Nordic Innovation Award 2026
The Nordic industrial property offices will grant the Nordic Innovation Award for responsible innovations protected by intellectual property rights.
The competition aims to increase awareness of the benefits of patents, trademarks and other intellectual property rights (IPR) in business and support sustainable development and responsible solutions.
Award criteria
The competition rewards responsible and sustainable innovations. Their characteristics include the following:
- The innovation reduces resource consumption (e.g., energy, water, materials).
- The innovation minimises its environmental impacts (such as carbon dioxide emissions or waste).
- The innovation contributes to positive social development (e.g., by improving quality of life or community health).
The innovation is also economically viable, making the solution scalable and accessible for broader use.
One candidate will be selected from each of the five Nordic countries for the final, which will take place in Oslo, Norway, on 21 May 2026. The best innovations will gain visibility in the news channels of the competition organizers. The winner and finalists will also receive visibility more broadly across all the Nordic countries.
Information on the competition
All Finnish small and medium-sized enterprises operating in Finland with fewer than 250 employees can enter the competition.
The competition is open for applications until 28 February 2026. Participation is free of charge.
In Finland, the competition is managed by the Finnish Patent and Registration Office.
Read more about the competition and the award criteria on the competition page.
Read more about the Finnish winners of the 2025 competition.
About us
We work for the benefit of companies and organizations.
We register companies, associations, foundations and other organizations and corporations, as well as enterprise mortgages and LEI codes. We examine and grant patents and register utility models. We also register trademarks for products and services and provide design protection. We oversee and approve auditors and monitor foundations and the collective management of copyright.
We offer our customers advisory services and courses. We give information about companies, organizations, corporations and immaterial rights.
Our office is an International Searching Authority (ISA) and International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA) for international PCT patent applications.
Our office comes under the administrative sector of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment (MEAE), and we negotiate each year with the MEAE on our performance targets. Our office is subject to net budgeting, meaning that about 95% of our expenses are covered by the income we make from our services.
Read more: https://www.prh.fi/en/presentation_and_duties.html
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