AI Project of the Year
The overall winner. The project that best combines responsible AI, real adoption, measurable outcomes, and delivery rigor.
A new AIPM community initiative
AI Project of the Year
A global recognition for teams applying AI responsibly inside real, delivered project work. Free end to end, judged online, built by practitioners for practitioners. One entry, one rubric, up to three ways to be recognized.
Join the interest list Announced in late 2026
Why this award exists
Plenty of awards celebrate AI products, and plenty celebrate project delivery. Almost none ask both questions at once: was the AI responsibly governed, genuinely adopted by the people it serves, and delivered with real project discipline? That is where this award lives. With each finalist's consent, the best cases become published stories the whole profession can learn from.
One entry, up to three recognitions
You enter once, for AI Project of the Year. From the finalists, the global jury designates the two special recognitions, so you never apply for them. An edition confers up to three, not necessarily three.
Excellence in Responsible AI
Designated by the global jury to the finalist that best demonstrates responsible AI governance, human accountability, and trustworthiness.
Excellence in Agentic AI
Designated only where a finalist applies agentic or autonomous AI responsibly. A bar to clear, not a slot to fill.
How it works
- Free end to end. No entry fee, no judging fee, and no charge for the badge, certificate, logo use, or proof of winning. There is no cash prize.
- Global and online. Projects from any country and any sector, judged online.
- Two tiers, regional to global. Entries are judged first within three regions (Americas, EMEA, Asia-Pacific). Only entries that clear a published quality cut-off advance, and the global jury then re-scores every finalist from zero. About six to nine finalists pitch live.
- Feedback for every finalist. Each finalist receives a written report on every criterion: strengths and areas to improve, not just a result.
Road to recognition
- Late 2026 The award is announced and nominations open, with the exact dates
- Early 2027 Regional judging in three regions
- Early 2027 Global judging and live finalist pitches
- April or May 2027 Live online ceremony
- After the ceremony Feedback reports, and finalist case studies published with consent
The rubric: how your project is scored
Six weighted criteria, each scored 1 to 10, published before the call opens so you can see exactly what carries the most weight.
| Criterion | Weight |
|---|---|
| Outcomes, benefits and impact | 25% |
| Responsible AI governance and Human-in-Command | 20% |
| Adoption and change management | 15% |
| AI solution fit and innovation | 15% |
| Project management and delivery rigor | 15% |
| Learning and contribution to the community | 10% |
| Total | 100% |
The first three criteria carry 60% of the weight combined. A technically impressive AI solution cannot win without credible evidence of outcomes, responsible governance, and real adoption. Judges score evidence, not claims.
Can you enter?
In short: a real, delivered project, in any industry, where AI did meaningful, responsibly governed work and was genuinely adopted. This is not a technology-sector award.
Eligible
- AI is a meaningful part of how the project was delivered, not a decorative add-on.
- The work is beyond proof of concept: delivered, piloted in a real setting, or operationalized, with evidence.
- Any industry and any country. One rubric for everyone, no sector tracks.
- The entry shows responsible-AI practice and evidence of adoption, not only deployment.
- Joint vendor-plus-practitioner entries are welcome, with the spotlight on the team that led adoption.
Ineligible
- Ideas, concepts, models in isolation, tools, demos, and hackathon prototypes.
- Work that has not moved beyond proof of concept.
- Entries missing the required responsible-AI or adoption evidence.
- Material the entry relies on that cannot be opened without a login.
Participation and conflict of interest
- Vendor-neutral: no bonus for any technology, platform, or supplier.
- Self-nomination, peer nomination, and joint entries are all permitted, with one named Lead Nominator per entry.
- Jurors never judge their own entry, employer, client, or a connected project.
The eligibility window is strict. Your project must have been completed or operationalized on or after 1 January 2025 and on or before the nomination deadline, which publishes at launch. There is no discretionary extension and no case-by-case exception.
How to enter
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Check your project against this page
The eligibility rules and the six criteria above are final. If your project fits, you can start gathering evidence now.
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Prepare your evidence
A complete entry is a structured nomination form, an evidence pack with your proof of outcomes, responsible-AI practice, adoption, and delivery, and a short video. The full rules, the form, and the evidence guide publish at launch in the operating pack.
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Submit when nominations open
You submit through the official entry form on this page, free and without any fee. Join the interest list to hear the day the window opens.
The operating pack
- Operating rules: the complete rules, rubric, eligibility, and integrity Publishing at launch
- Nomination form: the structured questionnaire you fill in Publishing at launch
- Evidence-pack guide: what proof to gather, and how to present it Publishing at launch
- Call for judges: how to take part as a judge Publishing at launch
Questions you might have
Is it really free?
Yes. No entry fee, no judging fee, and no charge for the badge, the certificate, the logo use, or any proof of winning. There is no cash prize and no sponsor: the award is owner-funded, judged by a jury, and has no public vote.
Is this a technology award?
No. Every industry can enter. Your project does not have to build AI as its product; it has to be a project, in any sector, that applied AI meaningfully inside its delivery and was genuinely adopted. A hospital rollout, a bridge programme, or a factory changeover competes on exactly the same footing as a software project.
How is it judged, and who are the judges?
Against the published six-criterion rubric, first by a regional panel, then by the global jury, which re-scores every finalist from zero. Panels mix AIPM ambassadors and external experts, selected against published criteria and bound by published conflict-of-interest rules. Every entry is scored by at least three jurors. Interest in judging is welcome through the interest list; signing up expresses interest only, and no seat is promised.
What do winners and finalists get?
A digital badge, a digital certificate, logo and mark use, a place at the live online ceremony, and, with consent, a published Story of Success in the community case-study library. Every finalist also receives a written feedback report on each criterion.
How will I hear my result, and can I appeal?
Every final entry receives a written outcome, whatever it is, including the reason if it was ruled not eligible. Scores and the jury's designations are final and there is no appeal on judgment. The one exception is a factual error in the process, such as evidence that was not put in front of the panel or a wrong region: you may ask once for a review, within 10 calendar days, and it is decided by two organizers with no involvement and no conflict.
When does everything happen?
The award is announced in late 2026, when nominations open and the exact dates publish on this page. Judging runs in early 2027 and the live online ceremony is in April or May 2027. Join the interest list and you will hear the moment the window opens.
Built to stay credible
Original
Proven award mechanics with AIPM's own identity, naming, and criteria.
Non-commercial
Winning cannot be bought, and proof of winning is never paywalled.
Practice-grounded
Real, delivered project work. Not ideas, demos, models, or tools alone.
Community-first
Finalist feedback and published case studies make the whole community better, win or not.
Judging integrity: a published jury and conflict-of-interest policy, no contact with judges during judging, entries that are your own account of your own work (responsible AI-assisted drafting is permitted and disclosed; wholly AI-generated misrepresentation disqualifies), and judges who score evidence, not claims.
Be first in line
Planning to nominate a project? Interested in judging? Want to help spread the word? Join the interest list and you will hear from us the moment nominations open.