Official rules
Official Rules
NO PURCHASE IS REQUIRED TO ENTER OR WIN. PARTICIPATION IN THE SAP INNOVATION AWARDS CONSTITUTES YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THESE RULES.
VOID OUTSIDE OF ARGENTINA, AUSTRALIA, AUSTRIA, BELGIUM, BOTSWANA, BRAZIL, CANADA (EXCLUDING QUEBEC), CHILE, CHINA, COLOMBIA, CROATIA, CZECH REPUBLIC, DENMARK, ECUADOR, EGYPT, ESWATINI, ETHIOPIA, FINLAND, FRANCE, GERMANY, GREECE, GREENLAND, HUNGARY, INDIA, INDONESIA, IRELAND, ISRAEL, ITALY, JAPAN, KENYA, MALAYSIA, MEXICO, MOROCCO, NETHERLANDS, NEW ZEALAND, NIGERIA, NORWAY, PAKISTAN, PERU, PHILIPPINES, POLAND, PORTUGAL, QATAR, REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN, SINGAPORE, SOUTH AFRICA, SOUTH KOREA, SAUDI ARABIA, SPAIN, SWEDEN, SWITZERLAND, THAILAND, TURKEY, UKRAINE, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, UNITED KINGDOM, THE UNITED STATES, VENEZUELA, AND OTHER COUNTRIES THAT SAP DEEMS ACCEPTABLE ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS (THE “ELIGIBLE COUNTRIES”) AND WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
1. Introduction
The SAP Innovation Awards (the “Awards” or “Innovation Awards”) is a skill-based contest in which Entrants (defined below) will submit an Entry Form and innovation story (the combination of the Entry Form and innovation story being an “Entry” or “Entries”) demonstrating:
How a business organization that uses SAP products or services (an “SAP Customer(s)”) has successfully deployed a business application that utilizes any SAP software product, cloud-based service, or other technology in its organization as represented by the following Entry categories: Supply Chain Catalyst, Customer Experience Innovator, Cloud ERP Champion, People Experience Pioneer, Procurement Visionary, Technology Pathfinder, Financial Futurist, AI Excellence, Services Superstar, Sustainability Hero, Transformation Impact, Industry Leader – Consumer Industries, Industry Leader – Discrete Industries, Industry Leader – Energy & Natural Resources Energy & Natural Resources, Industry Leader – Public Services, and Industry Leader – Service and Financial Services Industries. Additionally, in the case of Partner Paragon: SAP Innovation Awards is SAP’s premier customer recognition program and in 2026 will no longer be recognizing the Partner Paragon category. Details surrounding partner recognition can be found on the SAP Partner Portal with more updates expected shortly. For those SAP partners who are also SAP customers, we encourage you to continue to submit your stories for consideration in other categories of the SAP Innovation Awards as a customer.
2. Terms
Eligible Entrants may participate in the Innovation Awards by submitting an Entry from October 20, 2025, at 7 a.m. Pacific Time (“PT”) to February 20, 2026, at 6 p.m. PT.
3. Eligibility
Entries can be submitted by an employee of the Customer that is the subject of the Entry, as long as the employee has the consent of the Customer except as provided in the paragraph immediately below. The person submitting the Entry must (i) be above the age of majority in their place of residence; (ii) reside in one of the Eligible Countries; and (iii) be an employee of the SAP Customer, or the entity submitting on behalf of the Customer. Regardless of whether you are an employee of the SAP Customer, or the third party submitting on behalf of the SAP Customer, you must have the express prior authorization of the SAP Customer to enter the Innovation Awards on their behalf and subject to these Official Rules (“Entrant(s)”).
1. Individuals who are employees, officers, directors, agents, or partners of Sponsor and its respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates and advertising and promotion agencies (collectively, “Awards Entities”) and the immediate family members are not eligible to win.
(A) EMPLOYEES OF THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT OR THE GOVERNMENT OF ANY U.S. STATE, U.S. TERRITORY, OR FOREIGN STATE OR TERRITORY, AS WELL AS GOVERNMENT-RELATED ENTITIES; AND. . .
(B) PERSONS THAT DO NOT RESIDE IN AN ELIGIBLE COUNTRY OR SUBMISSIONS WHERE THE BUSINESS APPLICATION THAT IS THE SUBJECT OF THE ENTRY IS NOT PRIMARILY DEPLOYED IN AN ELIGIBLE COUNTRY, MAY PARTICIPATE AND MAY BE RECOGNIZED BY SAP FOR THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS, BUT WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR PRIZES.
Additionally, upon request, SAP may in its discretion accept entries from countries that are not listed as an Eligible Country on a case by case.
SAP reserves the right to verify eligibility and to adjudicate in its sole and absolute discretion on any dispute related to the Innovation Awards at any time. The Innovation Awards is subject to all federal, state, and local laws and is void where prohibited.
Entrant warrants that the appropriate corporate officers, executives, managers or other persons of the entity on whose behalf the Entry was submitted have approved the Entry, and understand and agree that these Official Rules will be binding on both the individual submitting the Entry and the entity on whose behalf the Entry was submitted. The Entrant understands that if the Entry is submitted without obtaining the appropriate approval, Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, disqualify the Entrant, the SAP Customer, and the Entry. In the case of a third party entering on behalf of an SAP Customer, participation by Entrant is subject to Sponsor receiving written confirmation from an authorized representative of the SAP Customer, as the case may be, indicating the SAP Customer’s acceptance of the Official Rules.
4. Entry Categories
The Innovation Awards will recognize up to 44 finalists with 19 winners across fifteen (15) Entry Categories (as defined below). All entries must describe live deployments involving SAP technologies. Entrants may choose one category and will also be assigned to an Industry Leader category based on their industry by the SAP Awards Team, which may assign additional relevant categories as appropriate. Entries will be judged against other Entries assigned to the same category. The categories are as follows:
AI Excellence
SAP customers who are harnessing SAP Business AI to transform operations, elevate efficiency and shape the future of work through intelligent automation and smarter processes with Joule, SAP AI Core, generative AI hub, SAP Document AI, SAP Business Data Cloud and any AI functionality embedded in SAP solutions.
Cloud ERP Champion
SAP customers who embrace SAP Cloud ERP to transform, future-proof, and unlock new avenues for growth and innovation. Solutions include SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition and SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition.
Customer Experience Innovator
SAP customers who have transformed their businesses with cloud technologies, creating standout experiences that delight customers and fuel growth. Solutions include SAP Commerce Cloud, SAP Emarsys, SAP Sales Cloud, SAP Service Cloud, etc.
Finance and Spend Visionary
SAP customers who are leveraging SAP Finance & Spend Management solutions to revolutionize financial processes, enhance strategic spending, and drive business value by streamlining financial operations, optimizing cash management, mitigating risks, and enabling data-driven decision making. Solutions include SAP Ariba, S/4HANA Finance, etc.
Industry Leader – Consumer Industries: SAP customers that use multiple SAP solutions to drive innovation. This may include reinventing business or industry models, streamlining operations, engaging customers, or serving constituents in new ways, collaborating across ecosystems, and creating meaningful societal or environmental impact.
Industry Leader – Discrete Industries: SAP customers that use multiple SAP solutions to drive innovation. This may include reinventing business or industry models, streamlining operations, engaging customers, or serving constituents in new ways, collaborating across ecosystems, and creating meaningful societal or environmental impact.
Industry Leader – Energy & Natural Resources Energy & Natural Resources: SAP customers that use multiple SAP solutions to drive innovation. This may include reinventing business or industry models, streamlining operations, engaging customers, or serving constituents in new ways, collaborating across ecosystems, and creating meaningful societal or environmental impact.
Industry Leader – Public Services: SAP customers that use multiple SAP solutions to drive innovation. This may include reinventing business or industry models, streamlining operations, engaging customers, or serving constituents in new ways, collaborating across ecosystems, and creating meaningful societal or environmental impact.
Industry Leader – Service and Financial Services Industries: SAP customers that use multiple SAP solutions to drive innovation. This may include reinventing business or industry models, streamlining operations, engaging customers, or serving constituents in new ways, collaborating across ecosystems, and creating meaningful societal or environmental impact.
People Experience Pioneer
SAP customers who are reimagining the employee journey through AI-enabled, cloud-powered transformation, crafting exceptional experiences that inspire and empower their workforce. Solutions include SAP SuccessFactors, SAP Fieldglass, etc.
Services Superstar
SAP cloud customers who have leveraged SAP Services to accelerate their business goals by enabling organizational learning, increasing user adoption, enhancing productivity, and maximizing the overall value of their SAP solutions. Solutions include SAP ActiveAttention, SAP MaxAttention, SAP Preferred Success, SAP Value Assurance, SAP Enterprise Support, etc.
Sustainability Hero
SAP customers who are harnessing SAP Sustainability and the power of connected apps, data, and AI for improved efficiency, streamlined compliance, and business growth for a sustainable and resilient future. Solutions include SAP Green Ledger, SAP Green Token, SAP Responsible Design and Production, SAP Sustainability Control Tower, SAP Sustainability Footprint Management, SAP S/4HANA for Product Compliance, etc.
Supply Chain Catalyst
SAP customers who are using SAP Supply Chain Management (SCM) solutions to build strong, well-orchestrated supply chains. With SAP SCM solutions, companies can realize increased visibility across their supply chains, improved efficiency and compliance with regulations, and ensure customer satisfaction. Solutions include Integrated Business Planning, Digital Manufacturing, Transportation Management, and SAP Business Network.
Technology Pathfinder
SAP customers who have implemented one or more SAP Business Technology Platform solutions to solve a business problem or unlock an innovative use case that results in a positive, measurable impact on the community or society. Solutions include SAP Build, SAP Integration Suite, SAP HANA Cloud, SAP Analytics Cloud, SAP Master Data Governance, SAP Datasphere, SAP Business Data Cloud, etc.
Transformation Impact
SAP customers who are leveraging SAP Signavio, SAP LeanIX, and WalkMe to generate business value and strengthen their transformation capabilities. These organizations are consistently advancing critical dimensions—such as processes, applications, people, and data—to ensure they remain resilient and well-prepared for the future.
Procurement Visionary
SAP customers who are leveraging SAP Spend Management solutions to automate procurement processes and actively manage indirect and direct spend for better control, greater value, more savings, and operational efficiencies.
5. How to Enter
Entrants should submit an Entry Form and innovation story, which includes a PowerPoint or similar template for describing the use case for your Entry. The form of the Entry can be found at http://www.sap.com/innovationawards. Entrants must complete all fields in the Entry Form to qualify. Entries must be in English. If an Entry is incomplete or does not comply with the specifications and these Official Rules, then the Entry will be disqualified, and this disqualification may take place at any point in the Awards process. All decisions by Sponsor and Judges are final and absolute and are not subject to inquiry or appeal. No purchase or payment is required to enter, and any expenses Entrants voluntarily incur during the submission process are their sole responsibility
6. Special Recognition
Entrants will have the option to enter an SAP Partner that encouraged the Entrant to enter the SAP Innovation Awards on the participating partner slide in the innovation story when submitting an Entry. Each Partner that is identified on the innovation story of winning submissions will be eligible for special recognition by SAP at SAP Sapphire.
7. Judging and Winner Notification
Eligible Entries will be judged against the other Entries in their respective Entry Categories as determined by the SAP Awards Team.
Between March 13th, 2026, and April 3rd, 2026, a panel of experts consisting of employees will select the Entries that they determine to be qualified based on the judging criteria.
Judges will review the finalists and select one winner from each category. Entries with the highest score(s) in each Entry Category will be determined to be the winners or award recipients in that Entry Category. Each Entry will be evaluated by the Judges based on the extent to which the entry embodies the spirit of the entry category and the following criteria (each of which will be equally weighted)
- Use Case Creativity: How compelling and disruptive is the use case described in the entry? Does the use case involve a big idea and innovative approaches? Can it drive significant change?
- Tangible Outcomes: What was the result of the project? What is the magnitude of the outcome; what is the impact on individuals; and how compelling are the quantified results? Does the submission outcome illustrate how the customer was able to solve a business problem within the context of their own industry?
- Innovation: Is the company applying a range of SAP solutions, technologies, cloud approaches, or innovations like Artificial Intelligence – to form agile, integrated digitized business processes that help make them more customer-focused, resilient, profitable, and sustainable? Are they using SAP solutions and technologies in unique or dramatic ways to support new business models, connections with customers, or industry convergence?
8. Winners will be notified
on or about Apr 14th, 2026, and notified by telephone or email at Sponsor’s discretion. If a winner does not respond to the notification attempt within twenty-four (24) hours from the first notification attempt, then SAP may disqualify such winner and select an alternate winner.
9. Prizes
Prizes will be awarded to the Entries with the highest score(s): Up to forty four (44) finalists and 19 winner Entries will be selected across the 15 categories.
1. Finalist Entries in each Entry Category who plan on attending SAP Sapphire will receive one (1) ticket to SAP Sapphire Orlando or Barcelona (Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”) USD $2,900). Winning entrants may select one (1) ticket to SAP Sapphire Orlando or Madrid (Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”) USD $2,900) or to donate USD $1,000 to a charity of their choice through Global Giving. If no one representing a winning Entry is planning to attend SAP Sapphire Orlando or Madrid, the ticket will not be given to that winning Entry, and the Winning Entry may elect to donate to a charity of their choice through Global Giving. Subject to Sponsor’s prior written approval and at Sponsor’s sole discretion, a winning Entry may designate a non-employee representative to use the ticket and attend Sapphire Orlando or Madrid. If the Winning Entry elects to receive the ticket, Sponsor will only be awarding tickets as Prizes. All transportation, lodging, meals, gratuities, and all costs and expenses relating to the use of the tickets are the responsibility of the winner.
Odds of winning depend on the number of Entries received and the skill of the Entrants (i.e., the innovative nature of their solution, and the skill exercised in creating the entry). No other prize elements except those specifically described here are awarded. Prizes are not transferable and must be accepted as awarded, with no substitutions of any kind, except by the Sponsor, which reserves the right to substitute the prize (or portion thereof) with one of comparable or greater value, at its sole discretion. All federal, state, and local taxes, as well as any other costs and expenses associated with prize acceptance and use not specified herein as being provided are the potential winner’s responsibility.
Any prize is extended to you under the condition that your acceptance does not violate any applicable laws or policies within your organization. If you are unsure whether your acceptance may violate any such laws or policies, we strongly encourage you to seek advice from your ethics or compliance official. For organizations that are unable to accept all or a portion of this prize, and would like to pay for their own expenses, upon request, SAP will provide reasonable market value and an invoice or other suitable payment process. Per SAP’s internal policies, public sector employees and government officials are not eligible to receive prizes. Participation or your acceptance of a prize is your attestation that the Entrant is not a public sector employee or government official.
10. Intellectual Property Rights and Grant of License
Each Entrant shall retain ownership of all intellectual property rights in each Entry (including moral rights) subject to these Official Rules. However, you do grant SAP an irrevocable, royalty-free, worldwide right and license to: (i) use, review, assess, test, and otherwise analyze your Entry and all its content in connection with the Awards; and (ii) feature your Entry and all its content in connection with the marketing, sale, or promotion of the Awards, SAP, and SAP technologies (including but not limited to press releases, promotional material, internal and external presentations, and tradeshows, in all media now known or later developed).
11. Entrant Representations and Warranties
By entering the Innovation Awards, Entrants represent and warrant that their Entries are their own original work and, as such, are the sole and exclusive owner and rights holder of the submitted Entry, and that they have the right to submit the Eligible Entry in the Innovation Awards and grant all required licenses and assignments. Each Entrant agrees not to submit any Entry that infringes any third party proprietary rights, intellectual property rights, industrial property rights, personal or moral rights, or any other rights, including without limitation, copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, privacy, publicity, or confidentiality obligations. Entrant also warrants that he/she has permission from their employer or other appropriate party such as an SAP Customer to submit the Entry.
12. Indemnity
To the maximum extent permitted by law, each Entrant agrees to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the Awards Entities from and against any and all claims, actions, suits, or proceedings, as well as any and all losses, liabilities, damages, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorney’s fees) arising out of or accruing from (i) any Entry or other material submitted by the Entrant that infringes any copyright, trademark, trade secret, trade dress, patent, or other intellectual property right of any person; (ii) any misrepresentation made by the Entrant in connection with the Innovation Awards; or (iii) any non-compliance by the Entrant with these Official Rules.
13. Customer/Partner Publicity
By participating in the Innovation Awards, Entrants grant to Sponsor, its affiliates, licensees, promotional partners, developers, and third party marketing entities the right to use and publish the name and trademark(s)/logo(s) of their employer or the entity on whose behalf they are submitting the Entry, and to assist Sponsor in obtaining the same from the SAP Customer in the event the Entrant is submitting the Entry on behalf of an SAP Customer, for any advertising and promotional purposes relating to the Innovation Awards, in any media now known or hereafter devised, without further notice, compensation, consideration, review, or consent and without regard to moral rights, except where prohibited by law.
14. If, for any reason, the Innovation Awards are not capable of running as planned,
including due to tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, force majeure, or any other cause beyond the control of Sponsor which may corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of the Innovation Awards, Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Innovation Awards, or disqualify an Entrant.
15. Governing Law
These Official Rules are governed and interpreted by the laws of the State of New York, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.
16. Rules & Winners
A list of winners will be available on or about April 14th, 2026 at http://www.sap.com/innovationawards.
17. Sponsor
SAP Global Marketing Inc., 10 Hudson Yards FL 51 New York, NY 10001.