For the first time in 2012 the Elevate Festival gives out the Elevate Awards, which are a commendation for people and their projects, who are actively working for social, ecological and/or economical justice and the improvement of the life circumstances of people and mother nature.

The awards show will be held as a two hour show event on Sunday, October 28th in Graz, Austria. There will be a livestream on the internet.

Projects were nominated by the audience online from the 1st of June until the 27th of July.

The Elevate Awards follow the tradition of other positive prizes, such as the Nobel Prize, the Right Livelyhood Award, the Buckminster Fuller Challenge or the Goldman Prize.

Characterized by innovation and an orientation on the environmental and cultural commons of our planet, these positive awards should be a recognition of initiatives, which can present an output with measurable effects – either prognosticated or already in place. Since this award carries "Elevate" in its name, it should only be given to projects, which have not yet received comparable other international recognitions or decorations.

There are three categories: The International Elevate Award, the Elevate Award Steiermark and the Elevate Artivism Award.

After the Call for Nominees there will be a selection process to find the five top-contestants in every category, which will be presented to the media in the form of video-portraits. The winning project will be chosen by the audience in a public voting process in October (Elevate Artivism Award and Elevate Award Steiermark). The International Elevate Award top-nominees as well as the winner will be selected by the International Jury.