool for executives
Neil Brown, Executive Director and Board Chair of the AI Leaders Council, said the program will recognize companies leading AI adoption and help business and technology executives find solutions that deliver "meaningful results." The council describes itself as a global community of more than 150,000 CTOs, CIOs, chief AI officers, AI directors and related professionals.