The annual SAP Innovation Awards honor and recognize customers and partners whose use of SAP technology creates a positive economic, environmental, and social impact on the world.
It is a great opportunity to learn more about SAP customers and partners that enter: their stories, their creativity, their inspiring solutions to business problems. As we get closer to the deadline of February 1, in my new role as co-sponsor of the awards, I’m sharing the top reasons why I would encourage people to enter the SAP Innovation Awards.
1. Earn your 15 Minutes of Fame — and Beyond
American artist Andy Warhol is credited with saying that everyone will have their 15 minutes of fame. Winning an SAP Innovation Award will not lead to press outside your door, but it can add to your professional accomplishments and might get you on Forbes.com, the Wall Street Journal, or other similar platforms. Award winners have opportunities to participate in major promotional opportunities such as blogs on Forbes.com or The Wall Street Journal; press releases, media interviews, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media exposure; and podcasts like the Innovation Success by SAP series.
2. Document your Success
A strong submission includes a concise summary of the challenge your organization faced, the solution implemented, and the key benefits and outcomes across business, IT, and human empowerment. Most entrants have this information in pockets across their organization, but many have not compiled the project objectives, solution, architecture, and outcomes in a pitch deck package.
The story you build about faster time to revenue, shorter order fulfillment, lowering costs, etc., is key for the award submission. It can also be used for things like internal performance reviews, quarterly business reviews, internal newsletters, case studies, as well as building personal brand via resume or LinkedIn profile.
3. Network with Other Winners and SAP Executives
With SAPPHIRE NOW a virtual event in 2021, we will not host an in-person winners’ get together, but that won’t stop us from still getting together online for a little fun and recognition. We had a great virtual celebration with 2020 winners last spring and will do the same for 2021 winners with an entertaining and informative celebration in the summer.
4. Win an Exclusive Trophy
There are no participation point ribbons; rather, each winning entry receives an impressive and custom engraved trophy to display in the office or at home to proudly show your success.
5. Give Back and Help Improve Lives
Each winner will receive a $1,000 charitable donation.* SAP is also making charitable contributions of $100 per submission (up to a total of $20,000) on behalf of customers to a pair of charities: The Acumen Fund, a global nonprofit changing the way the world tackles poverty, and Global Business Coalition for Education, a movement of businesses committed to ending the global education crisis and unleashing the potential of the next generation.
How to Enter the 2021 SAP Innovation Awards
Now that I’ve shared my top five reasons why you should enter, here are some helpful resources on how to enter.
- Visit the 2021 SAP Innovation Awards page, which has submission guidelines, templates, FAQs, and more
- Read more about award criteria, entering, and the judging panel
- Watch a two-minute video showing how to enter and read four straightforward steps to enter
To trigger your creativity, check out a few of the recent 2021 submissions already posted, including:
- How Transportadora de Gas del Sur is navigating crises by using current technology to face new challenges during the pandemic
- How Villeroy & Boch is pioneering the use of intelligent bots to improve operational efficiency and customer experience
With only two weeks until the submission deadline of February 1, check one item off your 2021 to-do list and enter the 2021 SAP Innovation Awards today.
*Entries from non-eligible countries, government, and government related entities are not eligible for the charitable contribution.