Advanced Manufacturing: Advanced Manufacturing
This award recognizes outstanding innovation in the advanced manufacturing sector, including robotics, automation, additive manufacturing, and other cutting-edge technologies. Nominees must demonstrate exceptional leadership and achievement in driving innovation and advancing the capabilities of modern manufacturing.
Aerospace: Aerospace Innovation
This award recognizes outstanding innovation in the aerospace industry, including drones, aviation, satellites, and beyond. Nominees must demonstrate exceptional leadership and achievement in driving innovation and pushing the boundaries of the aerospace industry.
Agriculture: Agriculture/Agrifood
This award honours the successful discovery, development, and/or commercialization of novel technology or process with significant benefit within the agricultural and food industry.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML): AI/ML Advancement and Application
This award is honouring leadership and significant contribution through the discovery, application and/or implementation of Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) technology.
Digital: Digital (General)
This award is honouring leadership and significant contribution through the discovery, application and/or implementation of technology products or processes.
Construction: Construction/Smart Cities/Transportation
This award is honouring leadership and significant contribution through the discovery, application and/or implementation in the construction, smart cities, and transportation sectors that advance science or technology.
Cleantech: Energy/Cleantech
This award is honouring leadership and significant contribution through the discovery, application and/or implementation in the energy or cleantech sectors that advance science or technology.
Energy & Environment: Environmental Innovation in Energy Applications
This award honours work leading to innovations in the energy sector that advance the science or technology and have a positive environmental impact.
Environment: Environment/Water
This award is honouring leadership and significant contribution through the discovery, application and/or implementation in the environmental or water management/treatment sectors that advance science or technology.
Alternative Energies: Hydrogen and Alternative Energies: Technologies and Initiatives
This award recognizes outstanding innovation in hydrogen, decarbonization, and alternative energy technologies. Nominees must demonstrate exceptional leadership and achievement in driving innovation and contributing to the decarbonization of the economy.
Health: Medical/Healthcare/Pharmaceuticals
This award is honouring leadership and significant contribution through the discovery, application and/or implementation in the medical or healthcare/management sectors that advance science or technology.
Social/Educational: Social Innovation/Educational Technologies
This award is honouring leadership and significant contribution through the discovery, application and/or implementation in social innovation or educational technologies - that advance the body of knowledge or their application.
Sustainability Solutions/Approaches: Sustainability Solutions/Approaches/Ecosystems
This award is honouring leadership and significant contribution through the discovery, application and/or implementation in sustainable solutions. Sustainability has a broad definition, and the challenges differ from area to area. This ASTech award will be judged, as all others, on the advancement described in the submission. The goals of the sustainability application may include a leapfrog improvement for: circular goods cycle, wildlife management, improved energy use (generation, storage, transmission, distribution), reduced material requirements for a manufacturing process, and more.
Change Makers: Early Career
This award honours leadership potential in science, technology, engineering and mathematics teaching, research, entrepreneurship or a technology-based business. Nominees must exemplify qualities which are expected to make them a future leader in Alberta's innovation community.
Early Adopter Customer of Alberta Innovation: Early Adopter of Innovation (Combination: Customer and Alberta Innovator)
This award honours the value and/or partnership provided by an early-adopter-customer-company and an innovative Alberta SME technology company - in delivering customer value, advancing the acceptance of innovation, supporting the growth of the Alberta-based entrepreneurial company, and/or growing the Alberta innovation community.
Indigenous Entrepreneurship/Knowledge Contribution: Indigenous-led Entrepreneurship and Contribution to Knowledge
The award honours excellence and inspiring achievement in Indigenous entrepreneurship and contributions to knowledge. This recognition highlights the immense potential and talent within Indigenous communities and celebrates growth and community-building.
Innovation: Innovation of the Year Award (Entrepreneur/Startup/SME Company)
This award honours outstanding leadership in the innovation ecosystem by leveraging new thinking, new solutions and a new path to create global impact in a science or technology-driven sector.
Regional Innovation Champions: Regional Champion (8 Regions across Alberta/1 award per region)
This Award honours Regional Innovation Excellence and/or Community Champion - for (SMC's) Small-to-Medium-sized Cities or Counties across Alberta.
Research: Researcher of the Year (Individual/Team: Academia, Research Institutions, Large Companies)
This award honours leadership and significant contribution to a science, engineering, mathematics or technology (STEM) research, innovation or breakthrough.
Women: Women in Innovation
This award honours leadership and significant contribution to a science, engineering, mathematics or technology (STEM) innovation or breakthrough through research or entrepreneurial activity.
Alberta Champion: Alberta-wide Community Champion of Innovation
This award honours the commitment, contribution, and cross-Alberta impact of the most outstanding Champion of the Innovation Community.
Special: ASTech Special Award
On occasion, the Adjudication Panel determines there is a nominee worthy of recognition that does not fit into the exact criteria of a specific award category. In this case, the Panel is empowered to recommend a Special Award which is then discussed and approved by the Board of Directors.
