Chicago Innovation Awards

Past Events

• Un-Gala 05/21/2013 at Untitled   An event unlike any other. The Chicago Innovation Foundation Un-Gala will be an outside of the box experience, high-end and fancy, but fun and filled with unexpected surprises. An innovative menu featuring unbelievable food and drink will leave our guests talking about the amazing and unique dishes they tried, the unexpected presentation of each meal, and the specialty cocktails that are only available for this event. more »

• 2nd annual Chicago Innovation Foundation Scholarship Competition 02/28/2013 at 1871   We invite you to join us for the culmination of our 2nd annual Chicago Innovation Foundation Scholarship Competition on Thursday, February 28th at 1871. This year, we've partnered with DePaul University, in our continued mission to celebrate Chicago's top student innovators and build a stronger bridge between our region's universities and Chicago area firms. We're thrilled to announce that $20,000 in scholarships will be awarded, courtesy of the Chicago Innovation Foundation, DePaul's Creativity and Innovation Center, DePaul University's Coleman Entrepreneurship Center, and TCF Inventory Finance, Inc. The winning students will have a chance to present their idea to an audience from the business and academic communities. more »

• Accelerating High Tech Innovation in Chicago 02/13/2013 at Maggiano’s Old Orchard   We invite you to join us and Chicago's high tech innovators for a special event on February 13th at Maggiano's Old Orchard. In partnership with SIM Chicago, an organization that fosters collaboration among innovators inChicago's information and high tech community, this event features a panel of recent Chicago Innovation Awards winners and thought leaders sharing their insights on how innovation is impacting their organizations and our ever-changing world. more »

• 2012 Chicago Innovation Awards 10/22/2012 at The Harris Theater   A Chicago Tradition For the 11th consecutive year, the Chicago Innovation Awards celebrated the creative spirit of the Chicago region by honoring its most innovative new products and services. The winning organizations we revealed may be large or small, for-profit or not-for-profit, high tech, low tech or no tech, but they are all tied together by their commitment to innovation. The cocktail reception was held from 5:00pm-6:30pm, followed by the awards ceremony in the theater from 6:30pm-8:15pm.   more »

• Nominee Reception 09/05/2012 at House of Blues   To recognize Chicago’s innovators, all of the year’s nominees are honored. 409 organizations were celebrated at the House of Blues in 2011. more »

• Media, Capital, & Strategy 08/13/2012 at Museum of Broadcast Communications   Featuring talks by experts to help Chicago innovators navigate the challenges of launching a new product or service. more »

• Past Winners Showcase 06/14/2012 at Red Frog Events   The past winners showcase will feature past winners and special guests discussing how to create and lead a culture of innovation. more »

• Kickoff Cocktail Reception 05/23/2012 at 1871   To celebrate the start of the 11th annual Chicago Innovation Awards season, we invited you and a guest to attend the Chicago Innovation Awards Kick-Off Cocktail Reception.  Hosted at 1871, Chicago's newest hub of innovation and entrepreneurship, this VIP gathering was an insider’s look at all the exciting new events and activities that the Chicago Innovation Awards have planned this year to celebrate, educate and create action in our region's innovation community.   more »

• Innovation Business Plan Competition 03/26/2012 at Illinois Institute of Technology   On Monday, March 26th, the Chicago Innovation Awards hosted a reception and panel discussion at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) as we celebrated the culmination of our first Chicago Innovation Business Plan Competition. more »

• The 10th Annual Chicago Innovation Awards 11/08/2011 at The Harris Theater   For the 10th consecutive year, the Chicago Innovation Awards celebrated our region's most innovative new products and services. We invited you and a guest to join us. The winning organizations we reveal may be large or small, for-profit or not-for-profit, high tech, low tech or no tech, but they are all tied together by their commitment to innovation. more »

• Practical Innovator 09/27/2011 at Kellogg School of Management   The Practical Innovator is an invitation-only day-long executive education program at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management. Valued at $2,500, this one-day scholarship is provided, free-of-charge, to one representative from each of the Top 75 nominees. The nominees selected to participate in The Practical Innovator will also be invited to take part in the "People's Choice Award" voting later this month. Details of that will follow in the coming weeks. more »

• 2011 Nominee Reception 09/19/2011 at House of Blues   We are excited to announce that we received a record-breaking number of nominations for this year's Chicago Innovation Awards! With more than 400 organizations submitting nominations for their new products and services, it is a true testament that innovation is thriving in America's heartland. To celebrate these organizations, we will be hosting the Nominee Reception on September 19th, at the House of Blues. more »

• Media Day 08/04/2011 at The Museum of Broadcast Communications   Introducing a new event to the Chicago Innovation Awards calendar: Media Day. Last year, we learned that gaining awareness in the marketplace is the #1 challenge faced by Chicago’s innovators. This year, we’ll be hosting a panel discussion and media workshop with leading media and advertising experts to help Chicago innovators navigate and capitalize on the ever-changing media landscape. more »

• Past Winners Showcase 07/26/2011 at Google’s downtown Chicago office   To celebrate the rich history of the Chicago Innovation Awards, we will hold the Past Winners Showcase on Tuesday, July 26th. Hosted by one of the most innovative companies of the past decade, Google, this event will honor organizations that have been recipients of the Chicago Innovation Awards since its inception in 2002. A special panel of some of the most successful Chicago Innovation Award winners has been assembled for this intimate gathering to speak about innovation and share stories of success with today’s innovators. more »

• Kick-Off Cocktail Reception 06/07/2011 at Landmark Grill + Lounge   To celebrate the start of the 10th annual Chicago Innovation Awards, we cordially invite you and a guest to attend the Chicago Innovation Awards Kick-Off Cocktail Reception. Hosted by our friends at Boka Restaurant Group, this VIP gathering will be an insider’s look at all the exciting new events and activities that the Chicago Innovation Awards have planned this year to celebrate the creative spirit of the Chicago region. We have reached capacity for this event. If you would like to be added to the wait-list, please email bryan@chicagoinnovationawards.com more »

• Gilt City 03/14/2011 at Boka Restaurant   "Unleashing the Leader Within You," hosted by Gilt City on Monday. During this special talk, you'll be challenged to think differently about leadership as Tom describes his new qualities that are changing the way we lead and succeed. more »

• BMA Marketing Innovators Luncheon Seminar 01/13/2011 at The Standard Club   Innovation thought leader Tom Kuczmarski hosts the Business Marketing Association’s first Marketing Innovators Luncheon Seminar. The co-founder of the Chicago Innovation Awards and three of the awards program’s 2010 winners—all b-to-b companies—will engage in a panel discussion and show how developing solutions to customer needs enabled them to deliver value to their clients and drive growth, even in a major recession. more »

• SIM In The Suburbs Dinner 12/15/2010 at Maggiano’s – Old Orchard   SIM In The Suburbs: The Excitement of Innovation and Chicago's Leaders. A paneled discussion with four of this year’s Chicago Innovation Award winners, true innovators that uniquely fill unmet needs, spark a competitive response, achieve financial success, and improve people’s lives. more »

• 2010 Chicago Innovation Awards 11/01/2010 at Goodman Theater   The time has come, once again, to celebrate the creative spirit of innovation throughout the Chicago area. We are pleased to invite you and a guest to the annual Chicago Innovation Awards ceremony on Monday, Nov. 1st at the Goodman Theatre. This year, the Chicago Innovation Awards ceremony will honor our region's most innovative new products and services. The winning organizations may be large or small, for-profit or not-for-profit, high-tech, low-tech or no-tech, but they are all tied together by their commitment to innovation. more »

• The Practical Innovator 2010 09/28/2010 at Kellogg School of Management   Hosted by one of the top business schools in the world, this event will feature expert Kellogg faculty that teach the practical skills of innovation, including Mohan Sawhney, Tom Kuczmarski and James Conley. A special panel of past Chicago Innovation Award winners has also been assembled for the event including Chris Gladwin, CEO and Founder of Cleversafe, Dan Brown, Founder of LoggerHead Tools, Kathy Tholin, CEO of the Center for Neighborhood Technology and more to be announced. Join us for this stimulating day of insights and innovation from some of today's brightest minds as we continue to celebrate the creative spirit of the Chicago region. more »

• 2010 CIA Nominee Cocktail Reception 09/20/2010 at House of Blues   Hosted by one of the most innovative music and entertainment venues in Chicago, the House of Blues, this event will feature live music, guest speakers, and the opportunity to mingle with some of the best and brightest minds in the Chicago area. Chicago Innovation Award nominees, sponsors, media partners, judges, past winners and special friends will be on hand to take part in the festivities more »