Curaçao Innovation Award 2023

For entrepreneurs and innovators in Curaçao, it is that wonderful time of year when applications for the Curaçao Innovation Award open, and this year is even more special than usual: we are celebrating the 25th edition of the Curaçao Innovation Award!

The goal of the Curaçao Innovation Award is to reward the courageous entrepreneurs and innovators who continue to grow their companies and contribute to the welfare of Curaçao, whatever the circumstances.

After some adjustments during and after the COVID period, the emphasis remains on rewarding and highlighting the best and most inspiring innovations and entrepreneurs in Curaçao.

Last year, CITI and our partners introduced two new categories to keep up with global developments. Read more about the Circular Innovation Award and the Digital Transformation Innovation Award below.

What do we mean by innovation?

Innovation is:

• The application of a new idea, product, service, or process
• Or adjustments to an existing product, service, or process
• For which there is a demand in the market

Who can participate in the Curaçao Innovation Award?

All entrepreneurs, professionals, freelancers, small, medium, and large companies, foundations, organizations, and associations that have recently implemented an innovative product, service, or process.

Categories

This year we are presenting five awards:

Business Innovation Award

This category focuses on how innovation helps generate profit. It also looks at how competitive the innovation is and how it works to deliver better results. We analyze whether the innovation can be applied in more companies and, finally, how successfully it is being implemented.

Circular Innovation Award

This category checks whether the innovation is inclusive, regenerative, and distributive.

• Inclusive: the innovation takes nature and people into account. It promotes collaboration and does not exclude anyone for whom it is relevant or who is involved.
• Regenerative: the innovation is beneficial for the planet and the people who live on it, instead of producing, consuming, and throwing away leftover raw materials.
• Distributive: the innovation redistributes well-being and solves a problem or social need in Curaçao.

Digital Transformation Award

This innovation integrates digital technology into every area of operation, fundamentally transforming the way it creates and delivers value for customers. Digital transformation is the process of using digital technologies to create new business processes, culture, and customer experiences, or to modify existing ones, to meet changing business and market requirements. It is a reimagining of the way you do business using technology.

Junior Innovation Award

This category was created especially for entrepreneurs under the age of 21 who have introduced a new product, service, process, or movement to the market, or adapted an existing one.

Overall Winner: Curaçao Innovation Award

And of course, the Curaçao Innovation Award. From the nominees in the different subcategories, one overall winner is chosen. This main category seeks a balance across the criteria of the subcategories. Its main focus is the impact of the innovation on the social and economic development of Curaçao.

Period

We are looking for all innovations that have been introduced in Curaçao between March 2020 and June 2023 and have not previously participated in the Award.

Mark your calendar for the 25th Curaçao Innovation Award Ceremony

The Curaçao Innovation Award Ceremony will take place on Thursday 28 September 2023.

About the Innovation Award

The Curaçao Innovation & Technology Institute (CITI) presents the Curaçao Innovation Award every year. The prize is awarded to companies and organizations with the best recent innovation.

The Curaçao Innovation Award was created in 1996 by Innovation Center Curaçao (ICC). Since 2014, the prize has been organized by CITI, the result of a merger between ICC and Stimul-IT.