RTIH Innovation Awards are back for 2026 with new categories focused on retail media, RFID and emerging tech

RTIH Awards

13 Aug

The eighth edition of the RTIH Innovation Awards is now open for entries. New for this year, we have launched categories focused on retail media, RFID, emerging technology, and hospitality and leisure.

The awards, sponsored by 3D Cloud, Business France, and Retail Technology Show 2027, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world. Our latest winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.

Download a sample entry form here.

Those new categories as follows:

Emerging Retail Technology Innovation of the Year

Various emerging retail technologies are blurring the lines between physical and digital retail, increasing operational efficiency and boosting customer experiences through the likes of automation, computer vision, machine learning, and AI.

This award will highlight projects involving emerging technologies across the omnichannel retail landscape that have gone beyond the proof-of-concept stage, scaling and delivering results for retailers/brands and their customers.

Retail Media Innovation

As the retail media boom continues into 2026, technology platforms are playing an increasingly important role, helping retailers build connected retail media propositions and enabling brands to target, optimise, and track campaigns with precision.

We’re looking to reward projects that have tapped innovative technologies to unlock revenue streams for retailers by monetising their first-party data and physical and digital stores, strengthening supplier relationships, and improving shopper experiences.

RFID Project of the Year

This category shines a light on how RFID solutions are helping retailers increase visibility in their supply chains and stores, gain operational efficiencies and enhance customer satisfaction.

We’re looking for successful implementations of RFID across the retail landscape, with use cases including inventory visibility, supply chain visibility, omnichannel offerings such as ship-from-store, buy online and pickup in store (BOPIS) and self-checkout systems.

Hospitality Technology Innovation

This category spotlights the companies deploying innovative technology to redefine how hospitality companies (including bars, restaurants, hotels, cinemas and entertainment venues) operate and engage guests.

This award will highlight projects across the hospitality and leisure landscape that have resulted in businesses enhancing their operations, resulting in improved productivity, enhanced customer experiences, and competitive advantages.

Key dates for 2026

Friday, 20th February: Awards open for entries

Friday, 2nd October: Awards entry deadline

Tuesday, 6th October: 2026 finalists revealed

Wednesday, 7th October - 20th October: Judging days

Wednesday, 4th November: Winners announced at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC (Prince Consort Rooms) in Central London.

RTIH_2025 copy 2.jpg (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

RTIHAwards2025_29 copy.jpg (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

Liz_Isles_Photography_RTIH24-212 copy.jpg (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

RTIHAwards2025_292 copy 2.jpg (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy) (Copy)

FAQs

Is there a fee to enter the awards?: It is free to enter and you can do so across multiple categories.

Do I need to complete all the sections in the entry form? No, but the more information you provide, the better chance you have of producing a successful submission.

Is there a certain timeframe for nominated projects, initiatives etc? Yes, nominated projects, initiatives etc should have been completed (or substantially completed) during the last 12 months.

Who has visibility of our completed entry form and what information will be public should we win or be shortlisted? Only our Editor, Scott Thompson, and judging panel will view submissions. The information provided in the summary section of the entry form will be made public.

Do you only accept entries from UK-based companies? No, we accept entries from all parts of the world.

What is the shortlists process? Shortlists will be announced in October, then shortlisted entries will be sent to our independent judging panel who will decide upon the winners and highly commended submissions.

Shortlisted companies will be invited to attend an event at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November (consisting of a drinks reception, three course meal and awards ceremony).

Do winners and highly commended companies receive post-event coverage? Yes, post-event coverage includes articles on our website and also an in-depth awards review in our printed magazine. There is also the opportunity for a company profile type piece to be published on our site.

Who won what in 2025? Check out our 2025 winners here.

When is the deadline for 2026 submissions? 2nd October 2026.

When will the 2026 winners be revealed? Our 2026 winners will be announced at an event at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November (consisting of a drinks reception, three course meal and awards ceremony).

Who will be judging the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards?

Christiana Hawes, Senior Director Retail Experiences Technology, Worldwide Studio Tours & Retail, Warner Bros. Discovery

Dan McGrath, JD Group Customer Operations, JD Sports

Prabhat Johl, Director of Data Science, Walmart

Yatin Garg, Senior Manager, Product & Engineering, Amazon

Glen Richardson, Non-Executive Director, PoundFun, former COO at The Range and CMO at Fruugo

Melissa Moore, Host of The Retail Tea Break podcast

Graham Broomfield, Managing Director, Austen & Blake

Rob Smith, Technology Officer, East of England Co-op

Vineta Bajaj, Group CFO, Holland & Barrett

Nadine Neatrour, Chief Marketing Officer, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants

Mike Cadden, Chief Technology Officer, Marie Curie

Carole Kingsbury, Chief Technology Officer, C&C Group

George Hayworth, Retail Director, Bringg and former Head of Q-Commerce Development, Co-op

Becky Lombardo, Founder, Londra Consulting

Christine Russo, Industry Analyst and Retail Influencer

Jack Dowling, Former Post Office and Frasers Group executive, Transformation Leader (Strategy, Product, Operations & AI)

Matt Taylor, CTO of Global Managed Services and VP of SecDevOps, NCC Group

Paula Bobbett, Chief Data and Digital Officer, Boots

Scott Thompson, Editor and Founder, Retail Technology Innovation Hub

Toby Pickard, Retail Futures Senior Partner, IGD

For any other entry related queries, email: scott.thompson@retailtechinnovationhub.com

If you are interested in being a 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards sponsor, please fill in the form at the bottom of this page and we will get back to you asap.

Why become a sponsor?

✓ Position your brand alongside leading retailer and retail technology brands

✓ Network with retail executives both during the run up to and during the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November

✓ Gain access to post-event data capture and analytics with detailed feedback on sponsorship activities

✓ Showcase your innovative solutions to help retailers thrive in an omnichannel world via the likes of promotional articles both on our website and in our printed magazine, emails to our database of daily e-newsletter subscribers, and social media posts.