It’s time to celebrate the great innovators in our midst

THE 13 categories at this year’s LeicestershireLive Innovation Awards are:

IN this category we are looking for the very best tech ideas that have come out of the greatest minds Leicestershire has to offer - the ideas that, over the coming years, will help shape the world in which we work, live and play.

This category aims to celebrate the pioneers of new technology that throw out the old and bring in the new with extraordinary results in their sector.

The judges will be looking for evidence of how innovation has had a transformative effect.

INNOVATION IN SERVICES

TWENTY years ago people commuted to the office to do their jobs, bought insurance over the phone and sold their home through a high street agent.

That has all changed. Company phone systems now operate on the cloud, call handlers can work from home, online insurance firms are working hand in hand with software specialists to ensure customers are protected from the new threat of cyber attacks.

These are the sort of innovations that have changed the way we all live and Leicestershire companies are at the heart of that. This category is for them.

DIGITAL INNOVATION OF THE YEAR Sponsored by De Montfort University

WE live in an age where we take for granted life-changing technology that fits snuggly into our coat pockets, the dashboards of cars and around our wrists.

The Digital Innovation of the Year commends top digital projects that have been conceived or developed within our city and county.

New products seem to be dropping on to the market each day and we will celebrate them with this award.

INNOVATION IN DESIGN

IT’S all about celebrating those pioneers in the design community, whether it be innovating in what is being designed, innovative collaborations that have brought about interesting results, or looking at the design process itself and how to innovate in the way we design.

We look forward to seeing the entries!

INNOVATION IN CONSTRUCTION

THIS award is presented to an individual or team that has, in the opinion of their peers, come up with exciting new uses for materials, methods, technology, or project delivery systems.

INNOVATION IN MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING

MANUFACTURING and engineering remains the lifeblood of the region, but it’s a world away from the smokestacks of old.

We’ll find the businesses that have used digital innovation to bring new products to market and reinvent Leicestershire as a global hotspot of