Kim Hyun-seong, CEO of Kim Venturous, who has been providing consulting services for CES (Consumer Electronics Show) awards for many years, gave a session on the topic of CES Innovation Awards at the 'CES Innovation Awards Know-How Sharing Meetup' with 'KoVAC (Korea VR AR Complex)' operated by the Next Generation Convergence Content Industry Association.
The following is a summary of the presentation by Kim Ventures CEO Kim Hyun-seong.
Korea's Awards at CES2025
At CES 2025, South Korea won 15 out of 34 overall Best Innovation Awards. Major companies including Samsung and LG, including overseas corporations, and six startups won awards. Most of these companies applied AI technology.
There are 36 categories, and they are selected based on technology and innovation. 151 Korean companies won 208 innovation awards. This is the world's No. 1, accounting for about 45.4% of the total 458 innovation awards. Of these, 131 innovation awards were won by small and medium-sized venture companies.
Since South Korea makes a living from exports, I think we should continue to receive many CES Innovation Awards and Best of Innovation Awards that can greatly enhance our global recognition and credibility. Looking at the number of participants by country in 2025, South Korea will have the second-largest number of participants after the United States. More than China or Japan. I think that is a good sign. However, since South Korea has received too many innovation awards, CES has started to look more closely at whether the judging criteria have been met. We need to prepare better.
The good things about CES
CES is attended by 302 companies from the Fortune 500 with high sales. Since the executives and C-level of these companies come, if you win an innovation award and go to the CES, you have the opportunity to enter the global market right away. In the case of startups, no matter how good the technology is or how well the product is made, there are many cases where no one is interested. At this time, if you exhibit at CES and win an innovation award or the best innovation award, you can get a lot of attention from the world.
The company called Road System has been developing technology and products for 8 years. After that, it exhibited at CES 2024. It won the Best Innovation Award in the Financial Technology category and the Innovation Award in the Cybersecurity and Personal Information category. Since then, it has expanded into Hyundai Duty Free and Shinsegae Duty Free, and its business is doing well.
Golf tech startup Xbig proved its technological prowess by winning an innovation award at CES 2025. As a result, it successfully signed a $1 million supply contract with local U.S. distributor Alabaster LLC.
Things to consider when preparing for CES
The CES judging criteria have changed. It is not enough to just say that the technology is excellent. It is not enough to just say that the design is excellent and innovative. There should be a discussion about how the technology we have can solve the problems of humanity. There are eight problems of humanity, including food security, healthcare, economic security, and environmental protection.
The CES Innovation Awards, Best of Innovation Awards are not given to companies, but to products. A company can apply for multiple products. The number of categories that can be applied for a product has changed from three last year to four this year. The number of words required per entry has also changed slightly, and the number of attached images has increased from two last year to three this year. Video files must also be attached now.
CES Innovation Awards Strategy and Know-How
1. Product Description (150 English words)
It must include things like, does it evoke emotional empathy for the problems in the existing market?, and does the innovativeness of the results make you say “Wow!”.
2. Innovation Part Writing Logic Flow
It must contain content that overcomes the limitations of existing technology, specifies an original technology structure and 2-3 key components (patents, technology mechanisms, etc.), emphasizes social value and user utility, and presents the status of patents or certifications secured.
3. Engineering Description (150 words in English)
You must provide a detailed description of the innovative items and explain the results or basis shown in numbers.
4. English homepage configuration
It would be good if it were organized as About, Product/Service, Innovation, Patent, Team, and Media. Let's refer to the English homepages of companies that won the Best Innovation Award and Innovation Award. They have a different structure from the homepages of Korean companies. It would be good to follow this.
Let's also pay attention to the English font. I recommend the free Noto Sans font. It would be good to modify the address name so that the judges immediately feel good when they see it. Let's also pay attention to the email address so that it leaves a good impression on the judges. Unlike Korea, the US considers it professional to have a domain that is dedicated to the company. At least use a Google domain.
5. English video composition
Create and upload in less than 3 minutes. Make it short and concise in 4 parts: innovation, design, engineering, and Human Security for All. English subtitles are a must. Again, let's refer to the award-winning works. Let's look at the videos while distinguishing between well-made and not-so-well-made ones.
The pre-problem description should be brief, about 10 seconds, and our product should be introduced right away. What is important is the special features of our product, not the surrounding description.
6. English News
English news must be published. News about company innovations and existing technologies must be published. Innovations must be verified by a third party.
7. Naming
Company names, product names, etc. should be well-made. If they are only Korean names, the judges often have difficulty understanding their meanings. If they are made up of common nouns, they have no distinctiveness. Make them unique, easy to use, and memorable. Make them feel good at first glance.
8. CES Awards and Exhibition Participation
Innovation Awards can be received as many times as you have a new product. You can apply for multiple products in a year. However, you must apply for each product separately. You can also receive the award for a prototype, not a finished product.
Receiving an innovation award and exhibiting at CES are two separate things. Even if you receive an innovation award, you may not be able to attend CES. However, if you do receive an award, I highly recommend that you do so. It will increase the chances of a big business deal.
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