UPDATE: This event is sold out. We’re looking forward to seeing more than 700 of you on Thursday night, and if you missed out on a ticket, be sure to check out our lineup of GeekWire events for the rest of the year. Note: GeekWire Members are guaranteed admission to this and other events throughout the year. More details here.

Cheer on your favorites and friends at the startup party of the season.

Join us from 6-9 p.m. Thursday, May 9 at the EMP in Seattle for one of the region’s most-anticipated and hotly-contested tech events: the GeekWire Awards. Continuing this great tradition, we’ll reveal the winners of the Pacific Northwest’s annual startup and technology awards, as nominated and chosen by GeekWire readers.

HasOffers wins the BootStrapper of the Year Award in 2012.

We will be taking over the SkyChurch, Liquid Lounge, and VIP Blue Room at the EMP for an all-out party for the thriving tech community. We’ll celebrate our community’s movers-and-shakers, up-and-comers, and thought leaders: the region’s tech rock stars. It’s not a formal affair — it’s just a lot of fun. 

Important note: GeekWire Members are automatically signed up for this even — no need to register separately. Members will receive email reminders in advance of each event. For more information and to purchase an annual pass, see our membership page.

Voting Process

These awards are a participation sport, so here’s how the process will work:

March 19 – April 7: Nominate in 14 categories.

April 9 – April 14:  Judges select finalists from community nominations.

April 16 – April 30: Vote for winners

May 9: Winners revealed at the GeekWire Awards at EMP.

Award Categories

Your categories are…..

• Startup of the Year, presented by Flinn Ferguson Corporate Real Estate: This team is on the brink of stardom, but more importantly, innovating, executing, and making a difference. And they’ve been in business less than 3 years.

• Startup CEO of the Year, presented by Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati: This leader has vision, fortitude, creativity, and that impossible to define x-factor.
  

• Startup Deal of the Year, presented by UK Trade & Investment: For this match made in heaven, everybody wins. It’s the Reese’s cup, chocolate-peanut butter combination, where a great exit or a big financing is a new beginning.
  

• Young Entrepreneur of the Year, presented by Appature: Look for big things from this entrepreneur, who has already made an impact in the startup world despite being younger than 30.

• Bootstrapper of the Year, presented by HasOffers: Scrappy is in. Whether living off savings, top ramen, or the best of all, revenues, this startup has hit major milestones without taking institutional capital.
  

• Geek of the Year, presented by Barokas PR: If engineering is the “kitchen” of startups and tech giants, geeks are the top chefs. Nominate the best developers, designers, makers and doers in local tech.

• Hire of the Year, presented by Summit Group Solutions: Talent is the name of the game in tech, and this hire was a huge score for the lucky winner.
  

• Geekiest Office Space, presented by Knoll: Where geeky = cool. Cryptograms on the walls, swanky furniture in the lobby, or a hidden room behind the bookshelf? This company’s office space is the epitome of geek chic. 
  

• Innovation of the Year, presented by Intellectual Ventures: This is it, you can feel it. This is where the world is going, the way of the future, and this breakthrough is one of the greatest hits of the year.
  

• Next Tech Titan, presented by Wave: Feeling lucky? Place your bets on the next big exit, huge breakthrough, and dominant force in our backyard.
  

• Do-gooder of the Year, presented by Seattle Children’s Research Institute: This is for the geeks who give back. No matter what the business model, this selfless individual is doing well by doing good.
  

• App of the Year, presented by Fresh Consulting: This app has broken through during the past year with a new approach, an innovative twist, or a superior solution to a consumer or business challenge.
  

• Game of the Year, presented by Filter: This game kept its fans glued to their screens for hours on end, raising the bar for engagement and entertainment. 
  

• Perk of the Year, presented by Kibble & Prentice: A water cooler and hot coffee aren’t enough for this company. Employees in this workplace are rewarded, recruited and retained with the help of this extraordinary perk.