The Genesys Orchestrators Innovation Awards recognize industry‑leading organizations and individuals redefining customer and employee experience excellence. With just eight winners across five categories, the awards honor the most compelling experience transformations among Genesys customers.
If you’re pushing boundaries to deliver standout experiences with measurable business impact, don’t let this moment pass you by. Seize the spotlight and showcase your customer experience (CX) leadership on a global stage.
Nominations will open on Wednesday, March 4. Deadline for entries is 12:59 PM US Pacific Time on Friday, April 24.
Nominees must:
Each category of the 2026 Genesys Orchestrators Innovation Awards has its own set of judging criteria and category-specific questions. The full requirements are detailed in the nomination forms, where entrants will respond to questions tailored to the category they select.
Entrants can download the Awards Excellence Guide (available beginning March 4). It includes previews of the nomination forms for each category, complete with judging criteria and all required questions, as well as sample entries that illustrate a high-scoring submission for each category.
The 2026 Genesys Orchestrators Innovation Awards categories are:
This award will highlight one organization using AI-Powered Experience Orchestration methodologies to deliver outstanding, seamlessly connected customer and employee experiences across end-to-end journeys.
The winning organization excels at using Genesys technology to reimagine and continually optimize complete customer journeys, making them more empathetic, effective and efficient — while giving employees the ability to deliver smarter outcomes with less effort.
Entries should include information such as how your organization:
Genesys has mapped a journey for any organization looking to continually optimize the customer and employee experience. These “Levels of Experience Orchestration” (see below) comprise six stages of maturity in an organization’s ability to deliver personalized, end-to-end customer journeys and streamlined, empathetic employee experiences.
The winning organization is successfully using AI extensively to uplevel its customer and employee experiences (e.g., moving from Level 2 to Level 3), and has demonstrable performance improvements and significant business impact to share as a result.
Entries should include information such as how your organization:
Human agents handle all interactions, relying on their training and expertise to deliver consistent service.
There is menu-based automation of navigation and simple interactions (e.g., IVR) with routing of all remaining interactions to human agents.
There is natural language-enabled automation of routine, predefined dialogs via bots. Human agents stand ready to take over at any time and receive assistance or prompts based on predefined workflows.
There are system-generated conversations for many use cases with next-best actions based on customer or employee contexts. And there is seamless transition from virtual agents to humans for nuanced or complex use cases, with copilots increasing human agent effectiveness and efficiency.
AI evolves to intelligent problem-solving with the introduction of agentic AI. Systems are configured for specific objectives and operate within clearly defined boundaries, using reasoning, planning and memory to best accomplish goals. Human input, approval and oversight are still integral, enabling alignment with intent and preventing overreach.
AI reaches goal-driven autonomy, dynamically planning and coordinating actions across ecosystems to achieve outcomes without relying on fixed workflows or rigid instructions. This represents the apex of orchestration maturity, where self-directed AI systems collaborate with each other while humans provide strategic oversight, governance and judgment.
Read more about the Levels of Experience Orchestration in this article.
This award spotlights one nonprofit or charitable organization that has been able to provide better service to more people and better employee experiences as a result of using Genesys Cloud. The winning organization not only uses CX technology to support its humanitarian efforts to change and improve lives, it also harnesses that technology to enable its advisors, counselors and agents to deliver more empathetic interactions to more people in need.
Entries should include information such as how your organization:
The winning organization has been able to improve its sustainability metrics and outcomes by implementing and using Genesys Cloud. This organization prioritizes sustainability and its leadership considered not only the sustainability benefits of a cloud-based CX platform, but also the long-term sustainability mission and goals that Genesys has committed to.
Entries should include information such as how your organization:
These winners are frontline and behind-the-scenes CX stars who strive for excellence every day. There are four types of winners in this category:
Nominations will be for one person in one of those roles. Entries should include information about why the nominee stands out, such as:
Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions about the Genesys Orchestrators Innovation Awards.
Winning organizations will be globally recognized for excellence in experience innovation. This includes:
Xperience 2026 VIP treatment
Winners will receive recognition at Xperience 2026 in front of industry peers and influencers.
In addition, the winners will be awarded:
Case study
Genesys will publish a case study or profile of each winner, showcasing their success story.
Press opportunities
Genesys will share press releases with key media outlets in several geographies, as well as globally announcing the winners. (View 2025 global news release and the press release for Aterian.)
Select winners will have the opportunity to be interviewed by business and industry media.
Social media coverage
Genesys will share social media posts across several platforms announcing the winners and highlighting their successes.
The nomination period will close at 12:59 PM US Pacific Time on Friday, April 24.
Finalists will be contacted directly and announced on the Genesys blog by June 30, 2026.
Winners will be publicly announced on September 1, 2026 at Xperience 2026 and via a press release and social media.
There will be eight winners total from five categories:
If your question is not included here, please email awards@genesys.com.
Genesys is not responsible for your travel documentation or any associated fees. By accepting the prize, you warrant that you have the required travel documentation to the United States. If you do not and are unable to travel, no cash equivalent of the Xperience2026 VIP Treatment Prize will be provided. Genesys reserves the right to substitute equivalent prizes should the event be cancelled or rescheduled. No cash refunds will be provided. In the event you are unable to attend and need to substitute a corporate representative, please notify Genesys immediately. Genesys will try to make reasonable accommodations, but reserves the right to refuse substitutions after travel and registration has been booked.
By entering this Contest, you agree to release, discharge and hold harmless Genesys, its affiliates, and its directors, officers, employees, agents and assigns (the “Released Parties”) from any claims, losses, and damages arising out of, or relating to, your participation in this Contest or any Contest-related activities (including, without limitation, the concert) and the acceptance and use, misuse, or possession of any prize awarded hereunder (including, without limitation, any misrepresentation made by you in connection with the Contest; any non-compliance by you with these Official Rules; claims brought by persons or entities other than the parties to these Official Rules arising from or related to your involvement with the Contest; acceptance, possession, misuse or use of any prize or participation in any Contest-related activity or participation in this Contest; any malfunction, error or other problem arising in connection with the collection, processing, or retention of entry information; or any typographical or other error in the printing, offering or announcement of any winner). The foregoing includes, without limitation, any claim for personal injury, property loss or damage, or death arising in any way in connection with the Contest.
Decisions of Genesys on all matters related to the Contest are final and binding. Genesys reserves the right to cancel or modify the Contest for any reason, including but not limited to, if fraud, misconduct or technical failures destroy the integrity of the Contest, or if a computer virus, bug, or other technical problem corrupts the administration, security, or proper administration of the Contest as determined by Genesys, in its sole discretion. Genesys reserves the right to disqualify or prohibit the participation of an individual if fraud or tampering is suspected, or if the individual fails to comply with any requirement of participation or with any provision in these Official Rules. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE OR UNDERMINE THE OPERATION OF THIS CONTEST MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL & CIVIL LAWS. GENESYS RESERVES THE RIGHT TO DISQUALIFY AND/OR SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY INDIVIDUAL MAKING ANY SUCH ATTEMPTS TO THE FULL EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW.
Any disputes arising under this Contest and/or these Official Rules will be governed by relevant U.S. federal statutes and regulations and the internal laws of the State of California. Genesys and each entrant agree that any such claim or dispute between the parties, or between a party and any agent, employee, successor, or assign of the other, related to this Contest and/or these Official Rules (including the applicability of this arbitration clause) shall be resolved by binding arbitration administered by the JAMS under its rules and procedures in effect when the claim is filed. The rules and procedures and other information, including information on fees, may be obtained from JAMS’ website (www.jamsadr.com) or by calling JAMS at 949-224-1810. Any award by the arbitrator(s) may be entered as a judgment in any court having jurisdiction.
Genesys reserves the right to disqualify or prohibit the participation of an individual if fraud or tampering is suspected; if the individual fails to comply with any requirement of participation or with any provision in these Official Rules; if the individual’s behavior or communication at any point is disruptive, may or does cause damage or to any person, property, or reputation of Genesys, or is otherwise not in accordance with all applicable laws and generally accepted social practices as determined in Genesys’ sole discretion.
If any provision(s) of these Official Rules are held to be invalid or unenforceable, all remaining provisions hereof will remain in full force and effect.
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