On November 22, hundreds of people will gather in Saint John to celebrate innovators from across New Brunswick who have been “pushing boundaries, opening doors, raising capital, creating jobs and putting New Brunswick on the map across a variety of sectors.”

The celebrations are happening thanks to the inaugural InnovateNB Celebration and accompanying awards.

The InnovateNB Awards recognize innovators in business, government, not-for-profits, and Academia. Organizers say they received an “overwhelming response” to their call for nominations.

Cathy Simpson, the CEO of TechImpact, says it has been “inspiring” to watch the award nominees roll in.

“These people and their achievements are a testament to the innovative spirit and abilities here in New Brunswick,” she says.

In addition to the eight awards, the event will include the Premier’s Award for Innovation and the first induction into the InnovateNB Hall of Fame, celebrating New Brunswick’s most accomplished innovation leaders.

Each member of the Hall of Fame, the organization says, “represents their own brand of successful innovation” and will be recognized for “their meaningful contribution to New Brunswick.”

The event will also highlight “Ones to Watch” by providing a special highlight on rising innovative individuals who “show great promise in contributing to the spirit of innovation in New Brunswick.”

The full list of award nominees includes:

• Emerging Innovator
  • Agunbiade Seun Richards
  • Sam Poirier and Nick Dowling – Potential Motors
  • Isaac Barkhouse
• Diversity and Inclusion Champion
  • Mesh Diversity
  • Asif Hasan -SimpTek Technologies 
  • Justin Ryan – NB Multicultural Council
• Productivity Improvement by Adapting Technology 
  • La Maison BeauSoleil
  • Saint John Energy
  • Port Saint John
• Innovation in Academia and Research  
  • Sid AhmedSelouani – Université de Moncton 
  • Zhen Lei – University of New Brunswick
  • Centre for Applied Research in Mobile and Ubiquitous Computing – New Brunswick Community College
• Most Innovative Startup
  • TrojAI
  • Potential Motors
  • Gray Wolf Analytics
• Most Innovative Product or Service 
  • KognitivSpark 
  • ChinovaBioworks
  • Four Eyes Financial
• Innovation Champion
  • Brilliant Labs
  • Jennifer Sheils – Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Horizon Health
  • ChinovaBioworks
• Economic Impact through Innovation
  • UNB Office of Experiential Learning
  • Jody Glidden -Introhive 
  • Sean Fahey -Vidcruiter  

More about the InnovateNB awards, and the finalists, is available on the InnovateNB Celebration website.

Alex Graham is a reporter with Huddle, an Acadia Broadcasting content partner.