There will be winners in four categories: emerging business, midsize business, big business and non-profit/government work. Yes, that means all of you at startups are eligible to nominate your company’s CIO (all it takes is a brief essay question and bio). Just by nominating your favorite CIO, he or she is automatically invited to a VIP reception with SIM June 18.

“For startups specifically, this is an awesome opportunity for them to get some exposure,” Program Chair Kimberly Lucas said. “Especially because hiring is paramount to the success of a startup and any exposure they can get can really help make hiring easier for them.”

SIM, a nationwide organization consisting of CIOs, CTOs and other technology executives, partnered up with Denver Business Journal a few years ago for this event in order not only to recognize amazing technology executives, but also to recognize the role that technology plays in business.

“Yes, we want to recognize the people that are going above and beyond, but we also want to create awareness of technology in the business community,” Lucas said. “Everybody knows what sales does, everyone knows what the accounting department does, but I don’t think that everyone gets that technology drives everything.”

The judges of the competition are CIOs themselves, Lucas said, and will judge each category based on the nominated CIO’s demonstrated leadership, innovation, alignment of their business and technology and community involvement.