| CATEGORIES | | Next Big Things in Tech will recognize the overall best technology solutions, as well as additional honorees on category-specific lists. Applications will be judged on relevancy, ingenuity, and current and potential cultural and business impact. Categories include: | | Excellence in Innovation | | Organizations whose practices, programs, and other techniques enable it to generate technological innovations | | AI and Data | | Innovations in artificial intelligence, algorithms, and data science, including both customer-facing products and under-the-hood technologies | | Buildings and Real Estate | | Property tech, architecture, construction, and related areas | | Computing, Chips, and Foundational Technology | | Processors and quantum computing, enabling tech such as lidar, 5G, and other core technologies | | Consumer | | Consumer electronics, smart home products, and other products and services aimed at individuals | | E-Commerce and Retail | Commerce products and services, including both online and physical retail
| | Education | | Products and services for teaching, learning, and training, both in and outside of school and for all age ranges | | Enterprise | | Software, hardware, and services for use in organizations of all sizes | | Fintech, Crypto, and Blockchain | | Finance and cryptocurrency as well as new applications of blockchain technology | | Food and Agriculture | | The future of food and farming | | Health | | Medical innovations, from products to research projects | | Media, Entertainment, and Social | | Streaming services, gaming, social media, and platform technologies such as ad tech | | Metaverse and Web3 NEW | | The metaverse, augmented and virtual reality, and other immersive and interface technologies, as well as Web3-enabling tech | | Robotics and Automation | | Robots and supporting technologies as well as innovations in areas such as manufacturing and automated retail | | Security and Privacy NEW | | Technologies that protect organizations and consumers against online and physical threats and privacy intrusions | | Small and Mighty | | Organizations that have fewer than 50 employees with big ideas that put them at the vanguard of the next generation of technology | | Social Good NEW | | Breakthroughs that benefit society and tackle humanity’s most pressing problems | | Sustainability and Energy | | Innovations relating to climate, and energy production and consumption | | Transportation | | Technologies relating to aerospace, automotive, autonomy, mass transit, and beyond | | Wellness and Fitness NEW | | Hardware, software, and services in areas such as meditation, exercise, and nutrition | | Workplace and Productivity NEW | | Tools for business productivity, collaboration, hiring, and HR | | |  | | Extended Deadline: June 3 | | | |
