Inavation Awards Project categories

Entry window: 1st September – 31st October, 2027

Entry fee: £100. All entrants will receive a £100 discount code to use towards tickets for the Inavation Awards ceremony and dinner.

 

The Inavation Awards recognise outstanding AV projects delivered anywhere in the world.

 

Project categories are open to integrators, consultants and end users either individually or via a joint entry. Manufacturers can enter through the dedicated Applied Technology category or support an entry led by a project partner.

 

Why enter?

 

An Inavation Award is a respected mark of technical excellence, creativity and successful project delivery. Winners demonstrate that they can be trusted with complex, high-value AV investments and ambitious client requirements.

 

What makes a strong entry?

 

Judges are looking for a clear, well-told project story that explains:

 

• The client brief and system design

• The technology deployed, in meaningful technical detail

• Original ideas, new approaches or emerging technologies

• Challenges overcome during the project

• The positive impact on the client and its users

 

Good photography, clear supporting visuals and a client testimonial will strengthen your submission.

 

Read the Guidelines on entering before preparing your entry, then choose the most appropriate category from the list below. A link to the entry portal will go live on this page on 1st September, 2026.

 

This year, we are including an open category. If none of the listed categories suit your project then choose this option. Your entry will be moved to the category our team deems it will perform best in. Additional categories may be created when the field of entry is known.

 

Smart Building Award: Two Awards for one entry!

Enter any Project category and indicate on the entry form that you also want to be considered for the Smart Building Award. You’ll answer a few additional questions and you must include a clearly headed section in your entry document explaining how the system you deployed encompasses or integrates with wider building technologies such as lighting, HVAC, sensors or energy management. That gives your project two chances to win from a single entry. To enter only the Smart Building Award, contact inavationawards@imlgroup.co.uk.

 

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Arts & Experience

Entries will show application of AV to deliver immersive, engaging or interactive experiences within visitor attraction or leisure spaces. Eligible projects include projection mapping spectacles, immersive art galleries, immersive art galleries, rides, and 4/5D theatres.

 

Connected Meeting Space

Entries will show set ups that facilitate local and remote participant collaboration in spaces such as boardrooms or meeting rooms. It emphasises integrated videoconferencing and collaboration platforms and distinguishes itself from the corporate award, which covers entire office floors or buildings with multiple meeting,

presentation, and workspaces.

 

Corporate

Entries will detail a fully integrated AV system successfully implemented within a business environment such as a corporate campus, an office building or floor, or shared workspace.

 

Education

Entries will detail a fully integrated AV system successfully implemented within an educational facility, such as a school, higher education establishment or training centre.

 

Government or Public Sector

Entries will detail a fully integrated AV system successfully implemented within a publicly owned site such as a library, local government facility or courtroom.

Note: Installations in public healthcare facilities should be entered into the healthcare category.

 

Healthcare

Entries will detail a fully integrated AV system successfully implemented within a privately or publicly managed healthcare site such as a doctors’ surgery, hospital or elderly care facility. Details of wider telemedicine deployments will also be considered legitimate entries.

 

Hospitality

Entries will show a fully integrated AV system successfully implemented within a facility that entertains and accommodates guests such as a cruise ship, hotel, nightclub or restaurant. Details of temporary installations will also be considered.

 

House of Worship

Entries will show a fully integrated AV system successfully implemented within a place of worship such as mosque, church, synagogue or temple. Systems to capture and

broadcast services and events to other places of worship, congregation members at home or saved as a resource for worshippers will also be considered.

 

Live Event

Entries will detail the use of AV technologies deployed in a temporary event for entertainment or a shareholder or company meeting, product launch event or exhibition booth.

 

Museums & Heritage

Entries will showcase projects that show innovative application of technology in preserving, showcasing and providing education on cultural and historical assets. Eligible projects include museums and historical sites.

 

Retail and Signage

Entries will show the application of AV within retail environments or digital signage networks. Eligible projects include interactive stores, flagship retail experiences, digital signage, wayfinding, menu boards, and large-scale display installations designed to inform, engage or influence audiences.

 

Venues & Events Spaces

Entries will showcase the application of technology within new venues or upgrades to parts of the whole of existing venues. This award encompasses convention centres, theatres, stadiums, and other events, conferencing and multipurpose venues.

 

Smart Building Award

Entries will show how AV systems integrate with wider building technologies such as lighting, HVAC, sensors, energy management or building management platforms. Judges will also consider projects where AV professionals have taken on broader roles to deliver connected, automated and intelligent environments.