Rules & Deadlines

Rules

  • Each organisation or individual will be evaluated for the period starting from 1 November 2024 to 31 October 2025. At the same time, CPI Industry acknowledges the possibility of some project profiles facing a longer development/implementation cycle; in such instances, the duration of evaluation would be revised on a case-by-case basis for the entire category in question.
  • Each organisation or individual can only submit one entry per category, unless otherwise specified.
  • Each organisation or individual may apply to as many categories as are relevant to its work, but with the proviso that the same product or service cannot be entered into more than one category, except in the case of the ‘DOMINIC DE SOUSA AWARD FOR INNOVATION’. In other words, you may apply with the same product or service to a specific category, for example, ‘MANUFACTURER OF THE YEAR (VRF SYSTEMS)’, and to the ‘DOMINIC DE SOUSA AWARD FOR INNOVATION’, but do bear in mind that you would be required to answer the specific KPIs pertaining to the two categories.
  • You are required to confirm that your submissions have been granted the required national approvals for the market sector in which they are aimed. (Note: The judges reserve the right to conduct any such enquiries regarding confirmed approvals as they see fit.)
  • Without exception, any performance claims you make in your entry must be substantiated through submitting supporting documentary evidence.
  • Documentary evidence should be submitted only as attachments, as stipulated, not as links in an MS Word file, for instance.
  • Unless stated otherwise, it is mandatory to appear for an online evaluation meeting in front of the judges, for each of the categories you are applying to. In fact, it is in your interests to do so, considering that you would have an opportunity to clarify points you have made in your written submission and, equally important, there is a certain weightage allocated to participating in the meeting, which is scheduled to take place from 10th - 12th of February 2026. No additional or alternative opportunities will be provided for the meeting, so we urge you to block your calendar in advance.)
  • The meeting will comprise seven minutes of Q&A.
  • A maximum of two persons per organisation will be permitted to attend the meeting with the judges, unless in the case of individual categories, such as ‘HVAC ENGINEER OF THE YEAR (CLIENT SIDE)’, which strictly is for individual engineers, who are either independent or are part of an organisation – only the engineer in question is permitted to attend. (If the judges sense that more than one individual, or two persons from an organisation, are participating in the meeting, they reserve the right to disqualify the entry.)

Deadlines

  • The deadline for submission of entries is 6pm (Indian Standard Time), on Thursday, the 29th of January 2026. (Entries submitted after the deadline will not be considered for evaluation.)
  • The Online Meeting with the judges will be from the 10th - 12th of February 2026.

Important dates to remember

  • Last date of submission of entries: Thursday, the 29th of January 2026 (by 6pm, Indian Standard Time, GMT+5.30)
  • Meeting with the judges: 10th - 12th of February 2026
  • Awards ceremony: 11th of March 2026