SecurityWeek launches Critical Impact Awards

SecurityWeek has launched the Critical Impact Awards to recognize individuals, organizations and technologies that deliver measurable impact in industrial cybersecurity. Winners will be announced live at the ICS Cybersecurity Conference, scheduled for Oct. 6–8, 2026, at the W Nashville during the event’s 25th anniversary. Nominations are free and open to peers, vendors, customers, partners, journalists and self-nominators. Entries will be judged against published criteria and reviewed on their merits. Nominations close Aug. 31, 2026. Finalists will be notified in advance and winners will be presented on stage. An independent panel of industrial cybersecurity practitioners will set the judging criteria, review every nomination and publish the rationale for each honoree. The panel includes CISOs, operational technology security practitioners and critical-infrastructure operators. SecurityWeek stated sponsorship will not influence outcomes. The inaugural awards are organized into two groups. The Technical Excellence & Research group covers categories such as OT vulnerability research, OT detection and threat research, most innovative OT defenses, OT security innovation and ICS incident response. The Community & Leadership group includes ICS/OT Defender of the Year, Community Champion or Mentor of the Year, Lifetime Achievement in Industrial Security, Emerging Leader in ICS Security and an OT/ICS Collaboration Excellence Award. “The people defending industrial and critical infrastructure rarely seek the spotlight, and too many awards programs reward marketing budgets rather than merit,” Mike Lennon, Managing Director at SecurityWeek and director of the ICS Cybersecurity Conference, commented. SecurityWeek has published the judging criteria and is accepting submissions at https://www.criticalimpactawards.com/. Organizers stated the program will highlight observable outcomes, research that advances detection and response, and leadership that supports collaboration between operational and information technology teams.