Over 300 submissions were received from 24 countries all over the world from Australia to China to Nigeria to the United States of America and many more. The open and inclusive event features over 14 categories, including women in tech and diversity in tech awards. The LGBTQ+ Inclusion Award, the Cultural Inclusion Award, the Tech Leader Award, the Trailblazer Award, the Digital Transformation Award are just some of the categories featured.

Judges include Fig O’Reilly, Datanaut at NASA, Shinjini Das, CEO at Das Media Group, Gearoid Kearney, CEO of myAccessHub, Gary Steward, CEO & Co-Founder of The Nest, Sarah Cunningham, Vice President at Mastercard Dublin Tech Hub among others. 

The panel of expert judges consisting of 15 digital thinkers, creators, and innovators, DE&I experts, narrowed down all the submissions to the finalists which include some of the largest organisations in the world such as Hewlett Packard Enterprise, NASA, Oracle, BBC, Citi and EY to new and emerging organisations putting their stamp on the world including Soapbox Labs, Access Brazil, M4Jam, Uvera Inc, Pioneera and CogniCor Technologies Ltd.

In addition to the above, there are also two special recognition categories including The Grace Hopper Award and the Diversity In Tech Impact Award. 

The Grace Hopper Award aims to acknowledge a leading female STEM professional, whose exceptional achievements and outstanding contributions have made a lasting impact on technology, society, and their profession. The Diversity In Tech Impact Award aims to recognise a not-for-profit organisation that has demonstrated exceptional initiative to promote diversity across the technology industry. The winner of the Grace Hopper and Diversity in Tech Impact awards were Kriti Sharma, Founder of AI for Good UK & VP Product at GfK and Gary Goldman, Senior Programme Director of Out in Tech respectively.

Now in its third year, the Diversity in Tech Awards which celebrates DE&I advocates globally doing impactful work in their organisations and communities, will also include exciting keynote speakers, panels, and fireside discussions. Speakers include Daisy Auger-Dominguez, Chief People Officer at Vice Media Group, Andrew Macadam, Managing Director of Microsoft for Startups Europe, Furkan Karayal, Founder and CEO of Diversein.com and Abadesi Osunsade, Founder of the Hustle Crew and co-host of Techish podcast. Attendees include a wide range of global DE&I advocates, international tech executives, VIPs, government representatives, and nominees.

The Diversity In Tech Awards are organised by the Dublin Tech Summit team, with tickets to the virtual ceremony free of charge. For further information please click here.

Speaking about global reach of this year’s awards, Tracey Carney, Managing Director of the Diversity in Tech Awards said: “Back in June 2020 when we launched the awards, we knew we were working on something special. Our entire team is so humbled by the reception this event has received internationally. To receive over 300 nominates from over 24 countries is a fantastic acknowledgement of the passion and persistence of Diversity, Equality and Inclusion advocates everywhere. One of the nicest parts of our job is letting someone know they have been nominated, it means so much to them to get this recognition. The role in taking the time to nominate is so important and so greatly appreciated by all our nominees.”

Speaking about the awards, Managing Director of Microsoft for Startups Europe, Andrew Macadam, said: “Microsoft’s mission is all about empowering every person and company on the planet to achieve more and this partnership is totally aligned with empowering people that are making a real impact and progress to encompass D&I in their culture.

"The most successful companies are ones that embed diversity and inclusiveness into their culture from the start. Our role is to support B2B startups that are looking to scale and grow and become world leaders, and we recognise that great companies can come from anywhere, regardless of their background. 

"I see the Diversity in Tech Awards not only recognising, but amplifying the voices of founders and companies that are under-represented at the moment. These awards help everyone understand the opportunity and impact of a diverse and inclusive culture and we are excited to be working in partnership with them.”