About the Awards
Why We Created This
The Global Innovator Awards exist to make you visible. If you made a deliberate decision to come to the UK and are building, creating or contributing something significant here, these awards have been created for you.
You are actively shaping UK industries, research and culture. You may be mid-journey, still building, still proving yourself. Recognition at this stage is not ceremonial. It signals credibility to investors, partners and the wider market at exactly the moment it matters most.
This is Year 1. Your moment to be seen.
Eligibility
These awards are open to founders, innovators and exceptional talent who made an active decision to come to the UK under one of the following qualifying routes:
- Global Talent Visa, Current route
- Innovator Founder Visa, Current route
- Graduate Visa, Current route
- Innovator Visa, Previous route (closed 2023)
- Start-up Visa, Legacy route
- Tier 1 Exceptional Talent, Legacy route
- Tier 1 Entrepreneur, Legacy route
The Two-Stage Process
Open Nominations
Nominations are open now and close in August 2026. Entry is free. You can nominate yourself or someone else, both are equally welcome.
Judging & Shortlist
All nominations are reviewed by our independent judge panel. Ten finalists per category are announced at the end of August.
Awards Evening
Winners are announced at the Global Innovator Awards evening in Central London on 16 November 2026.
Media & Recognition
Winners and finalists receive coverage across our media partner network. Your story reaches the investors, partners and press that matter.
Powered by NEXUS
NEXUS is a UK innovation hub connecting frontier technology companies, incubators, science parks and scale-ups across global markets. We work at the intersection of international ambition and UK opportunity, helping founders and innovators establish, grow and scale in the UK.
We have been supporting founders on innovation and talent routes for 8+ years, from the Tier 1 Entrepreneur Visa through to the current Innovator Founder Visa, where NEXUS is an active consortium partner under UK Endorsing Services.
The Global Innovator Awards was created because we know this community exists, we work with them every day, and we believe their achievements deserve a dedicated stage.
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