Award FAQs

Digital Logistics Award is an international competition. The application documents must be submitted in English. This applies to both the one-minute video and to the pitch deck with a maximum of eleven slides.

The following items should be included:

VIDEO:

Describe your idea/your product briefly and convincingly. Showcase your solution/your prototype vividly and inspire us. What makes your idea so special? What added value does it offer to companies? And: Tell us in one sentence why you have to win the award.

PITCHDECK:

The structure and scope of your presentation are specified. You are allowed to use up to ten slides. The ten slides must consider the topics listed. However: The way you implement and present them is entirely up to you and your creativity!

Important: If you want to participate in the special category „Smart Logistics Africa“, please attach another slide to your pitchdeck where you elaborate on how your idea adresses Logistics in Africa. For more information about the special category have a look here.

1. Title/Idea
2. Problem/Opportunity
3. Product/Service
4. Value Proposition
5. Underlying Magic
6. How do you address sustainability in relation to product, people and planet?
7. Business Model
8. Proof of Concept/ Market Relevance
9. Competitive Analysis
10. Management Team
11. Current Status

Only if you apply for the “Smart Logistics in Africa” category:

12. How do you adress Smart Logistics in Africa?

Who may participate?

Start-ups may participate up to four years after their foundation. The year 2017 is the only guideline here – irrespective of the month in which the respective company was founded. Start-ins should have freedom of choice, responsibility and their own budget.

Can teams that have already reached a final of the Digital Logistics Awards before participate again this year?

Yes, the finalists from previous years may participate as long as they can clearly show how their portfolio/ service/ offer/ idea has developed significantly.

According to which criteria will the submitted contributions be evaluated?

We are looking for innovative digital logistics solutions for production, the retail trade, automotive, farm & food, mobility, the financial sector and other sectors. The presentation of the business idea and the unique selling point of the new product or service must convince the jurors. Above all, the focus is on the customer benefit: which challenge is solved with the innovation? Which use cases are there? For which industries does it make sense? What about the competitive environment and market opportunities? And how does the innovation relate to the issue of sustainability? The jury takes all these aspects into account when evaluating the contributions and selecting the pitch participants.

Will the business and product ideas contained in the contributions be treated confidentially?

Of course, your application will be treated confidentially. The Digital Hub management team and the selected jurors will have access to the participant data and contents of the application. Your pitch deck will be made available to the jury for the selection process and the sponsors. We will show the application videos from the selected pitch participants when announcing the Future Congress Logistics, during the award ceremony and for the purpose of communicating about the award in social media. By submitting your documents you agree to this procedure.

When does a competition entry not have a chance of success?

A contribution is generally not included in the evaluation if you do not stick to the conditions of participation and the formalities. An application is excluded from participation in the award if:

• the year of foundation of a start-up company is before 2017
• no pitch deck or video is attached to the application
• the presentation exceeds eleven pages and/or the video is longer than one minute
• the application is not written in English

The length and scope of the application must also be taken into account: in the final, a three-minute pitch will decide on the winner. Hence, get to the heart of your idea briefly and understandably.

What are the format requirements for sending the application?

Please submit your application documents via this webform. The attached documents should not exceed 5 MB. You are also welcome to send us larger files via an appropriate download link.

When and where will the pitch take place?

The presentation of the Digital Logistics Award is part of the Future Congress Logistics 2021 taking place from 14 to 15 September. This year, the congress will be held entirely virtually, thus offering applicants from all over the world the opportunity to attend. Pitching will take place on September, 14th. The award ceremony, where the winners will be announced, will take place later that day.

Will the participants be compensated with travel expenses?

No. It is a digital congress.

What are the requirements for the pitch?

Attendance via conference call  is compulsory for the pitch session. The finalists‘ pitches will be pre-recorded within the time period from 6th to 10th of September and will then be presented on the day of the pitch session at the Future Congress Logistics 2021. The pitch should not exceed a length of 3 minutes. The form of the presentation is open. Whether power-point presentation, free presentation or film: The teams can decide for themselves how they want to arrange their three minutes.

How is the pitch sequence planned?

The pitch of the selected digital teams will take place at the Future Congress Logistics 2021 on 14 September as part of the »Digital Logistics Award« session. The order of participants will be determined by the jurors. Each team has three minutes to present its own idea and convince the audience of experts with their pre-recorded pitch. Following the presentation of the pitches, the teams will face a live Q&A with the expert jury.

What are the format requirements for the application?

Please submit your application documents via this webform. The attached documents should not exceed 5 MB. You are also welcome to send us larger files via an appropriate download link.

How and by whom is the winner chosen?

How much prize money is presented at the Digital Logistics Award?

The three winners of the Digital Logistics Award receive prize money to further promote their business idea and help to place it on the market.

This year, for the first time, there further will be a special prize for Smart Logistics in Africa, which is endowed with 5,000 euros.

This special prize is sponsored by DIGILOGIC and is aimed at all participants whose business idea specifically addresses logistics in Africa. It can be won by African as well as European and international start-ups and start-ins. The 1st – 3rd place winners also have a chance to be awarded with this prize, making it possible to win up to 15.000 Euro in total.

Important: For international teams, the prize money will be paid according to current international regulations.

What is the benefit of participating if your contribution is not awarded a prize?

All pitch participants will have the opportunity to present their ideas to a large expert audience of decision-makers from the logistics industry.

Important: Just because your idea is not one of the winners does not mean that it will not survive on the market. Every participant benefits from the Digital Hub Logistics network and becomes part of the community.

Digital Hub Logistics Agency

Joseph-von-Fraunhofer-Str. 2-4 | 44227 Dortmund | Germany

info@digitalhublogistics.de | Phone: +49 (0)231 9743 616 | www.digitalhublogistics.com