The independent record of who defends the digital world.
Breaches make the headlines. The people who stop them rarely do. Since 2014 the Cyber Security Awards have put those people on the record, judged on the work and nothing else.
A decade of naming the work
The first winners were recognised in 2015. Each year since, peers and the wider community have put forward the people whose work holds the line, and a panel has read those nominations in full before scoring them. One year, 2024, ran no edition. Every other year is on the record.
The field changes, and the categories change with it. In 2026 the programme was restructured into two clean halves: five categories for individuals, from Rising Star through to Advocate, and five for organisations, from Product to Community. The intent stayed the same. Honour the people. Name the work.
What makes it different
Most awards in this category are bought. A marketing team pays to enter a sponsored category, and a trophy follows. That trophy tells you who had budget. It tells you nothing about whether the work held up.
The Cyber Security Awards run the other way. Categories are not for sale. The panel scores the evidence a nominee submits against the criteria for that category, and the highest-scoring entries become finalists, then winners. Independence is the whole asset. It is what lets the field treat a result here as a signal worth quoting.
Where the work is named
About the Cyber Security Awards
When did the Cyber Security Awards start?
The programme has run since 2014, with winners recognised every year from 2015 onward. One edition, 2024, was not held; every other year is recorded in the Hall of Fame through to 2026.
Are the awards independent?
Yes. Categories cannot be bought. An independent panel scores each nomination against published criteria, and that independence is the programme’s entire value.
Who can win?
Anyone whose work defends the digital world: individuals, teams, products, services and communities, across ten categories in 2026. Peers and the community can put people forward.
How is the programme funded?
Through sponsorship of the ceremony and events. That funding pays for the evening; it plays no part in the judging, and sponsors see no entries and hold no vote.