The benchmark of excellence
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The Bournemouth Business Leaders Award celebrate the people, businesses and organisations doing exceptional work. Explore the categories and help recognise someone shaping the future through their achievement, leadership and impact.
Working Women Awards
Women Innovator of the Year Award
Celebrating women creating groundbreaking ideas, products, or solutions that drive measurable change and innovation
About this category
The Women Innovator of the Year award honours a woman who has pioneered bold, original ideas, technologies, products, or services that have created measurable impact. Whether through science, technology, entrepreneurship, education, or creative industries, this award celebrates the spirit of innovation, risk-taking, and disruption. These women are change-makers, reshaping industries or society with their groundbreaking thinking and problem-solving abilities.
Eligibility
- Open to women-identifying innovators in any field (STEM, business, design, social enterprise, etc.)
- Must have developed and implemented a novel idea, product, or process
- Innovation must be launched, tested, or actively in use, not just conceptual
- The nominee must be the creator, lead innovator, or driver of the innovation
Judging criteria
- Originality: Uniqueness and creativity of the idea or solution
- Impact: Tangible results from the innovation (growth, change, influence)
- Scalability: Potential for expansion, replication, or wider implementation
- Leadership: Role in executing and championing the innovation
Qualitative criteria
- Visionary thinking and courage to challenge the status quo
- Problem-solving mindset driven by purpose or social value
- Tenacity in bringing innovation to life despite obstacles
- Influence on teams, industries, or society through innovative work
Metrics
- Product launches or market impact metrics
- User/customer adoption rates
- Funding or grants raised for innovation
- Awards, recognitions, or publications related to the innovation
- Measurable change delivered by the innovation (e.g. cost saved, lives impacted, time reduced)
Additional criteria
- Innovation must have been implemented within the last 5 years
- Nominee can be a founder, scientist, intrapreneur, educator, technologist, or researcher
- If the innovation is team-based, the nominee must be its principal originator or project lead
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