Apply for a CES 2021 Innovation Award

Entry Criteria

Entries must be submitted online through the Call for Entries application by Oct. 9, 2020, at 11:59 PM EDT. There will be no extensions granted under any circumstance.

• Product entered must be available in the market for the first time between April 1, 2020, and April 1, 2021.
• A product submitted in previous years is not eligible for resubmission unless significant unique and innovative enhancements have been made to the original product and a new model is submitted. CTA reserves the right to disqualify entries at its sole discretion where significant improvements have not been made to a product submitted in a prior year. If a product of a similar model previously submitted is disqualified, entry fees will not be refunded.
• A product, including audio, video and/or live content, should be appropriate for a general audience. Explicit or simulated sex, virtual pornography, nudity and violence are prohibited. CTA, in its sole discretion, may determine if a product is not eligible for consideration.
• Applicant must be eligible to participate in CES to be eligible to submit a product. If an applicant is not eligible to participate in CES, CTA reserves the right to disqualify the applicant at its sole discretion and entry fees will not be refunded. 
• A product currently in crowdfunding or other funding websites is eligible for submission if it has a planned date to be available in the market between April 1, 2020, and April 1, 2021. Pre-sales are not considered as a product launch.
• A product must be submitted into the relevant product category. See the category descriptions.
• A product may be submitted into a maxiumum of three (3) product categories and is eligible to win in each category entered, provided it meets the requirements for the product category and a separate application fee is paid for each category submitted.
• A minimum of two (2) different product images must accompany each entry. Images must be submitted in a .jpg format and be less than 10MB. If entering an intangible product, an applicant may submit screenshots or diagrams. All images must be submitted via the online application.
• Applicant representative must be 18 years of age or older at the time of entry and authorized to submit the product on behalf of the applicant.

Honoree Selection

The program recognizes two (2) levels of honorees among the product categories:

• Honoree: A product that scores above the threshold set for a specific category.
• Best of Innovation: Given to only the highest-rated product in each category, or multiple in the event of a tie. Best of Innovation in each category is not guaranteed.

 
A panel of industry expert judges review applications in each product category and provide a score from 1 to 10 (1 being lowest; 10 being highest) based on the evaluation criteria below.
 

Evaluation Criteria 

All entries are reviewed and scored based on the following criteria:

• Engineering and functionality
• Aesthetic and design
• What makes the product unique and innovative

Applicants will be notified via email by the end of November of their status.

All award designations by the judges are final.

CTA does not test or endorse the Innovation award-winning products.

Reveal of Innovation Award Honorees

• First reveal: All honorees will be revealed in early to mid-December on CES.tech
• Embargo reveal: Honorees who select in their application to keep their award confidential will be revealed on January 11, 2021 during CES Media day