The participating entity should be an Indian registered organization with atleast two years of registered presence in India as on March 31, 2026.
The AI Powerhouse for Tomorrow
Inaugural Edition
Countdown to Grand Finale
India stands at a defining inflection point in the global AI story. With one of the worlds largest developer ecosystems, a rapidly expanding national AI mission, and a government committed to positioning India as an AI-first economy, the country is no longer a follower, it is a governance frontier.
The Universal AI Awards India Edition inaugurates the worlds premier AI governance recognition platform on Indian soil. It brings together policymakers, enterprise leaders, academics, and innovators to recognise those who are not merely deploying AI, but governing it responsibly, scaling it ethically, and deploying it for genuine public good.
India’s moment in AI governance is now. The Universal AI Awards India Edition exists to document it, celebrate it, and set the standard for what responsible AI leadership looks like in the worlds most populous democracy.
Evaluation Criteria
Nominations are assessed across five dimensions:
The jury is composed of senior policymakers, Fortune 500 executives, leading academics, and civil society champions — selected for expertise, credibility, and geographic diversity.
Jury composition for the India Edition will reflect regional expertise across AI policy, enterprise governance, academia, and civil society. Jury members will be publicly recognised at the ceremony.
Agenda Overview
GROUP PRESIDENT – DIGITAL & DATA INTELLIGENCE
HINDUJA GROUP LIMITED
Partner & National Leader – Clients and Markets
KPMG India
Executive Director
IT for Change
CEO and Founder
Niramai
Head - COE Gurugram & Director
Technical Solutions <br> NASSCOM
Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Airealm Technologies
Founder of ThinkCraft Academy
Sovereign AI Head, HCLTech
HCLTech
The participating entity should be an Indian registered organization with atleast two years of registered presence in India as on March 31, 2026.
For the category, AI Startup of the Year, the participating organization should have its registered office in India, must not exceed 10 years of incorporation and the annual turnover of the organisation must not exceed 200 crores as on March 31, 2026.
For the category AI Transformation of the Year, the participating organization must have an annual revenue of:
For the segment Leadership, the participant must be a CXO-level professional currently leading AI strategy, governance, and enterprise-wide adoption initiatives within their organization.
23 categories across four pillars — recognising the full spectrum of AI leadership, from enterprise transformation and technology innovation to responsible governance and social impact.
Enterprise & Industry Transformation
Innovation & Technology
Leadership
Social Impact
The Universal AI Awards Europe Edition convenes a curated community of decision-makers for whom AI governance is a strategic priority. Participation signals commitment to responsible innovation and future-ready enterprise leadership — in the world's most policy-mature AI region.
Any individual, organisation, or institution operating in or significantly impacting Europe’s AI ecosystem can submit a nomination. Self-nominations and third-party nominations are both accepted.
No. Nomination for the Universal AI Awards is completely free. Submit your nomination at www.awards.knowledgenetworks.org.
The Europe Edition is scheduled for September 2026. Specific deadline dates will be announced on www.awards.knowledgenetworks.org.Register your interest early to stay updated.
Winners are selected through a rigorous jury process led by a distinguished panel of global thinkers, innovators, technologists, policymakers, and industry veterans. Independent award process partners — including global professional services firms — serve as assurance bodies, ensuring transparency, integrity, and compliance across all nomination, evaluation, and winner validation stages.
The Edition recognises individuals and organisations in or significantly Europe’s A1 ecosystem International organisations with a material presence or irnpact in are
eligible to apply.
The Universal AI Awards runs across three international chapters — New Delhi (Sep 2026), Amsterdam (Oct 2026), and Miami (Dec 2026) — culminating in the Grand Finale held alongside the G20 Summit in Miami. Each edition features gala ceremonies, VIP networking, closed-door roundtables, keynote sessions, and panel discussions.