Women in AI

Women in AI Awards

The Women in AI Awards are an annual program from the Kansas City AI Club. They recognize women in the Kansas City metro whose work is shaping how AI is built, adopted, and led, from early-career professionals to executives guiding AI inside large organizations. 2026 is the inaugural year.

Nominations come from across the community and open ahead of the awards each year. Recipients are honored on stage at a Kansas City AI Club event.

Most of that work happens without much fanfare. These awards are our way of saying it out loud.


Award Categories

  • Rising Star Award. Recognizes a student or early-career professional making notable contributions in AI.
  • Community & Education Impact Award. Recognizes work that advances AI education, workforce development, public understanding, or community engagement.
  • Small & Medium Business AI Impact Award. Recognizes measurable business results from AI within a small or mid-sized company.
  • Enterprise AI Leadership Award. Recognizes leadership in AI strategy, governance, or adoption within a larger organization.
  • Founder, Advisor & Entrepreneur Award. Recognizes women building AI businesses, products, services, or advisory practices.
  • Women’s AI Champion Award. The top honor, recognizing sustained impact on AI across Kansas City through innovation, adoption, education, leadership, or community.


Eligibility and Selection

Nominees live or work in the Kansas City metro. Nominations come from across the community, and self-nominations are welcome. Each nomination names an award category and describes the nominee’s work and its impact. Nominations are reviewed by a selection committee from the Kansas City AI Club board.


2026 Awards

Nominations closed Sunday, September 27, 2026. The first recipients will be honored on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the KU Edwards Campus in Overland Park.

Nominations for the 2027 awards open next year. Sign up for the newsletter to hear when.

This Year’s Event

The 2026 recipients will be honored at Women in AI: Panel & Awards, the Kansas City AI Club’s October meetup, presented with Kansas City Women in Technology. The evening also includes a featured speaker and an expert panel on building and leading with AI, with time for networking.


When: Thursday, October 8, 2026, 4:30 to 7:00 PM

Where: Regnier Hall Auditorium, KU Edwards Campus, Overland Park

Tickets: $25, taxes and fees included


Speakers, the panel topic and the full agenda are on the event page.

Get Tickets