Enter by Friday, January 22, 2021

TechPoint has officially launched the nominations and applications process for the 22nd annual Mira Awards, Indiana’s largest, best known and most prestigious technology awards program. People are encouraged to apply for awards in more than a dozen categories, or they can nominate others in all four “Best of Tech in Indiana” award divisions including people, place, products and companies.

“RISE UP” is this year’s theme, which encourages the community to seize opportunities and look to the future with hope and resolve to overcome the turbulence and tragedy suffered during 2020.

“As the nucleus of Indiana’s tech ecosystem, TechPoint reflects both the triumphs and challenges of our members and the tech industry at large,” said TechPoint President and CEO Mike Langellier. “The Mira Awards is largely about celebrating our state’s tech successes, but it’s also a highly visible platform for us to come together as a community, highlight what’s important to us and share our vision for the future.”

As part of its work to bring equity to all levels of the state’s tech ecosystem, TechPoint is more aggressively encouraging community nominations for (and self-applications from) women and people of color who might not have been as visible in the traditional tech circles of the past. Employers, educators, investors, entrepreneurs, municipalities and community champions who, through improved programs, policies, training, etc., are advancing diversity, equity and inclusion and/or creating employment and development pathways for underrepresented individuals are also encouraged to apply.

TechPoint created the awards program in 1999, to recognize tech-related achievements and innovation statewide, and ultimately to stimulate future tech growth and entrepreneurship. Each year, nominees and winners reap millions of dollars in value from promotion and often venture capital investment, hiring success, and connections as a result of the visibility.

Any company, startup, scale-up, city, school, team or individual may apply for a Mira Award. It is not required that an applicant be nominated by someone else to enter the awards. The Categories & Criteria Guide and the online application form are available at www.techpoint.org/mira, and the application submission deadline is Friday, Jan. 22, 2021.

The 2020 TechPoint Mira Award categories are:

  • PEOPLE
    • Community Impact Award
    • Tech Education Award
    • Rising Entrepreneur Award
    • Investor of the Year
    • Trailblazer Award (chosen by TechPoint Board)
    • Bridge Builder Award (chosen by TechPoint Foundation for Youth)
  • PLACE
    • Rising Tech City Award
  • PRODUCTS
    • Tech Product of the Year
    • Service Provider of the Year
    • Innovation of the Year
  • COMPANIES
    • Exceptional Employer Award
    • Startup of the Year
    • Scale-up of the Year
    • Large Enterprise of the Year

View the 2021 Mira Awards Categories Overview Flyer.
View the 2021 Mira Awards Categories & Criteria Guide.

APPLY NOW – Use this form to apply for yourself or your own company.
NOMINATE – Use this form to nominate someone else or a company that is not your own.

Fifty-two independent and diverse subject matter experts evaluate and rank the applications. The rankings determine which applicants become nominees, which will be announced on February 16, 2021. Next, nominees deliver presentations and answer questions—usually in-person, but the live interviews with judges will take place virtually on March 10 and 11, 2021. Following the interviews with one of the independent judging panels, the judges deliberate and select the winners. The process culminates in the state’s largest tech community event, the Mira Awards gala, which was broadcast live in 2020, to a crowd of more than 5,000 online viewers.

Follow the conversation online with the hashtag #MiraAwards. Watch videos from last year’s Mira Awards gala on YouTube and browse hundreds of Mira Awards videos going back many years. Sponsorship opportunities are available by contacting Lauren Petersen at lauren@techpoint.org.

About TechPoint:
TechPoint is the nonprofit, industry-led growth initiative for Indiana’s technology companies and overall tech ecosystem. The team is focused on attracting talent, accelerating scale-up companies, activating the community and amplifying stories of success. For more information, please visit www.techpoint.org.