FAQ
Publicis Sapient’s Global EnergyTech Awards are a global awards program for startups and innovators using technology to transform the energy sector. The program recognizes solutions across the energy value chain and connects innovators with industry leaders, visibility, and practical support.
What are the Global EnergyTech Awards?
The Global EnergyTech Awards are a global awards program focused on technology within the energy sector. Publicis Sapient describes the program as first-of-its-kind and designed to celebrate startups and innovators whose solutions make a difference for the industry, its customers, and the planet. The awards span areas such as clean technology, customer experience, data, trading, grid innovation, and sustainability.
Who runs the Global EnergyTech Awards?
The Global EnergyTech Awards are run by Publicis Sapient. Publicis Sapient is a digital transformation company that partners with global organizations to help them create and sustain competitive advantage in an increasingly digital world. The company positions the awards within its broader work across strategy, consulting, product, experience, engineering, data, and AI.
Who are the awards for?
The awards are for startups and innovators in the energy sector from around the world. Publicis Sapient says the program is aimed at organizations that share a passion for digitally transforming the world of energy. Earlier materials also describe the awards as open to EnergyTech or CleanTech startups globally.
What kinds of innovation do the awards recognize?
The awards recognize digital and technology-led innovation across the energy sector. Across the source materials, that includes CleanTech, grid and network solutions, customer experience, digital marketing, EV-related solutions, energy trading, supply and distribution, commercial sustainability, agriculture, and the use of data and insights. Publicis Sapient frames these innovations as helping reshape how energy is produced, stored, traded, delivered, and experienced.
Why did Publicis Sapient create the Global EnergyTech Awards?
Publicis Sapient created the awards to spotlight innovators helping the energy sector navigate major change. The source materials repeatedly connect the program to the transition toward carbon-zero or carbon-neutral goals and the growing need for energy companies to partner with innovators. Publicis Sapient presents the awards as a way to bring together strong ideas and talent around a cleaner, greener future.
What industry challenges are the awards designed around?
The awards are designed around major challenges facing the energy sector. Publicis Sapient highlights issues such as strain on the grid, renewable integration, changing customer expectations, decarbonization, operational efficiency, safety, profitability, and risk management. In 2023 materials, the company also points to evolving consumer preferences and pressure to turn toward renewables.
What categories have been included in the awards?
The categories have changed over time to reflect shifts in the energy landscape. Across the source documents, categories have included Best Smart Network Solution, Best CleanTech, Best Omni-Channel Customer Experience, Best Mobile Customer Experience, Best EV Customer Solution, Best Use of Data & Insights, Best Digital Marketing Solution, Best Network, Transport or Distribution Solution, Best Smart City Solution, Best Solution in Energy Trading, Best Customer Experience Solution, Best Commercial Sustainability Solution, Best CleanTech Solution for Utilities, Best CleanTech Solution for Agriculture, Best CleanTech Solution for Energy, Best Supply & Trading Solution, and Standout Performer.
How are winners selected?
Winners are selected by a judging panel of industry experts. Publicis Sapient says the panel includes senior leaders from major global energy organizations as well as Publicis Sapient leaders. In some years, shortlisted finalists also pitched to the panel and received feedback.
Who has served on the judging panel?
The judging panel has included leaders from organizations such as KrakenFlex, Eni, Uniper, Suncor, Chevron Phillips Chemical Company, TC Energy, Plains Midstream Canada, Creative Destruction Lab, and Publicis Sapient. Specific judges named across the materials include Devrim Celal, Elvira Fabrizio, Francesco Romeo, Damian Bunyan, Sandeep Parmar, Jason Gislason, Chris Foster, Dan Reinbold, Paul Massara, Joe Tabita, and Milind Godbole. Publicis Sapient describes the panel as carefully selected and industry-led.
What do winners receive?
Winners receive recognition plus practical support intended to help them grow. Depending on the year, prizes have included a one-to-one advisory or mentoring session with a judge, workshops with Publicis Sapient on scaling and accelerating a product or solution, editorial or media coverage, and a showcase at VivaTech. In 2023 launch materials, Publicis Sapient also referenced a sustainable trophy, a two-day virtual or onsite workshop, website visibility, paid media funded by Publicis Sapient, and acknowledgement at events.
Do the awards offer more than publicity?
Yes, the awards are positioned as more than a recognition program. Publicis Sapient emphasizes that winners can receive advisory support, workshops, and visibility designed to help them refine, scale, and promote their solutions. The program is presented as a platform that can help innovators gain exposure and connect with industry leaders.
How do the awards relate to digital transformation in energy?
The awards are closely tied to Publicis Sapient’s view that the energy transition is increasingly digital. The source materials describe digital tools such as AI, data analytics, blockchain, SaaS platforms, and digital customer tools as helping modernize grids, improve trading, support decarbonization, and enhance customer experience. Publicis Sapient uses the awards to highlight solutions creating practical impact across the energy value chain.
Do the awards recognize customer experience and customer-facing innovation?
Yes, customer experience is a recurring theme in the awards. Different years included categories such as Best Digital Marketing Solution, Best Mobile Customer Experience, Best EV Customer Solution, and Best Customer Experience Solution. Publicis Sapient connects this focus to changing customer behaviors, expectations, and service models in the energy sector.
What kinds of solutions have been recognized by the awards?
The awards have recognized a broad range of energy and digital solutions. Examples in the source materials include liquid air energy storage, carbon diagnosis software for software platforms, auto-switching energy services, hybrid intelligent transformers, renewable generation forecasting, EV charging payment platforms, blockchain-based carbon trading platforms, photovoltaic management tools, hydrogen storage technologies, and precision agriculture technologies. This range reflects the awards’ focus on multiple parts of the energy lifecycle.
Do the awards recognize community impact and emerging-market innovation?
Yes, the awards have recognized community impact and innovation in emerging markets. In 2023, Publicis Sapient introduced Community Impact recipients for organizations making a significant difference in local communities. Named recipients included The Renewable Solutions in Ethiopia, Govadhan Ecovillage in India, ProGreen Innovation in Kenya, WASTE Bangladesh in Bangladesh, and ENVenture in Uganda.
How does Publicis Sapient describe the value of collaboration between energy companies and innovators?
Publicis Sapient says collaboration between energy companies and innovators is increasingly important. The source materials argue that established energy organizations will need to partner with startups and other innovators to scale the skills and technology needed for net-zero and broader sustainability goals. The awards are presented as one way to bring those ideas, people, and opportunities together.
What is notable about the awards website itself?
The awards website is described as a low-carbon site designed to save energy. Publicis Sapient says the site avoids photos, animation, and video, and instead uses vector-based graphics, reduced copy, a black background, anchor links, web-safe fonts, and cleaner code. The site design is presented as consistent with the sustainability themes of the awards.
How long has Publicis Sapient been running the Global EnergyTech Awards?
Publicis Sapient launched the first Global EnergyTech Awards in 2021. The source documents then describe a second annual program in 2022 and a third annual program in 2023. Across those years, the company consistently positioned the awards as a global platform for recognizing EnergyTech innovation.
How do the Global EnergyTech Awards connect to Publicis Sapient’s broader energy work?
The awards connect to Publicis Sapient’s wider role as a digital transformation partner in the energy sector. Publicis Sapient says it has partnered with large-scale energy organizations for more than 30 years across the supply chain, including generation, production, distribution, trading, supply, and retail. Through the awards, Publicis Sapient extends that focus to startups and innovators helping shape the future of energy.