FAQ

Learn more about the SAP Innovation Awards program!

We have made several changes, including:

  1. Submissions will now close on January 15, 2024.
  2. Updated online self-assessment form. Check, in just minutes, if you are eligible to participate in the 2024 SAP Innovation Awards before you start preparing your pitch deck.  Click here to take the self-assessment.
  3. Total of seven updated categories to reflect global trends and business priorities.
  4. New requirements for customers include live deployment of SAP products. Note: No proof-of-concepts allowed.
  5. New requirements for SAP Partner submissions: Must submit a Developed a next-gen application intended to be sold to customers and licensed via the SAP Build or Tech adoption program using at least one of the cloud technologies from SAP Business Technology Platform and deployed by one or more customers. Note: No proof-of-concepts allowed.
  6. Enhanced promotional and networking opportunities for our winners, including the opportunity to participate in our LinkedIn live series and receive a multimedia asset package for promoting the series.
  7. Winners now have the opportunity to be recognized in more than one category.

August 30, 2023: Submissions open

January 15, 2024: Submissions close

March 12, 2024: Finalists announced

April 10, 2024: Winners announced

  1. For all categories: Live deployment of SAP solutions
  2. For Partner Paragon category: SAP Partners that developed a next-gen application intended to be sold to customers and deployed by at least one customer. The application should be using at least one cloud technology from SAP Business Technology and licensed via the SAP Build or Tech adoption program

Note: SAP Partners that are using an SAP solution within their own organization and are submitting those stories are considered SAP Customers for the purpose of the Awards and should identify themselves as “SAP Customer” in the Entry Form when selecting their relationship with SAP.

Participants from all countries are eligible to enter the Innovation Awards. Participants from non-eligible countries can still be recognized as winners an receive a trophy, but you are not eligible to win any monetary prizes.

 

The following countries are eligible for the monetary prizes in the 2024 SAP Innovation Awards: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, 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, United States, and Venezuela.

 

Note: Each year the Innovation Awards team works with legal counsel to expand the list of eligible countries, i.e., verify local laws governing contests. The application that is the subject of the entry must be deployed in an Eligible Country or has been developed and intended to be sold and used by customers in an Eligible Country to be eligible for the monetary prizes. 

Each winner will receive a trophy and a complimentary pass to attend SAP Sapphire Orlando 2024, our signature and largest event that showcases the cutting-edge advancements in business and technology innovation. Taking place annually in Orlando between May and June, SAP Sapphire is a highly anticipated gathering that offers unparalleled opportunities for networking and learning.

 

Alternatively, winners have the option to choose a $1,000 SAP4Good donation voucher, allowing them to make a positive impact in their chosen charitable cause . In addition, winners will be offered several opportunities to participate in promotional activities such as podcasts, events, videos, media /analysis interviews, social media, and more. 

 

Note: Prizes are subject to change. Travel and expenses to attend the SAP Sapphire event in Orlando, FL, are not provided.

 

EXCLUSIONS 

Government and government-related entities employees are not eligible for the prize identified above but may receive recognition for their achievements in the form of a trophy.

 

Participants from non-eligible countries and/or deployments in non-eligible countries do not qualify for the prize identified above but may receive recognition for their achievements in the form of a trophy.

Yes, a single submission can win multiple awards and receive multiple trophies. However, a winning entry is entitled to a maximum of one (1) SAP Sapphire Orlando pass OR a $1,000 SAP4Good donation voucher per winner.

The selection process for finalists and winners involves two rounds of judging:

 

In the first round, a panel of SAP experts carefully reviews all entries to select the finalists.

 

These finalists then proceed to the second round of judging, where they are evaluated and scored by a panel of judges consisting of external thought-leaders, influencers, community members, and SAP experts. The judges base their assessments on the judging criteria, which can be found in detail here.

 

If a submission doesn't secure a winning position, particularly compelling entries will still be eligible to receive formal recognition as Outstanding Achievements when the winners are announced.

  • 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, society, 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 your 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 you using the SAP solutions and technologies in unique or dramatic ways to support new business models, connections with customers or industry convergence?

1. For all categories, except the Partner Paragon:

  • Partners can submit on behalf of customer (customer will be eligible for prize & partner recognized).
  • Partners can submit as customer (using SAP within their own org) – partner as customer will be eligible for prize.

 

2. For the Partner Paragon category only:

  • Submit as a partner for participation in Partner Paragon category (that partner will be eligible for prizes)
  • Criteria:
    • Developed a next-gen application intended to be sold to customers and licensed via the SAP Build or Tech adoption program.
    • Deployed by at least one customer.
    • Using at least one of the cloud technologies from SAP Business Technology platform.
    • Note: No proof-of-concepts allowed

Yes, 3rd parties, i.e., SAP partners and SAP employees, can submit on behalf of an SAP Customer. You must get permission to submit on behalf of the customer. Additionally, in the entry form, you must:

  • Enter the customer’s contact details as the participant (competing for the awards and eligible for prizes).
  • Confirm in the entry form that the customer has agreed to participate in the awards and given consent to participate and the use of personal data (optional).

Note: The SAP Innovation Awards team will send the participant (customer) an e-mail if the entry is published/selected as a finalist or winner, and you, as the submitter, will be copied. 

You can enter by following these steps on the How to Enter section:

  1. Eligibility Self-Assessment (optional): Use the online tool to check your submission eligibility before you start developing your Pitch Deck.
  2. Prepare your Pitch Deck (required): Maximize your chance of winning by submitting a compelling and well-structured story using the pitch deck template. Once posted, you can continually refine your Pitch Deck until the end of the submission period. Follow the pitch deck guidance document to help complete your pitch deck.
  3. Create your SAP.com Account (required). If you do not have an account on sap.com, you must create one before accessing the online entry form (see next step).
  4. Submit your Entry (required). Along with the Pitch Deck, you must also complete the online Entry Form with information about you (participant) and your company. It also includes promotional opportunities that you might like to participate in. Remember to upload the pitch deck in PPT format, the company logo, an optional participant photo, and the participating SAP partner logo (if applicable).

Each entry will be reviewed for eligibility and completeness by the awards team. Qualified entries will be posted on the awards website. Entries must be in English.

  1. Go to the website and click on the “Submit entry” button located under the  How to Enter (sap.com) section of the website.
  2. In the “Title” field, type the beginning of your saved entry’s title and tab/move to the description field. A link to your existing draft entry/entries will appear in the right panel; click on your draft entry that you would like to edit.
  3. Click on “Edit” at the bottom of the screen and select “Edit Idea.” Your entry will become editable, and you can make any adjustments or complete the missing information to submit.

Note: The awards team does not have access to your draft entry, only your submitted entry. After clicking "Submit," you will receive a confirmation email containing your entry ID. It is important to remember that once your entry is submitted, you will no longer be able to make any edits. In the event that you need to make changes, you can send an email to sapinnovationawards@sap.com, including your entry ID in the subject line.

Submissions must utilize one or more SAP products and be deployed in production (go-live). Note: No proof-of-concepts allowed

While the winning entries can be in any language, the submissions – i.e., Entry Form and Pitch Deck – must be in English.

There are many benefits to participating in the award program for SAP customers:

  1. Celebrate your project’s success
    • Gain global recognition as an innovation leader​.
    • Win a trophy and prizes (see the question “What are the prizes available to winners of the award?” for details), assets for promotion and social media.​ 
    • Get support from SAP to create and promote your innovation story​.
  2. Share your expertise in exclusive promotional opportunities
    • Be celebrated and recognized by SAP’s top executives at a dedicated exclusive celebration event.
    • Get your brand amplified via Innovation Awards promotional materials. ​ 
    • Participate in various promotional activities, including podcasts, events, videos, media/analysis interviews, and social media initiatives.
  3. Extend your network and do good
    • Take part in the unique opportunity to expand your network and build relationships with peers and other prominent business leaders.
    • Improve people’s lives by supporting a good cause with the awarded $1,000 SAP4Good donation voucher per winner (if you choose the donation instead of the SAP Sapphire Orlando pass). Public sector companies and related public sector companies and entries from non-eligible countries are not eligible for the donation or SAP Sapphire Orlando pass.

There are many benefits of participating in the award program for SAP partners:

  1. Promote your company’s innovation story
    • Gain global recognition as an innovation leader.
    • Build credibility with your customers, prospects, and industry peers.​
    • Win big prizes​.
  2. Promote your customer’s innovation story
    • Showcase your customer’s successes, and amplify their story to a broad audience, positioning them as leaders and innovators.
    • ​Promote your role as a trusted partner helping customers to innovate​.
    • Take advantage of various opportunities to tell your customers’ stories through the SAP Innovation Awards (podcasts, events, videos, media/analysis interviews, and social media initiatives). ​
  3. Promote your innovative next-gen application to enter a market or capture an opportunity
    • Promote your innovative solution to SAP employees and SAP customers.
    • Gain exposure and opportunities to interact with SAP’s top executives.
  • Government and Government-related entities employees may participate and are not eligible for the prize identified above but may receive recognition for their achievements in the form of a trophy.
  • Participants from non-eligible countries and/or deployments in non-eligible countries may participate and are not eligible for the prize identified above but may receive recognition for their achievements in the form of a trophy.

All previous award winners are publicly available on the awards website – “Past Winners.” Submissions for the 2024 Awards will be posted on the website as soon as they are verified.

The SAP Innovation Awards logos can be downloaded by clicking on the following links:

 

2023 SAP Innovation Awards Logos

2024 SAP Innovation Awards logos

Inherited Snowflake