Smarter Sports
Awards 2027
Award Categories
The 2027 Smarter Sports Awards recognize the organizations, products, people and partnerships rethinking how sport is played, experienced and delivered.
Explore the categories below to find the best fit for your work. Each entry is assessed against the criteria of its chosen category by an independent international judging panel.
Entries may be submitted into more than one category where the relevant criteria are met.
Entry Guidance
Not sure which category is right for your work? Some innovations may be eligible for more than one category.
Review the full criteria or contact The Awards team and we will help you identify the most appropriate route.
2027 Categories
Performance and Athlete Welfare
Female Athlete
This category recognizes innovation designed around the needs, physiology, safety, health or performance of female athletes. Entries may include apparel, equipment, training, medical support, nutrition, recovery, research or digital tools. The work should be grounded in relevant evidence and show a meaningful benefit for women in sport.
Performance Nutrition
This category recognizes a product, service, system or body of applied work that improves sports performance, recovery or athlete health through nutrition. Entries may include food, hydration, supplementation, diagnostics, personalization, education or delivery systems. Claims must be proportionate, evidence-based and compliant with relevant standards.
Performance Sports Innovation: Multi-Sport
This category recognizes an innovation used across multiple sports to improve athlete or team performance, coaching, training, tactics, testing, monitoring or welfare. Entries should demonstrate that the solution is relevant across different sporting contexts and has delivered credible performance value in more than one sport.
Performance Sports Innovation: Single Sport
This category recognizes an innovation designed for, or applied principally within, one sport to improve athlete or team performance, coaching, training, tactics, testing, monitoring or welfare. Entries may also include mechanical, engineering and motorsport innovations that deliver a measurable performance advantage within a single sport, including advances in vehicle technology, aerodynamics, materials, components, testing and simulation. The entry should demonstrate a strong understanding of the sport and a credible improvement in its specific performance environment.
Recovery, Rehabilitation and Medical Technology
This category recognizes technology, science, equipment or services that support athlete recovery, rehabilitation, injury prevention, diagnosis, treatment or return to play. Entries should demonstrate appropriate clinical or scientific grounding, responsible use and credible benefits for athletes or practitioners.
Technology, Data and Media
Use of AI
This category recognizes the effective and responsible use of artificial intelligence in sport. Applications may include performance, operations, media, commercial activity, fan engagement, safety or decision-making. Entries should show why AI was the appropriate solution, how it was implemented and governed, and the tangible improvement it produced.
Broadcast
This category recognizes technology or production innovation that improves how sport is captured, produced, distributed, understood or experienced. Eligible work may include cameras, audio, graphics, data integration, replay, accessibility, remote production, personalization, streaming, studio technology or new viewing formats.
Content Creator
This category recognizes an individual, team or organization using digital platforms and creative technology to produce distinctive sports content. Entries should demonstrate editorial quality, originality, audience understanding and evidence that the content has built attention, participation, community or commercial value.
Data and Analytics: Business
This category recognizes the use of sports data and analytics to improve business performance. Entries may address audience development, media, sponsorship, ticketing, pricing, retail, customer intelligence, rights, operations or commercial decision making. The work should turn data into clear, useful and measurable action.
Data and Analytics: Sports Performance
This category recognizes data and analytics that improve athlete, team or coaching performance. Entries may include collection, integration, modeling, visualization, prediction or decision support across training, tactics, selection, workload, technique or competition. The entry should demonstrate scientific and sporting relevance alongside credible results.
Fan Engagement
This category recognizes innovation that creates a stronger, more useful or more valuable relationship between sport and its audiences. Entries may include digital products, loyalty, gaming, personalization, immersive experiences, social platforms, membership, commerce or in-venue engagement. The work should demonstrate genuine audience value rather than reach alone.
Innovation
of the Year
This award recognizes the strongest sports innovation entered into The 2027 Smarter Sports Awards. The product, service or system must have progressed beyond concept stage and become commercially or operationally available on or after 1 January 2025. Concepts and work that has not yet been implemented are not eligible. Judges will consider originality, execution, relevance, supporting evidence and the scale of the innovation’s demonstrated or potential impact on sport. We should also clarify whether Innovation of the Year is entered directly or selected by the judges from entries submitted across the other categories. The current description suggests both interpretations could be possible.
Products and Participation
Accessibility
This category recognizes innovation that makes sport easier to access, experience or participate in for people with disabilities or other access needs. Entries may address participation, performance, coaching, officiating, broadcast, content, venues, ticketing, communications or the fan experience. The entry should demonstrate inclusive design, meaningful user involvement and a measurable improvement in access or experience.
Apparel
This category recognizes sports apparel that uses science, engineering, materials, design or manufacturing innovation to improve performance, protection, comfort, participation or sustainability. Entries may include competition wear, training wear, protective clothing, adaptive apparel or specialist garments for athletes, officials or participants.
Equipment
This category recognizes sports equipment developed through technology, engineering, science, materials, design or manufacturing. This includes mechanical and engineering innovations, including components, systems and technologies developed for motorsport or other sports where they improve performance, safety, training, officiating or participation.
Fitness
This category recognizes innovation that helps people become or remain physically active. Entries may include connected fitness, digital coaching, community participation, home or gym products, adaptive fitness, wearables or services that improve motivation, access, adherence, safety or outcomes.
Footwear
This category recognizes sports footwear that uses science, engineering, materials, biomechanics, design or manufacturing innovation to improve performance, protection, comfort, access or sustainability. Entries may cover competition, training, recovery, adaptive or specialist footwear.
Business and Industry
Investor of the Year
This category recognizes an investor or investment organization making a significant contribution to sports innovation. Entries should demonstrate a clear investment thesis, informed selection, practical support for portfolio companies and evidence that capital, expertise or networks have accelerated sustainable growth and value creation.
Partnership
of the Year
This category recognizes a collaboration between two or more organizations that has used innovation to address a defined challenge or opportunity in sport. Entries should show why the partners were complementary, how the relationship was structured and delivered, and what was achieved together that would have been difficult independently.
Sports Innovation Advisory
This category recognizes an advisory, consultancy or professional services organization that has helped sports clients use innovation more effectively. Entries may cover strategy, transformation, research, implementation, commercialization, design, regulation or organizational change. The work should demonstrate insight, independence, effective delivery and measurable client value.
Start-Up
of the Year
This category recognizes an early-stage business with a compelling proposition for the sports market. Eligible businesses must be generating revenue, with the founders retaining majority ownership. Companies may have received funding from seed stage through to six months after completing a Series A round. Judges will consider the significance of the problem being addressed, the quality and differentiation of the solution, the strength of the team, evidence of market demand and the business’s credible potential for growth.
Organizations, Places and Events
Sustainability
This category recognizes innovation that reduces the environmental impact of sport or helps the sector operate more responsibly. Entries may address carbon, energy, water, waste, materials, transport, biodiversity, infrastructure, events, products or supply chains. The entry should provide credible evidence of improvement and avoid unsupported environmental claims.
Team or Organization
of the Year
This category recognizes a sports team, governing body, league, federation, rights holder or other sports organization that has used innovation to improve its performance, operations, culture, commercial activity, audience experience or social impact. Entries should demonstrate leadership, effective adoption and results appropriate to the organization’s scale and resources.
Tournament, Competition
or Event
This category recognizes a tournament, competition or sports event that has used innovation to improve planning, delivery, performance, safety, sustainability, accessibility, audience experience or commercial outcomes. The entry should show how innovation was integrated into the event rather than added as a standalone feature.
Venue
This category recognizes innovation that improves the design, construction, operation or experience of a sports venue. Entries may address access, safety, crowd management, connectivity, ticketing, wayfinding, hospitality, retail, sustainability, maintenance, data, security or matchday operations. The work should demonstrate practical value for venue users and operators.
