SecurityWeek today announced the launch of the Critical Impact Awards, a new recognition program honoring the individuals, organizations, and technologies delivering measurable impact and contributions in industrial cybersecurity. Winners will be announced live at the 2026 ICS Cybersecurity Conference, taking place October 6–8, 2026, at the W Nashville, as the event celebrates its 25-year anniversary.
Unlike pay-to-play awards programs that have eroded trust across the technology industry, Critical Impact Awards are earned, not bought. Every nomination is reviewed by an independent judging panel against published criteria. Sponsorship has no influence on outcomes, and the panel publishes its rationale for each honoree, making the Critical Impact Awards the most credible recognition program in the cybersecurity industry.
“The people defending industrial and critical infrastructure rarely seek the spotlight, and too many awards programs reward marketing budgets rather than merit,” said Mike Lennon, Managing Director at SecurityWeek and Director of the ICS Cybersecurity Conference. “The Critical Impact Awards were designed to fix that, with recognition based on outcomes and evidence, and judged by practitioners, with nothing for sale.”
Open to All. Based on Merit
Nominations are completely free and open to everyone: peers, leaders, vendors, partners, customers, and journalists. Self-nominations are welcome. Judging is based on the evidence presented, not on who submitted it.
Independent Judging Panel
The Critical Impact Awards are judged by an independent panel of industrial cybersecurity insiders, including CISOs, OT security practitioners, and critical-infrastructure operators. The panel sets the criteria, reviews every nomination against them, and publishes its rationale for each honoree.
Award Categories
The inaugural Critical Impact Awards will honor achievement across two groups of categories:
Technical Excellence & Research
- Best OT Vulnerability Research
- Best OT Detection & Threat Research
- Most Innovative OT Defense
- Best OT Security Innovation
- Best ICS Incident Response
Community & Leadership
- ICS/OT Defender of the Year
- Community Champion / Mentor of the Year
- Lifetime Achievement in Industrial Security
- Emerging Leader in ICS Security
- OT/ICS Collaboration Excellence Award
Nominations and Timeline
Nominations close on August 31, 2026. Finalists will be notified in advance, and winners will be announced live on stage at the 2026 ICS Cybersecurity Conference in Nashville. To submit a nomination or review the judging criteria, visit https://www.criticalimpactawards.com/.
