The Europas European Tech Startups Awards is an annual celebration of Europe’s brightest tech companies. From modest beginnings in a small bar in central London in 2009, our own Mike Butcher has helped grow The Europas into a major media event, gathering together many key startup players in Europe.

This year, on June 16, TechCrunch will be the exclusive media sponsor for The Europas. It’s a natural collaboration given Mike Butcher’s Editor-at-Large role at TechCrunch, and it’s also a great warm up for TechCrunch’s forthcoming Disrupt Europe. Europas attendees will automatically receive deep discounts on Disrupt Europe tickets among other perks. You can apply to be invited here.

The Europas celebrate some of the most forward-thinking and innovative European tech companies across some 20-plus categories. Startups can either apply for an award or be nominated by a third party. A judging panel selects a shortlist of nominees, which is followed by public peer voting. Finally the judges pick the winners, which are announced during the evening of the awards. Previous Europas winners have included SoundCloud, Mind Candy and King.com.

Prior to the finale, The Europas stages a daytime “unconference,” with relaxed networking and small group sessions.

This year, The Europas is adding a parallel event, PathFounders, designed to bring early-stage founders together with investors. PathFounders will bring together over 150 of Europe’s early-stage founders, VCs and angel investors. Tickets to PathFounders will open up at a later stage and be available as an “upgrade” for those already attending the Europas.