This year, for the first time, Kong Summit will feature a highly anticipated annual event, the Cloud Connectivity Innovator Awards. These awards officially recognize individuals and teams who have used Kong's technology to accelerate digital transformation within their organizations. The call for submissions form and additional details can be found on the official [awards page](https://konghq.com/kong-summit/innovator-awards)awards page.

Kong Summit 2021 brings together developers, architects and business leaders to guide organizations through transformation and innovation while securing connectivity all the way to the edge. Attendees will collaborate around the tools and ideas with keynotes and hands-on sessions.

This year also offers another first. It's the first time [Kong Summit will be a hybrid experience](https://konghq.com/blog/announcing-kong-summit-2021)Kong Summit will be a hybrid experience, where attendees can join either virtually or in-person with limited availability.

## Cloud Connectivity Innovator Awards

The Cloud Connectivity Innovator Awards program recognizes projects or use cases that showcase innovative applications to drive end-to-end connectivity. Kong encourages all customers and community users to submit any Kong project or use case from over the past five years that deserves recognition.

In today's dynamic landscape, teams are challenged in navigating modern software environments as they strive to provide fast, reliable and secure applications. Nominees will be evaluated based on the strength of their use case, including:

• - Challenges faced
• - Uniqueness of the solution
• - Differentiators that showcase a commitment to creating superb end-to-end connectivity while navigating modern microservices architectures.

## Submit Your Project for an Innovator Award

Submissions are open now through August 24 for Kong enterprise customers and community users. Winners will be notified in early September and publicly celebrated at the hybrid [Kong Summit 2021](https://konghq.com/kong-summit?utm_source=pressrelease&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=cloud-connectivity-innovator-awards-2021-cfs)Kong Summit 2021 on September 28, 2021.

Winners will receive a trophy, as well as recognition via social media and a press release. Kong Co-Founders Augusto Marietti and Marco Palladino will also make a donation to a charity on behalf of the winners.

[Submit your project](https://konghq.com/kong-summit/innovator-awards)Submit your project for consideration for the Cloud Connectivity Innovator Awards by midnight Pacific Time on August 24, 2021.