Global Startup Awards is a annual industry award recognizing excellence in Business. Organized by Global Startup Awards (XO Group), it covers the Global region. Established in 2012.
The Global Startup Awards began as the Nordic Startup Awards in Denmark in 2012 and became a global umbrella brand in 2015 under co-founders Kim Balle and Peter Kovacs; it is operated by XO Group. It now spans nine regions covering over 150 countries, making it one of the largest independent startup award series in the world. Judging combines expert panel ratings with public voting (weighted at 25% of the final score), with the GSA team performing quality assurance on nominees before finalist selection.
The competition ladder runs in four stages: anyone can nominate a startup, founder, or organization at the national level; up to three finalists per category per country advance; regional winners are crowned via combined jury and public scores; and regional champions then compete for global titles announced at the Global Grand Finale Days. Categories are split into startup and individual divisions across baseline and vertical categories. The program reports 250,000 cumulative nominations, over 940,000 public votes, and 17 unicorns among its alumni — for early-stage companies outside the major US hubs, a national or regional GSA title is a credible visibility win with a built-in path to global recognition.
Entry starts with the public nomination portal — self-nomination is standard, and regional partners also recommend candidates. The awards run on an annual cycle (Edition 12 as of 2026); exact national nomination windows vary by country and edition, so check the nomination portal for current dates. Because public voting carries a quarter of the score, strong entrants pair a clean, evidence-backed application with an active push to mobilize their community during the voting phase.