The sixth annual contest offers an updated slate of awards.

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Finopotamus, the only online resource providing in-depth technology news and commentary exclusively to credit unions, announced today that it is accepting nominations for its 2026 Tekkie Awards.

The sixth installment of the annual awards competition honors significant achievement in credit union technology from the previous calendar year. The 2026 awards will thus recognize outstanding technology achievements from 2025. Credit unions and their technology partners are invited to visit the Tekkie nomination page for detailed descriptions of each award.

As credit union technology continues to evolve, so have the Tekkie Awards. Nominations are open through April 17, 2026, for the following awards:

Credit Union Awards

The Data-Driven Impact Award: Recognizes credit unions using member or operational data to drive specific, measurable results.
The Core Innovation Award: Honors credit unions modernizing core processing platforms through full conversions or innovative cloud and middleware layers.
The Applied AI Award: Awarded to credit unions for successfully moving artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) tools from experimentation into active production.
The Fintech Integration Award: Recognizes a credit union’s successful technical and operational integration of third-party fintech solutions.
The Transformative Member Experience Award: Highlights technology-driven initiatives that significantly reduce friction in the credit union member journey.
The People Helping People Award: Celebrates the credit union ethos and initiatives that improve the lives of members or the community; technology is not required for this category.
The Tech Visionary Award: Recognizes individual technology professionals who advance the credit union movement through leadership and knowledge sharing.

Technology Partner Awards

The Rising Star Fintech Award: Honors early-stage startups (Series A or earlier) founded since 2021 with at least one live credit union deployment.
The Industry Game Changer Award: Recognizes established providers with proven solutions (at least three credit union deployments) that have shifted how the industry operates.
The Technology CUSO of the Year Award: Awarded to CUSOs delivering outstanding value and scale through collaborative technology solutions.

“Since Day One, our goal with the Tekkies has been to make these distinguished awards reflective of the current state of credit union technology,” said Finopotamus Publisher John San Filippo. “W.B., Roy and I are confident that this updated slate of awards captures the true spirit of innovation and highlights the solutions that are making a measurable difference for credit unions and their valued members.”

The entry fee for each submission is $199 (there is no charge for the “People Helping People” Tekkie Award if submitted by a credit union) and nominations close April 17, 2026. Winners and runners up will be announced in July to as part of Finopotamus’ sixth birthday celebration.

About Finopotamus
Finopotamus is an online publication created by industry veterans W.B. King, John San Filippo, and Roy Urrico to bring credit unions technology news and original content not found elsewhere. The publication looks at technology best practices across multiple industries to bring credit unions the broadest range of relevant information. Since its launch in July of 2020, Finopotamus has continued to grow in readership, recognizability and authority. The publication’s tagline is Fintech News for Hungry CUs. Visit Finopotamus at www.finopotamus.com.

Contact: John San Filippo, [email protected], (619) 467-0431.

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