Innovation of the Year 2026

Innovation of the Year 2026

Regulations for the 2026 Innovation of the Year

 

1. ORGANIZER AND PURPOSE

Organized as part of the 2026 edition of the VivaTech Event (hereinafter the "Event"), this award celebrates and spotlights the trailblazing startups that are reshaping the future. It is open to all exhibiting startups at VivaTech 2026 and recognizes a startup that has demonstrated exceptional creativity, technological ingenuity, and the potential to transform industries.

The Innovation of the Year (hereinafter the "Award") is organized by MSL France, a simplified joint-stock company with capital of €182,400, headquartered at 145 rue de Courcelles, 75017 Paris, registered with the Paris Trade and Companies Register under number 347 895 096 R.C.S. Paris, acting as manager of the partnership between MSL France and Les Echos Solutions, a company headquartered at 10 boulevard de Grenelle, 75015 Paris, registered with the Paris Trade and Companies Register under number 408 165 157 (hereinafter "VivaTech").

These regulations (hereinafter the "Regulations") define the terms and rules for participating in the Challenge.

Participation in the Challenge implies full and unconditional acceptance of these Regulations. If you do not agree with the terms, you should not register or participate in the Challenge.

 

2. CONDITIONS FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE AWARD

The Challenge is exclusively open to startups exhibiting at the VivaTech Event, held 17-20 June 2026, at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, and that places innovation at the core of their business model.

An exhibiting startup at VivaTech has either purchased an exhibition space for the Event or has been invited to exhibit through a corner on a partner’s stand at the Event.

An exhibiting startup eligible to the “Innovation of the Year” Award is defined as an independent company offering a technology product, with fewer than 100 employees and established less than 10 years ago.

Only one entry per participating startup (hereinafter the "Startup") will be accepted. Submissions must be written in English.

The legal representative or an authorized representative of the Startup (the “Applicant”) may register the company for the Challenge by completing the following steps:

  • Create an account or log into an existing account on the Viva Technology platform, available through the website "2026 Edition | Viva Technology," and click on the "Challenge Workspace" tab;

  • Accept the Terms and Conditions of the Startup Challenges & Awards platform and acknowledges the privacy policy;

  • Register for the Challenge by completing all required fields;

  • Accept these Regulations.

All mandatory fields, marked with an asterisk, must be completed as they are essential for evaluating the Startup’s application by the jury based on the selection criteria outlined below. Applicants who do not wish to provide the required personal data necessary for managing the Challenge and selecting startups will not be able to participate.

Registration and participation in the Challenge require being an exhibiting startup at the Event. The cost of the internet connection required for registration, as well as any necessary devices (computer, tablet, etc.), is the responsibility of the Applicants.

 

3. REGISTRATION AND PARTICIPATION IN THE CHALLENGE

The Startup must: · Login to the "Challenge Workspace" tab on www.vivatech.com between 10 March 2026, at 9:30 AM CET and 11 May 2026, at 11:55 PM CET;

  • Complete the application form with the required information;

  • Upload the necessary documents in the required format;

  • Upload any other relevant documents that support the application, following the accepted formats on the platform.

Key Dates of the Award:

  • 10 March 2026, at 9:30 AM CET: Opening of applications

  • 11 May 2026, at 11:55 PM CET: Application deadline

  • 10 June 2026: Selection of the five (5) finalists

  • 17 June 2026: Pitch session of the five finalists on the Pitch Studio stage during the Event

  • 18 June 2026: Global Awards Ceremony on Stage One during the Event

A complete registration must be submitted on the VivaTech platform before May 11, 2026, at 11:55 PM CET.

Candidates who fail to provide complete and accurate identity and contact details or provide false information will be disqualified. The information provided in the application is the responsibility of the Applicant, and any intentional or unintentional errors, anomalies, or inconsistencies may result in disqualification.

Viva Technology reserves the right to verify the Startup’s application.

Deleting a user account on the VivaTech platform will be considered as withdrawal from the Challenge. In this case, even if the Applicant can prove that the deletion was not intentional, they will not be reinstated in the Challenge or receive any compensation from VivaTech.

 

4. CHALLENGE PROCESS

4.1 Challenge Stages

The Challenge consists of several selection phases:

  1. Selection of the top 5 (June 1-10, 2026)

  1. A jury - composed of several investment funds, entrepreneurs and potentially sponsors - reviews the Top 30 and nominates 5 finalists to pitch during VivaTech Event.

 

When the 5 (five) finalists are selected, Applicants will be notified of the selection results by email, telephone or any other means, at VivaTech's sole discretion. VivaTech shall be free to change the dates on which the results are communicated if the number of applications to be reviewed makes such a change necessary. Applicants will then be notified of the new dates.



  1. Selection of the winner during VivaTech 2026

  1. The five finalists will pitch onstage on June 17, 2026 in front of a jury (3’ minutes pitch followed by 3’ minutes Q&A with the jury onstage) at VivaTech, Paris Expo Porte de Versailles. Exact time of the pitch will be communicated later.

  2. The winner will be designated on June 18, 2026 during the VivaTech Global Awards Ceremony (exact time will be communicated later).

 

4.2 Selection Criteria

Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria, ranked in descending order of importance:

  1.  The innovative and creative nature of the Startup

  2. The Startup’s capacity of disruption

  3. The scalability of the Startup’s business model

 

The Challenge does not depend in any way, even partially, on chance or luck and therefore cannot be analyzed or likened to a lottery.

 

5. REWARDS

For the five finalists:

  • Industry validation and high visibility across VivaTech marketing tools and program

  • Introduction to VCs

  • Meeting with jury members

  • Two 4-day passes to attend the 2026 edition of VivaTech (valued at 600€ HT each).

For the grand winner:

  • A Startup Corner at VivaTech 2027 – the 11th edition of the event (valued at 3,500€ HT).

Not Included and at the Expense of Each Startup:

  • Participation of the Startup in the 2026 edition of the Event as an exhibiting startup

  • Transport and accommodation costs for the Startup team related to its participation in the Challenge, the Event, and any transport and accommodation costs related to the rewards

  • Insurance

  • More generally, any expenses incurred by the Startup related to its participation in the Challenge

The rewards will be presented at the awards ceremony on June 18th, 2026.

The presence of the five finalist Startups is mandatory during the final on June 17th and at the awards ceremony on June 18th. In case of absence, a finalist Startup will not be able to claim its reward. Additionally, Viva Technology reserves the right to replace the rewards with prizes of similar or higher value if circumstances require, without granting any right to compensation or reimbursement.

 

6. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

6.1 Intellectual Property of VivaTech

This Regulation does not grant the Startup any ownership rights over the corporate names, logos, designs, trademarks, advertising materials, or any other intellectual property rights owned by VivaTech, including the “Innovation of the Year” name.

The Startup acknowledges that it is strictly prohibited from using, in any country, any of VivaTech’s intellectual property rights without prior written agreement, including its corporate name, trademarks, logos, designs, visual codes and advertising materials. Any authorized use must be in the form and conditions explicitly approved in writing by VivaTech and must not be in any way detrimental to its reputation.

The Startup acknowledges that “Innovation of the Year” is a marketing name of VivaTech and does not correspond to any official label.

If the startup wants to communicate on that Award, the Startup agrees to use this name at all times alongside “VivaTech” mentioned.

 

6.2 Intellectual Property Over Startup Content

The Startup retains ownership of the intellectual property rights associated with its application, including the pitch deck or any other material provided as part of the Challenge (hereinafter, the "Content").

The Startup grants VivaTech the right to use its Content from the moment it registers for the Challenge and for one (1) year after the end of the Event. This usage right includes the right to reproduce, represent, or have the Content reproduced or represented across all communication materials, including printed formats and all media (video, audio, digital, etc.), to facilitate finalist selection, award presentation, and media coverage of the Challenge and/or the Event worldwide.

 

7. LIABILITY

VivaTech shall not be held liable for any failure or interruption in communications, network connectivity, IT systems, or for any defective connection. VivaTech shall not be liable for any malfunction of the Startup Challenges and Awards platform, nor for any delay, loss or damage affecting any Challenge registration, including any registration that is misdirected, incomplete, illegible, undeliverable or destroyed as a result of system errors, computer failures, incomplete or faulty equipment, or any other telecommunication transmission failures, hardware defects or software failures of any kind, lost or unavailable network connections, or other technical malfunction(s).

Under no circumstances shall VivaTech be liable for any loss of data or any corruption, alteration or deterioration of such data. VivaTech shall not be liable if the data relating to an Applicant’s registration is not received by VivaTech, irrespective of the reason.

VivaTech shall not be liable if, for any reason beyond its control (including, without limitation, cyber fraud, computer hacking, viruses, fire, flood, strike, force majeure, a pandemic such as COVID-19, or any other cause), the Challenge is shortened, modified, postponed or cancelled.

VivaTech reserves the right to shorten, modify or cancel the Challenge if circumstances so require, without any compensation for any loss or damage suffered by Applicants and without reimbursement of any costs incurred by them.

Any amendment to these rules shall be notified to Applicants in writing at least fifteen (15) days prior to its effective date. Any Applicant who does not wish to accept the amended rules must withdraw their application to the Challenge. Any continued participation or maintenance of an application shall be deemed acceptance of the amended rules by the Applicant.

Any false statement or inaccurate information shall automatically result in the Applicant’s disqualification. Any proven fraud or attempted cheating by an Applicant may be sanctioned by VivaTech without prior notice.

 

8. IMAGE RIGHTS

The representative of the Startup acknowledges and agrees that their image may be captured through photographs and/or videos taken during the awards ceremony.

The Startup representative grants VivaTech the right to reproduce and display these images on any printed, video, audio, or digital media for documentary or promotional purposes related to the Challenge or Event, for any current or future editions. These images may be used worldwide for a period of three (3) years.

 

9. PERSONAL DATA COLLECTION

9.1 Principle

Participation in the Challenge requires the submission of personal data, including the identity of the Startup representative (names, business addresses, business phone number, CVs, and any mandatory information in the application form).

Personal data is processed in accordance with the French Data Protection Act (6 January 1978) as modified by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of the European Commission of 27 April 2016.

For more details, refer to the Startup Challenges and Awards platform privacy policy.

Any individual whose personal data is processed retains the right to:

  • Object to the collection of their data (which prevents participation in the Challenge)

  • Access, consult, or rectify their personal data via their Viva Technology account

  • Request data portability · Request deletion of their data by contacting, free of charge on simple request to privacy@vivatechnology.com

If a participant refuses to provide mandatory personal data or requests its deletion, their application may be canceled.

Data from non-selected Startups will be retained two years from registration and then for three (3) years in intermediate archive before deletion. Data from selected Startups will be retained for three (3) years from registration and then for two (2) years in intermediate archive before deletion.

 

9.2 Purposes and Recipients

Personal data is processed by Viva Technology and the jury members for:

  • Verifying Startup eligibility and compliance with the Challenge Regulation

  • Communicating with the Startup regarding the Challenge

  • Organizing the Challenge

  • Selecting Startups

  • Awarding prizes

 

The recipients of the data are VivaTech, the members of the Jury to select the finalists and the winner and the subcontractor Agorize for the purpose of the collection of such data thanks to the Startup Challenges & Awards Platform.

 

10. APPLICABLE LAW AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION

The Challenge Regulation is subject to French law.

In case of a dispute, the Startup must first contact Viva Technology via: startups@vivatechnology.com

Address: Viva Technology – 145 rue de Courcelles – 75017 Paris, FRANCE

If no resolution is reached within two months, the Startup may submit the dispute to a mediator, who will work independently to find an amicable solution.

For mediation, Startups may use the SOCIETE MEDIATION PROFESSIONNELLE service, available at: https://www.mediateur-consommation-smp.fr/

Médiation Service - 24, rue Albert de Mun - 33000 Bordeaux, FRANCE

Mediation is optional; Startups are free to accept or reject both the mediation process and any proposed solution.

If no amicable agreement is reached, all disputes will fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Paris, unless otherwise required by law.

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