Rising Star in Cyber Security.
Every settled name in this field was once the youngest person in the room with a point to prove. This category honours the early-career defenders already changing how the people around them work, and the panel scores them on what they have done, not how long they have been doing it.
The 2026 Rising Star
Jubilian Ho Hong Yi was named Rising Star in Cyber Security in 2026. An Information Security graduate of the Singapore Institute of Technology and an OffSec instructor, he has put time into the communities that bring new people into the field, from Division Zero to Cyber Youth Singapore. The panel recognised the breadth of that contribution this early in a career.
A decade of winners sits in the Hall of Fame.
What the panel scores against
Three things carry weight here. The first is the work itself, evidence that the nominee built, broke, defended or researched something real, and that it stood up when other people looked at it. The second is reach, the proof that the work helped beyond the nominee's own desk. The third is trajectory, the sense that this is the start of a long contribution rather than a single bright moment.
The category exists because the field renews itself one person at a time. A SOC analyst who writes the runbook the whole team now follows, a student who finds a flaw and reports it well, a graduate who quietly mentors the next intake: these are the records the panel is built to read.
What a winning record looks like
Strong nominations are specific. They name the project, the research, the talk or the community, and they let someone else verify it. They show the nominee owning a decision and carrying its outcome, not sitting near a team that did the work.
Weak nominations lean on potential alone. Promising, eager, one to watch. The panel respects potential, but it scores evidence. A nominee who has shipped something, however small, and can show who it helped, will always read more strongly than a glowing reference with nothing behind it.
Rising Star in Cyber Security
Who can be nominated as a Rising Star?
Anyone early in their cyber security career who can show real work and its effect on others. There is no fixed age or years-in-role cut-off; the panel weighs contribution against time in the field and reads the trajectory.
How is the Rising Star judged?
On three things: the work itself and whether it held up to scrutiny, the reach of that work beyond the nominee, and the trajectory it points to. Evidence carries more weight than potential on its own.
When was the category introduced?
In the 2026 restructure of the programme, which organised the awards into five individual categories and five organisational ones. There was no edition in 2024.
Who won Rising Star in Cyber Security in 2026?
Jubilian Ho Hong Yi, an Information Security graduate and OffSec instructor recognised for his work and his contribution to communities that bring new people into the field.
How is recognition decided?
Every nomination is read in full and judged on merit against the published criteria. Recognition here is never bought.