Recognizing the individuals, teams, and organizations building the open agentic AI ecosystem.
🗓 Nominations: Open now until July 17th at 11:55PM PT
🏆 Ceremony: AGNTCon + MCPCon North America, October 22-23, 2026, San Jose, CA
OUR MISSION
Open source deserves open recognition.
The Agentic AI Foundation was built on a simple premise: the protocols, tools, and standards shaping agentic AI should belong to everyone. Projects like MCP, Goose, AGENTS.md, and agentgateway emerged from a community of contributors who chose to build in the open — when it wasn’t obvious what the ecosystem would become.
The AAIF Technical Excellence Awards are how we say thank you. No cash prizes — just the recognition of your peers, a custom-engraved plaque, and a stage moment at the opening keynote of AGNTCon/MCPCon North America. Administered by The Linux Foundation.
Anyone can nominate. AAIF members, contributors, and the general public are all welcome.
The Awards
Outstanding Technical Contribution Award
Recognizes an individual who made an exceptional technical contribution to an AAIF project — a major feature, critical fix, protocol advancement, or specification improvement that meaningfully advanced the ecosystem.
- Eligible projects: MCP · Goose · AGENTS.md · agentgateway
- Recipients: Up to 2 recipients per year
Community Builder Award
Recognizes an individual or small team (up to 3) who went above and beyond to grow, educate, and energize the AAIF community — through events, documentation, working groups, mentorship, or welcoming newcomers.
- Recipients: Up to 2 teams per year
Open Agentic AI Innovation Award
Recognizes an organization — AAIF member or not — that deployed or advanced AAIF open standards in production, research, or public tooling with demonstrated real-world impact.
- Recipients: Up to 2 organizations per year
Timeline
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June 17, 2026 – Nominations Open
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July 17, 2026 – Nominations Close
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July 17 – August 10, 2026 – Selection Review
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August 2026 – Winners Notified (Confidental)
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October 22, 2026 – Award Ceremony (AGNTCon+MCPCon North America Opening Keynote)
HOW IT WORKS
Choose an award
Pick the category that best fits the person or organization you want to recognize. Not sure? Choose the one that feels closest — the committee will consider fit.
Tell their story
Be specific. What did they do? What problem did it solve? What would the ecosystem look like without their work? Concrete detail matters more than enthusiasm.
Submit Nomination
Fill out the short nomination form at aaif.io. Takes about 10 minutes. Nominations close late July 17, 2026 — don’t leave it to the last day.
FAQ
Who can nominate?
Anyone. AAIF members, contributors, community members, and the general public are all welcome to submit nominations. You don’t need to be affiliated with AAIF to nominate someone deserving.
Can I nominate myself or my organization?
Yes. Self-nominations are welcome, especially for the Open Agentic AI Innovation Award. Just be specific about what you built, deployed, or contributed — and why it mattered.
What do winners receive?
A custom-engraved AAIF plaque featuring the Linux Foundation and AAIF marks, the award name, recipient name, and year. Winners are also recognized publicly across AAIF channels and presented at the AGNTCon/MCPCon NA opening keynote ceremony before the full community audience.
Who selects the winners?
A volunteer Selection Committee of 5–7 members drawn from the AAIF Governing Board, Technical Advisory Council, and at-large community.
When will winners be announced?
Winners are notified confidentially approximately 60 days before the event and announced publicly at the opening keynote ceremony at AGNTCon+MCPCon North America on October 22, 2026.
What projects are eligible for the Outstanding Technical Contribution Award?
Any AAIF-hosted project: MCP (Model Context Protocol), Goose, AGENTS.md, agentgateway, or any future AAIF-hosted project at the time of nominations. Contributions must be merged or formally accepted into the project.
Know someone who deserves recognition?
Nominations are open to everyone. It takes about 10 minutes.