We’re expecting a packed house tonight for the GeekWire Awards, presented by Wave Business Solutions, as we reveal the winners of the public vote in 13 hotly contested categories — including Geek of the Year, Startup of the Year, CEO of the Year, Gadget of the Year and many others.
The event at Seattle’s EMP is sold out, but you can follow the action via the live stream above, courtesy of Bootstrapper Studios. We’ll be live streaming from the red carpet in advance of the event, as attendees file in. The action from stage is scheduled to begin around 6:45 p.m. The awards ceremony will be preceded by a keynote address from Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff.
This event, originally started by Seattle 2.0 founder Marcelo Calbucci, is now in its sixth year, and it has become a mainstay of the Seattle tech calendar, and we’re proud to carry on the tradition. We’ve got a lot of surprises in store this year, including a great new video produced by Killer Infographics, making its premiere on gigantic HD LED screen inside the EMP’s SkyChurch.
If you weren’t able to score tickets in time, you can still join us for the after-party, sponsored by Google Cloud Platform, at Sport Restaurant & Bar just a few blocks away from EMP at Fisher Plaza (140 4th Avenue North), starting at 9 p.m.
Thanks to our GeekWire Members — Super Geeks and Galactic Geeks — who served as judges for this year’s awards, narrowing down the public nominations to five finalists in each category, which were then opened up to public voting on GeekWire to determine the winners.
For anyone following along at home, here’s a rundown of the finalists in each category.
Gadget (Hardware) of the Year, presented by Nytec
This hardware, device or gadget demonstrated innovative engineering and an exemplary user experience, making a unique mark on the technology landscape during the past year. Category Sponsor: Nytec.
Finalists: Exo Labs, Moment, Pencil, Poppy, SNUPI. Read about the finalists.
App of the Year, presented by mobileapptracking
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. Category Sponsor: mobileapptracking
Finalists: Cloak 2, Leafly, Lively, Office for iPad, Parallels Access. Read about the finalists.
Hire of the Year, presented by Protingent
Talent is the name of the game in tech, and this hire was a huge score for the lucky winner. Category Sponsor: Protingent.
Finalists: Errol Samuelson, Zillow; Ted Kummert, Apptio; Rudy Gadre, Founders Co-op; Scott Moore, Cheezburger; Oren Etzioni, Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence. Read about the finalists.
Deal of the Year, presented by Cooley
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. Category Sponsor: Cooley.
Finalists: Act-On, EagleView Technologies, Juno Therapeutics, Tableau Software, Zulily. Read about the finalists.
Geek of the Year, presented by Wave Business Solutions
Geeks make the world go ’round, transforming how we work, live and play. This geek created a technological breakthrough that made the world a better place, or strengthened the community through their work or good deeds. Category Sponsor: Wave Business Solutions.
Finalists: Seaton Gras, Jim Olson, Hadi Partovi, Dan Shapiro, Julie Sandler. Read about the finalists.
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. Category Sponsor: Kibble & Prentice.
Finalists: Brown Paper Tickets, Buuteeq, HasOffers, INRIX, Simply Measured. Read about the finalists.
Young Entrepreneur of the Year, presented by Vertafore
Look for big things from this entrepreneur, who has already made an impact in the startup world despite being just 30 or younger. (Those who are 30 or younger before May 9, 2014 are eligible). Category Sponsor: Vertafore.
Finalists: Lucas and Lee Brown, HasOffers, Aviel Ginzburg, Simply Measured, Adina Mangubat, Spiral Genetics, Andrey Nokhrin, BuildersCloud, Jesse Proudman, Blue Box. Read about the finalists.
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. Category Sponsor: Knoll.
Finalists: Avalara, Lively, HasOffers, Porch, Simply Measured. Read about the finalists.
Bootstrapper of the Year, presented by Creative Circle
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. Category Sponsor: Creative Circle.
Finalists: BrandVerity, Dwellable, Edifecs, Geocaching, Yoogi’s Closet. Read about the finalists.
Innovation of the Year, presented by Fresh Consulting
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. Category Sponsor: Fresh Consulting.
Finalists: Airbiquity Choreo; ExtraHop for AWS; Kymeta MTenna; Planetary Power HyGen; University of Washington Ambient Backscatter. Read about the finalists.
Next Tech Titan, presented by BigDoor
Feeling lucky? Place your bets on the next big exit, huge breakthrough, and dominant force in our backyard. Category Sponsor: BigDoor.
Finalists: Apptio, Avalara, Chef, DocuSign, Redfin. Read about the finalists.
CEO of the Year, presented by Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
This leader has vision, fortitude, creativity, and that impossible to define x-factor. Category Sponsor: Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.
Finalists: Sarah Bird, Moz; Forest Key, Buuteeq; Mark Mader, Smartsheet, Jane Park, Julep; Liz Pearce, LiquidPlanner. Read about the finalists.
Startup of the Year, presented by General Assembly
This team is on the brink of stardom, but more importantly, innovating, executing, and making a difference. To be eligible for consideration in this category, startups need to be no more than 4 years old as of May 2014. Category Sponsor: General Assembly.
Finalists: Context Relevant, Haiku Deck, Porch, Remitly, Rover.com. Read about the finalists.
Stay tuned for a full recap and highlights from the event on GeekWire.