The Awards
10 categories, decided in the open
Nominations are open to anyone. An independent panel shortlists three finalists per category, then the public decides. Nothing is announced until the night.
Nominations close in
14 August 2026 at 23:59 EAT. The deadline is enforced on our servers, so late entries cannot be accepted.
Nominations close in: 0 days, 10 hours and 29 minutes remaining. Closes 14 August 2026 at 23:59 EAT.
How it works
Four stages, start to finish
The split between panel and public is deliberate. The panel does the checking, the public decides the winner.
Nominate
Anyone can put forward a person or an organisation, including themselves. You give the nominee's details, a case of up to 500 words, and links to evidence.
Panel screening
An independent panel reads every entry, checks it against the criteria, and shortlists three finalists in each category.
Public vote
The shortlist opens to a public vote, verified by a one-time code sent to your phone. One vote per category per person, and the vote is open internationally.
Winners revealed
Running tallies stay sealed until voting closes. Winners are announced at the Presidential Reception on the evening of 26 September.
Categories
10 categories across the sector
The categories span innovation, sector impact, and the people building in the region.
Not confirmed yetThe final category names are with the organizers for sign-off and are published here as soon as they are confirmed. The nomination form lists every category, so you can start a nomination without waiting for this page to update.
Writing a nomination
What the panel is looking for
The case is capped at 500 words. These four things separate the nominations that make a shortlist from the ones that do not.
Evidence over assertion
The strongest nominations link to something checkable: shipped products, published figures, coverage, filings. A claim with nothing behind it is hard for the panel to score.
Impact you can point at
Who is measurably better off, and by how much. Users reached, cost removed, time saved, jobs created. Specific beats sweeping.
Recent and relevant
The panel is looking at work done recently, not a career summary. Lead with what happened in the last year or two.
Written for a reader
The panel reads a lot of these. A clear 300 words beats a padded 500, and the word limit is a ceiling rather than a target.
Common questions
Who can be nominated?
Individuals, companies, institutions and public bodies, from anywhere. The work should have a meaningful connection to Africa, but the nominee does not have to be based here.
Can I nominate myself or my own organisation?
Yes. Self-nominations are read on exactly the same terms as any other, and are not marked differently for the panel.
Can I nominate the same person in more than one category?
Yes, but submit a separate nomination for each, with a case written for that specific category. A single case copied across categories tends to score poorly in all of them.
Is my nomination made public?
The shortlist is published, so a nominee who is shortlisted becomes public. Your details as the nominator are not published at any point, and are not shown on the ballot.
How does voting stop people voting twice?
Each vote is tied to a phone number verified by one-time code, and a number can vote once per category. Phone numbers are stored hashed rather than in the clear, and the vote itself is time-gated on our servers so it cannot be cast outside the voting window.
When does voting open?
The voting window has not been announced yet. It is published here and on the homepage as soon as the organizers confirm it.
Something not covered here? Email byte@techaiexpo.com, or read how your data is handled in the privacy notice.
Know someone who should win?
It takes about ten minutes. You need the nominee's details, a short case, and a couple of links.