2026 AWARDS & SPECIAL HONORS
Celebrating the creativity, determination and achievements of young innovators around the world.
Awards & Honors Celebration · October 25, 2026
Explore AwardsSpecial Honors2026 Awards & Honors Celebration
Join our global community in celebrating the young people who brought their ideas to life.
AWARDS
Each award recognizes a different dimension of the innovation process and the ways young innovators share their work with the world.
Process Award
This award celebrates those who have excelled in:
Identifying and truly understanding a problem, brainstorming with creativity during their ideation phase, designing and building with precision, and diligently testing and refining their solutions.
Communication Award
Nominees for this category have demonstrated excellence in:
Clearly outlining their innovative idea, creating compelling presentation slides, delivering a captivating live presentation, and engaging actively during the Q&A sessions.
Impact Award
This award is for those who have shown:
Potential to make a significant mark in the market, originality in their approach, a strong value proposition, and most importantly, an innovation that holds great social value.
Judges’ Overall Favorite Award
This award goes to finalists that have been given special commendation by our esteemed panel of international judges.
Journal Award
This award recognizes students who have excelled in documenting their innovation journey through detailed outlines, notebooks, or journals, showcasing their dedication and process.
Pitch Video Award
This award celebrates excellence in:
Crafting a clear and thoughtful outline of their idea, and delivering a persuasive and creative video pitch.
Presentation Slides Award
This award honors students:
who have created outstanding presentation slides that clearly communicate their ideas. It recognizes clarity of structure, engaging design, effective use of visuals, and the ability to convey complex concepts in a simple and impactful way.
SPECIAL HONORS
Additional opportunities and recognition offered to selected young innovators, extending their learning and connections beyond the event.
Cloud Club Collective Co-design Opportunity
Cloud Club Collective Co-design Opportunity is to Co-design a purposeful daydreaming audio guide created to inspire other young innovators to dream, imagine, and think creatively.
This honor is sponsored by Cloud Club Collective.
Learning Median Mentorship
Learning Median Mentorship is from Learning Median. It is one introductory mentorship session followed by personalized follow-up(s), designed to help youth innovators reflect on their goals, navigate challenges, and build strategic clarity in their projects or learning journeys.
New England Invents Consultation
New England Invents Consultation is sponsored by New England Invents, it offers opportunity to meet with George Peters, President of New England Invents, to discuss your innovation and receive guidance based on his many years of experience bringing inventions to market.
Jim DeBetta Consultation
Jim DeBetta Consultation, Meet with Jim DeBetta, an invention and retail product placement expert, to discuss your innovation and receive guidance based on his many years of experience helping inventors turn their ideas into successful products.
Innovation Forward Funds
Innovation Forward Funds is provided by Innovation World and the Inventor’s Patent Academy, $200 to help innovators continue developing their innovation and moving their ideas forward.
Watch the Finalists’ Presentations
Discover the ideas behind the projects and watch the finalists share their innovations in the October 2026 Global Innovation Field Trip sessions.
Watch Presentations ↗Thank you to all participating students, families, educators, volunteer judges, partners and supporters who helped make IF.GIC 2026 possible.