The evaluation of registered events follows a unique 80:20 model. The winner is selected based on a weighted average calculated after the live pitching and voting have ended. 80% of the votes come from the jury and 20% from the audience, who vote for their favourite project based on live presentations from the finalists. This method has proven to be the most effective, objective, and engaging way to select the best of the best.
All applicants must complete the registration process; fill out the entry form, pay the entry fee, and submit materials about the event. The registration deadline is 17 July 2026, and the materials submission deadline is 29 July 2026.
All submitted entries are evaluated by a 26-member jury comprising international event experts, media representatives, and corporate world experts. Every member of the jury makes their decision individually on the basis of their expert knowledge, reputation and authority. The jury will announce the results in mid-August.
Finalists will have one week to prepare a compelling pitch that will impress the jury. The pitching will be done throughout the whole day. Each finalist will have two minutes to convince the jury, as well as the audience to vote for them.
The jury will have one day to make the final decision. The votes from the jury and the audience will be combined to form the final score (80:20). The winners will be announced at a gala award ceremony and receive the unicorn trophy. The winners will be announced on 8 September 2026.
First, the fee for competing in the Unicorn Awards competition must be paid by the registration deadline: 17 July 2026. After payment, you can submit your project materials. See more below:
1. Text descriptions
(up to 1000 characters for each segment)
- 1. Event description and key objectives
- 2. Key challenges
- 3. Creativity
- 4. Innovation
- 5. Execution
- 6. Measurable results
- 7. Communication
- 8. The use of sustainable practices
2. Video – main project
presentation (max. 2-minutes, max. 200MB in mp4 format and as a YouTube link)
It is recommended to have a voice-over playing over the video in order to make the content clearer to the jury. Please add subtitles if the speaker is not in English or if the audio is unclear. Using copyrighted music is not allowed. We recommend structuring the video as follows:
- 1. THE OBJECTIVE – start with the why
- 2. THE CHALLENGE – what did you try to do?
- 3. THE SOLUTION – how did you do it?
- 4. THE RESULTS – what was the impact on the world?
3. Video – trailer
(max. 20 seconds, in mp4 format)
In case you are the winner, we will play a 20-second trailer of your project before you come on stage to receive the trophy. This can be a shorter version of the main video or a new video.
4. Photos
(up to 4 photos in jpg format, min. 1024x683px)
Photos tell more than a 1000 words. Be creative and take us behind the scenes of the event to showcase why your event deserves to be a unicorn.
Once you submit all of your materials, they will be sent to our expert jury for evaluation. The jury consists of 26 members who participate and vote equally in evaluating the submitted entries. The jury shall review and evaluate all submitted projects in a fair, impartial, and transparent manner.
Each finalist will have 2-minutes to present their event to members of the jury and the public audience. To promote creativity and give the finalists freedom to express their ideas, the 2 minutes can be used in any way they prefer. After the 2-minute pitch, each member of the jury reserves the right to pose questions to the presenter. The presenter will have an additional 5 minutes to answer. The live pitching will be taking place on 7 September 2026 from 10:00 to 15:30. The exact time slot will be communicated by the organiser and will be based on the category you will compete in.
Finalists, send us all the materials you will use for the live presentation.
If you are the finalist, all the pitching materials should be sent to anja.kese@toleranca.eu, no later than 30 August 2026. Finalists who fail to send the pitching material by the required date will not be able to use it on the day of the event.
Projects carried out from 1 January 2025 to 17 July 2026 are eligible to register for the award. Projects that competed for the award last year are not eligible to enter. Each project can be entered into one or more categories. See entry fees for applying in additional categories. Winners will only be announced in categories with 3 or more competing projects. Your participation in the competition cannot be cancelled or removed. When your submission is finalised, you agree that a representative from your company will attend the live pitching in person, and in the case of winning, attend the award ceremony. An entry is considered finalised once the registration form is completed, the entry fee has been paid, and all materials have been submitted.
