CATEGORIES

MUST READ: IMPORTANT INFORMATION

All categories are FREE TO ENTER

Submissions will be accepted via the online entry system only.

All information submitted is used for judging and won't be shared outside the judging process.

All entrants must have a UK presence. For more information on this, please read through our entry criteria. 

You can also view our exclusive entry tips, winner case studies and FAQs if you have any other questions.

The deadline for entering is Friday 5 March 2027, 11:55pm GMT.

Please read on for further information on each category and application criteria.

From our head judge


The Digital Technology Leaders Awards reward innovation, success and storytelling. Don't just tell us what you've achieved, take us on the journey with you and show us how you got to where you are now. Importantly, make sure you use your own words - it's your success, not a chatbot's.

Tom Allen, Editorial Director, Computing


Entries close in...

Company Categories

*NEW!* Future Workplace Award

This award celebrates organisations that are creating outstanding workplaces for digital professionals. Judges will look for evidence of strong culture, talent development, employee wellbeing, diversity and inclusion, flexible ways of working, and - crucially - investment in the skills needed for the future. Include metrics where appropriate.

*NEW!* Technology Services Partner of the Year

Here we recognise a technology services provider that has delivered exceptional value for its customers through innovation, expertise and outstanding service. Judges will look for evidence of successful client outcomes, long-term partnerships, customer satisfaction and a strong track record of delivery. Testimonials and evidence are critical.

People Categories

*NEW!* Digital Changemaker of the Year

This award recognises an individual who drives positive change through technology - whether those improved outcomes are for customers, colleagues or society. The winner will demonstrate leadership, influence and a commitment to advancing digital skills, inclusion, innovation or community engagement, with clear evidence of lasting impact.

*NEW!* Digital Skills Leader of the Year

Every IT leader says skills are among their biggest challenges, and this award recognises an individual who is going above and beyond to tackle that. They will have made an outstanding contribution to developing digital skills, talent and capability within their organisation or the wider industry; demonstrate a commitment to learning, mentoring and workforce development; and will help others build the skills needed to succeed in a changing digital landscape.

*NEW!* Software Delivery Team of the Year

Consistently delivering quality software products and services that create measurable value for users and the organisation is key to modern success. Judges will look for excellence in delivery, collaboration, technical execution and continuous improvement, supported by tangible business results.

AI Leader of the Year

This award recognises an individual who plays a decisive role in shaping how their organisation adopts, governs and benefits from artificial intelligence. It celebrates leaders who balance innovation with responsibility - ensuring AI delivers meaningful business and user outcomes while remaining safe, ethical and transparent.

The winner will be someone who has moved AI from experimentation to real operational value, influencing culture, capability and long-term strategy.

  • Impact: Evidence that AI initiatives have delivered measurable business, operational or user benefits.
  • Governance & responsibility: Clear demonstration of robust, transparent governance frameworks addressing ethics, safety, bias and accountability.
  • Leadership & influence: Ability to align stakeholders, build cross-functional collaboration and raise organisational literacy around AI.
  • Strategic vision: A coherent long-term plan for AI adoption aligned to organisational goals, not just tactical deployments.

CDO of the Year

In a world of constant disruptive digital change the role of chief digital officer and the leadership it provides is critical to organisational success and survival. This award recognises outstanding leadership that is having a clear impact on performance and delivering the organisation's digital vision.

  • Clear evidence of exceptional leadership, innovation and management of a cutting-edge digital project or projects that have had a measurable impact on operations.
  • Helping lead digital transformation in all areas of the business, with the engagement of other C-level executives and the board.
  • Size of organisation is immaterial.

*This award is open to whoever is leading digital transformation regardless of job title.

CTO of the Year

Although often conflated with the CDO, the Chief Technology Officer takes on a distinct role dealing with all aspects of information technology, including both soft- and hardware, rather than purely digital aspects. Although they have deep technical knowledge, they are often concerned with the long-term strategic issues facing their organisation. This award recognises leading individuals that are driving change, while ensuring that the day-to-day IT remains on-task.

  • Clear evidence of exceptional leadership, innovation and management of a cutting-edge technical project or projects that have had a measurable impact on operations.
  • Evidence of engagement with the business to drive technology adoption.

*This award is open to whoever is responsible for technology strategy at an organisation, regardless of job title.

Digital Hero of the Year

Every modern company needs skilled digital employees who can not only solve problems and innovate, but explain the importance of technology to the wider business. This award celebrates those technical people who are doing great work in their daily role, and lionising tech outside the IT department.

  • Evidence of innovation and a can-do attitude with real business benefits.
  • Evidence of playing a substantial role in the development and delivery of new digital initiatives.
  • Evidence of initiating and/or leading technical projects in new areas of the business.
  • Entrants must be based or work substantially in the UK.

Digital Team of the Year

Digital teams are at the heart of modern, digital organisations. This award recognises the best of the best and the contributions they are making to their organisation's operations, from new features and functions on websites, to entire new capabilities and services.

  • Clear examples of the launch of new, innovative features, whether internally or end-user facing.
  • Ideally multiple examples overlapping in terms of time to showcase the excellence of the team and its operational abilities.
  • Clear examples of how this work delivered benefits, such as boosting sales or reducing time to market of key services and offerings.
  • URLs / app store links as required.

Engineer of the Year

This award recognises the immense impact of the engineers behind outstanding technological innovations, be it in cloud, DevOps, AI or any other space. By spearheading complex projects, skilfully resolving entrenched obstacles, demonstrating leadership and delivering creative solutions that push boundaries, the Engineer of the Year exemplifies versatile technical talent and ingenuity driving their company forward.

Young Digital Professional of the Year

With a major shortage of trained digital experts many organisations succeed by hiring young people for aptitude and attitude, regardless of academic success, and training them on the job in the workplace - an approach that is both socially valuable and economically desirable. This award recognises young people who are making a name for themselves in the digital world.

  • Evidence of innovation and can-do attitude with real business benefits.
  • Evidence of playing a substantial role in the development and delivery of new digital initiatives.
  • Evidence of genuine skills growth and personal development.
  • Evidence of concrete responsibilities and results.
  • Open to anyone between the age of 18 and 24.

Project Categories

*NEW!* Data Transformation Project of the Year

This award recognises a project that has transformed how an organisation collects, manages, analyses or applies data to improve decision-making and outcomes. Entries should demonstrate innovation, measurable impact and a clear link between data initiatives and business value.

*NEW!* Green Technology Project of the Year

This award recognises a project that uses technology to reduce environmental impact or improve sustainability. Judges will look for measurable results, innovation and evidence that the initiative has delivered meaningful improvements in areas such as energy efficiency, emissions reduction, resource management or environmental stewardship.

*NEW!* Reliability & Resilience Award

This award recognises a project that has significantly improved the reliability, availability or resilience of digital services and operations. It celebrates initiatives that help organisations prevent, withstand and recover from disruption, with clear evidence of measurable improvements and lasting operational benefits.

*NEW!* Technology for Good Award

This award celebrates the use of technology to deliver meaningful social impact. Open to organisations from any sector, it recognises projects that have improved lives, strengthened communities or addressed important societal challenges through innovative and effective use of digital technology.

Best Automation Project

Companies are adopting artificial intelligence and machine learning at a rapidly-increasing rate, and automation is one of the most common areas for this. Our judges want to know what has been automated and why, the scale of the project and its successful outcomes.

  • Explanation of project, its requirements and how they were delivered.
  • Clear explanation of project outcomes and how these matched the aims.
  • Examples of outstanding work above and beyond the call of duty to deliver the project.

Best Public Sector Digital Project

Citizens expect a first-class digital experience when engaging with public sector organisations. This award celebrates the public sector organisations providing just that with slick, innovative offerings that are easy to use and get the job done.

  • Nature of project and problem or opportunity it tackled.
  • Benefits to citizens and public uptake.
  • Benefits to the organisation, such as simplifying processing times or reducing errors.

Digital Project of the Year

Large or small, firms using innovative digital tools and technologies can realise huge benefits. This award recognises those using digital to achieve real competitive advantage.

  • Nature of project and problem/opportunity it addressed.
  • Benefits to customers and uptake (B2B or B2C).
  • Benefits to organisation.
  • You must include a UK-based case study.

Digital Transformation of the Year​

This award will go to the company that has best modernised or simplified their systems to provably increase efficiency. Judges will be looking for a detailed description of the start and end points of the project, as well as how the company achieved its goals.

Machine Learning / AI Project of the Year

Machine learning and artificial intelligence systems are rapidly becoming part of many organisations’ everyday operations, from voice recognition and translation tools, to chat bots and medical image processing. This award recognises those on the frontline of this trend and that are deriving real benefits as a result.

  • Nature of project and problem/opportunity it addressed.
  • Information on how project was implemented. Benefits to organisation.

Outstanding Digital Inclusion Project

For projects that focus on making digital products, services or resources more accessible and inclusive for all users, including marginalised or underserved communities. Your submission should include the nature of project and problem/opportunity it addressed. Detail on the execution and implementation as well as proof of innovation and effectiveness.