Sport Forum Awards 2026
Information about the Sport Forum Awards 2026 will be updated starting July 15.
The Sport Forum Awards is one of Central Europe's leading sports marketing and sports business awards, recognising outstanding athletes, teams, organisations, and initiatives through an objective, professionally developed evaluation framework. Starting in 2026, the awards will focus on the Visegrád Group (V4), bringing together the most outstanding sports marketing and sports business achievements from Hungary, Czechia, Slovakia, and Poland on a shared international platform for recognition.
The aim of the Sport Forum Awards is to encourage innovative, value-creating solutions, strengthen professional cooperation across the region, and spotlight those who create lasting impact in the business, communication, and brand-building dimensions of sport.
Awards Ceremony: During an exclusive After Party – 19 November 2026 | Venue: TBD
Eligibility Criteria
Submission Period: 15 July – 16 October 2026
Eligible submissions include campaigns, projects, and initiatives that were launched or implemented between 1 October 2025 and 30 September 2026.
Entry Fee
Applications can be submitted by purchasing a Sport Forum Awards entry ticket through the Sport Forum Hungary ticketing platform. Entrants may choose between tickets that allow submissions in one, two, or three award categories, depending on the number of entries they wish to submit.
Entry Fee One submission: HUF 69 990 + VAT Two or three submissions: HUF 94 990 + VAT
The entry fee includes one Business Ticket to the Sport Forum Hungary conference. One additional Business Ticket may be purchased at a discounted rate. Please note that the ticket is valid only upon the submission of a valid award entry, which can be completed through the Sport Forum Awards section of our website.
No entry fee is required for submissions in the Most Valuable Athlete of the Future category. In this category, sports federations and clubs are invited to nominate their own young athletes free of charge.
Contact
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at: fgyurcsanyi@thepathsm.com
Award Categories
Move
CSR – Best Sports Initiative
We recognize clubs, federations, and companies that go beyond their core activities by dedicating time and resources to supporting local communities, raising awareness of important social issues through educational initiatives, and meaningfully engaging athletes in these efforts.
Please list the names of the individuals, athletes, and/or teams involved in the project.
1. Background and Objectives of the Initiative (maximum 1,500 characters): Describe the challenge or problem that made the campaign necessary, provide a brief overview of the initiative, and explain its objectives and the criteria used to measure its success.
2. Campaign Implementation (maximum 2,500 characters): Describe the campaign's communication strategy and its implementation, detailing where, when, and for how long each communication element was used. Highlight the campaign's key milestones and most significant phases.
3. Campaign Results (maximum 2,000 characters): Describe the campaign's results in relation to its objectives. Please substantiate the outcomes with supporting evidence and indicate the sources of the data where applicable.
4. Additional Information (maximum 2,000 characters).
Excellence in Corporate Sport and Health Promotion
This award recognizes the company that demonstrates outstanding commitment to the physical and mental wellbeing of its employees, successfully integrates sport and health initiatives into everyday workplace culture, and consistently prioritizes employee wellbeing as a core organizational value.
Please provide the name of the company that implemented the programme, as well as the name and contact details of the primary contact person.
1. Programme Background and Objectives (maximum 1,500 characters): Introduce the company, describe the workplace health and wellbeing challenges it identified, and explain the circumstances that made the programme necessary. Outline the programme's objectives, target groups, and the criteria used to evaluate its success.
2. Programme Implementation (maximum 2,500 characters): Describe the programme's strategy and implementation, detailing when, where, and for how long its individual components were available to employees. Highlight the programme's key phases and explain how employees were engaged throughout its implementation.
3. Programme Results (maximum 2,000 characters): Describe the programme's outcomes in relation to its objectives, including employee feedback and participation rates. Please substantiate the results with supporting evidence and indicate the sources of the data where applicable.
4. Additional Information (maximum 2,000 characters).
Joy of Movement Award
This award recognizes an organization, community group, sports club, or tourism destination that has successfully inspired people to start, maintain, or increase their level of physical activity, while also contributing to their mental wellbeing. Entries must demonstrate measurable and sustained progress achieved during the eligible period.
Please provide the names of the participating organizations, community groups, sports clubs, and/or tourism destinations.
1. Campaign Background and Objectives (maximum 1,500 characters): Describe the challenge or problem that made the campaign necessary, provide a brief overview of the project, and explain the campaign's objectives and the criteria used to measure its success.
2. Campaign Implementation (maximum 2,500 characters): Describe the campaign's communication strategy and its implementation, detailing where, when, and for how long each communication element was used. Highlight the campaign's key milestones and most significant phases.
3. Campaign Results (maximum 2,000 characters): Describe the campaign's results in relation to its objectives. Please substantiate the outcomes with supporting evidence and indicate the sources of the data where applicable.
4. Additional Information (maximum 2,000 characters).
Innovate
Best Sports Innovation
This award recognizes technological and innovative solutions that contribute to the development of athletes, sports clubs, or sports disciplines by enhancing athletic performance, improving the fan experience, or advancing sports infrastructure. Eligible innovations may include new technologies, software, training methodologies, or any other original solution that has delivered a significant step forward.
Submission of materials demonstrating how the innovation works is required, together with a detailed description of the development. Please also provide the names of the companies, athletes, and/or teams involved in developing the innovation.
1. Innovation Background and Objectives (maximum 1,500 characters): Introduce the development team, describe the market context and the challenge that made the innovation necessary. Explain the innovation's objectives, identify its target audience, and outline the key metrics used to measure its success.
2. Innovation Development Process (maximum 2,500 characters): Describe the planning and implementation process of the innovation, detailing the technological and other solutions applied and explaining how they contributed to the development of sport. Highlight the project timeline and the tools used throughout the process.
3. Innovation Results (maximum 2,000 characters): Describe the results and impact of the innovation on the sport, its participants, or athletes. Explain which elements contributed most to its success and how its effectiveness was measured. Please substantiate the results with supporting evidence and indicate the sources of the data where applicable.
4. Additional Information (maximum 2,000 characters).
Pioneering AI Solution in Sport
A mesterséges intelligencia legkreatívabb és leghatékonyabb felhasználását díjazzuk a teljesítménymérésben, az edzésben vagy a sportüzletben. A kategória azt a sportszervezetet, vállalkozást ismeri el, amely kiemelkedő módon alkalmazza a mesterséges intelligencia technológiákat sport- vagy egészségkapcsolódó területeken.
1. Programme Background and Objectives (maximum 1,500 characters): Introduce the organization, describe the challenges it identified in the application of artificial intelligence, and explain the circumstances that made the AI-based solution necessary. Outline the objectives of the solution, identify its target audience, and describe the criteria used to measure its success.
2. AI Solution Implementation and Technological Background (maximum 2,500 characters): Describe the strategy and implementation of the AI-based solution, detailing the technologies used. Explain when, where, and for how long the solution was deployed. Highlight the key technological challenges encountered during implementation and describe how they were addressed.
3. Programme Results and Impact (maximum 2,000 characters): Describe the effectiveness of the AI solution in achieving its objectives, including measurable improvements in performance and operational efficiency. Summarize user feedback and experience with the solution. Please substantiate the results with supporting evidence and indicate the sources of the data where applicable.
4. Additional Information and Sustainability (maximum 2,000 characters): Describe the solution's scalability, long-term sustainability, future development plans, and its potential for application in other areas or sectors.
Best Sports Marketing and Sponsorship Campaign
This award recognizes sponsorship and marketing campaigns involving individual athletes, teams, esports organizations, federations, or leagues that have innovatively strengthened brand value and enhanced the visibility of sport stakeholders, while delivering an outstanding experience for fans. The category also includes marketing campaigns developed and implemented by sports clubs and federations themselves.
Submission of audiovisual, visual, or audio materials presenting the campaign (e.g. video, images, podcast, etc.), together with a PDF description of the campaign, is required. Please also provide the names of the companies, athletes, and/or teams involved in the campaign.
1. Campaign Background and Objectives (maximum 1,500 characters): Introduce the client, the market situation, the opportunity or problem that justified the creation of the campaign, and a brief description of the task. Define the campaign’s objectives, target audiences, and criteria for success. The aim is for the jury to understand the circumstances of the entry. Please always indicate the sources of the data.
2. A kampány menete (max. 2500 karakter): Describe the communication strategy of the campaign and its implementation elements, detailing where, when, and for how long these elements were present, and what added value they brought to the execution; highlight the most important stages of the campaign.
3. Campaign Results (maximum 2,000 characters): Present the effectiveness of the campaign in relation to the objectives, highlighting which elements contributed most to the success. Please always substantiate the results with sources.
4. Additional Information (maximum 2,000 characters).
Best Sports Media Innovation
This award recognizes sports media projects that enhance the knowledge and understanding of their audiences, provide high-quality and reliable content, introduce innovative formats and creative storytelling, and successfully engage a broad audience.
Please list the names of the individuals, athletes, and/or teams involved in the project.
1. Project Overview (maximum 1,500 characters): Provide an overview of the sport media project, including its name, goal, and key features. Describe what makes the project unique at an international level and how it stands out among other sport media initiatives.
2. Creativity and Innovation (maximum 2,500 characters): Describe the project's creative and innovative aspects, including its original content, storytelling techniques, and multimedia approaches. Explain how the project pushes the boundaries of sports media through technological innovation, new formats, or novel ways of engaging and reaching audiences.
3. A projekt terjesztése és lefolyása (max. 2500 karakter): Define the project's target audience. Explain how the project successfully reached and engaged its audience. Describe the platforms and channels through which the project was distributed, and outline its overall distribution strategy.
4. Impact (maximum 2,500 characters): Explain how the project contributed to the development and promotion of sport. Describe the project's effectiveness in achieving its objectives, highlighting the elements that contributed most to its success. Please substantiate the results with supporting evidence and indicate the sources of the data where applicable.
5. Additional Information (maximum 2,000 characters).
Connect
Most Valuable Athlete of the Future
This award recognizes outstanding young athletes aged 17–20 who have already achieved internationally recognized sporting success. Each national sports federation from the V4 countries may nominate up to two athletes. To be eligible, nominees must have had only limited participation in senior-level competition during their sporting careers to date.
The nomination should include:
1. Athlete Profile (maximum 1,500 characters): Provide a brief profile of the athlete, including an overview of their sporting journey and career to date.
2. Reason for the Nomination (maximum 2,500 characters): Please explain why you believe the athlete deserves to receive this award.
3. List of the Athlete's Sporting Achievements to Date.
Sports Business Leader of the Year
This award recognizes the region's most influential and innovative sports executives — leaders who champion the business and societal value of sport at the highest level and whose vision, strategy, and decision-making have made a significant contribution to the national and international development of their sport or organization.
Nominations may only be submitted by a third party, such as an organization, club, federation, or colleague.
The nomination should include:
1. Leader and Organization Profile (maximum 1,500 characters): Provide a brief overview of the nominee's professional career, current position, and the market position of the organization they lead (club, federation, or company).
2. Business and Innovation Strategy (maximum 2,500 characters): Describe the new business models, management strategies, or innovations introduced by the nominee during the evaluation period. Explain how these initiatives contributed to increasing the organization's revenue, operational efficiency, or international recognition.
3. Results and Societal Impact (maximum 2,000 characters): Describe the measurable outcomes of the nominee's leadership decisions (e.g. growth in sponsorship revenue, increased attendance, or the successful delivery of international projects). Highlight how the nominee has contributed to strengthening the societal value of sport. Please substantiate the results with supporting evidence and indicate the sources of the data where applicable.
4. Reason for the Nomination (maximum 1,500 characters): Provide a concise summary explaining why the nominee is considered a role model in the sports business sector.
Perform
Most Valuable Athlete
This award recognizes the individual athlete who has made an outstanding impact not only through sporting excellence, but also through an exceptional presence in the media and across digital and social platforms.
Most Valuable Sports Team
This award recognizes teams in collective sports that have demonstrated outstanding impact through their media presence and engagement across digital and social platforms.
Most Valuable Athlete
This award celebrates para athletes who serve as inspiring role models not only through their sporting achievements, but also through their impactful presence in the media and across digital and social platforms.