2015 NOV 11 (VerticalNews) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Telecommunications Weekly -- Chicago's most innovative organizations - those with new products and services that generate novel solutions to important problems - were honored at the 14th annual Chicago Innovation Awards on October 27, 2015 at the Harris Theater.

The Chicago Innovation Awards received nominations from 535 organizations this year. A panel of 12 judges selected the honorees from 100 finalists announced in late September.

"It's a privilege to share this year's winners with the world," said Tom Kuczmarski, co-founder of the Chicago Innovation Awards along with Dan Miller. "Together, they embody the best Chicago has to offer - a commitment to fresh thinking, results and economic growth. Chicago continues to recruit and develop talent that has a penchant for high-impact innovation, and it is our mission to acknowledge and support these efforts."

Demonstrating the breadth of innovation unique to the Chicago region, the judges selected the following 10 companies as 2015 Chicago Innovation Awards winners in the main category: Snapsheet for its app that lets users upload photos to receive immediate repair quotes after a car accident Avant, an online consumer lending platform that uses big data to provide instantaneous credit approval Caterpillar's Hydraulic Hybrid Excavator, a machine that powers itself using energy created from...