This category recognises an individual who has made an exceptional and lasting contribution to the data and AI industry. It celebrates leadership, innovation, and influence that extend beyond a single organisation, driving meaningful progress across the wider data and AI ecosystem. Entries should demonstrate how the nominee has advanced industry standards, shared knowledge, supported the development of talent, or shaped best practice, delivering impact that will be felt across the industry over the long term.

This category celebrates excellence in communicating data through compelling storytelling or visualisation. Entries should show how data was translated into clear, engaging narratives or visuals that improved understanding, informed decision-making, and influenced action.

Most Effective Stakeholder Engagement

This category celebrates the creative and impactful application of AI to solve business problems or unlock new opportunities. Entries should demonstrate how AI was used in a novel way, delivered measurable value, and went beyond traditional or established approaches.

This category recognises data and AI initiatives that have delivered positive social, environmental, or societal impact. Entries should demonstrate how data and AI were applied responsibly to address real-world challenges and create measurable benefits beyond commercial outcomes.

This category recognises data governance programmes that enable trust, accountability, and effective use of data across the organisation. Entries should demonstrate how governance supported business objectives, improved data quality and compliance, and enabled sustainable, scalable use of data and AI.

This category recognises programmes that have successfully developed data and AI skills, capability, and confidence across an organisation. Entries should demonstrate how the initiative improved data literacy, enabled informed decision-making, and supported the effective and responsible use of data and AI at scale.

This category recognises initiatives that embed ethical principles, transparency, and accountability into the design, deployment, and governance of AI. Entries should demonstrate how responsible AI practices were operationalised and how they enabled trust, compliance, and sustainable innovation.

This category celebrates large-scale organisational transformations where data or AI played a central role. Entries should demonstrate how data or AI drove significant change, delivered measurable business outcomes, and reshaped ways of working or decision-making.

This category celebrates innovative approaches to how organisations access, share, and collaborate around data. Entries should demonstrate how new operating models, processes, or tools improved agility, broke down silos, and enabled data to be used more effectively across the business.

This category recognises a standout achievement where data or AI enabled a significant breakthrough. Entries should demonstrate how innovative thinking, advanced analytics, or AI delivered step-change value, insight, or impact beyond incremental improvement.

This category recognises teams that have created an outstanding environment for data and AI professionals to thrive. Entries should demonstrate how culture, leadership, inclusion, learning, and ways of working support high performance, engagement, and the effective use of data and AI.

This category recognises a high-performing data or AI team within a large organisation (more than 250 employees). Entries should demonstrate excellence in delivery at scale, strong collaboration across functions, and measurable business impact driven by data and AI.

This category recognises an outstanding partnership between two or more organisations that delivered significant value through the use of data and AI. Entries should demonstrate effective collaboration, shared objectives, innovative use of data and AI, and measurable outcomes achieved through the partnership.

This category recognises a high-performing data or AI team within a small or medium-sized organisation. Entries should demonstrate how the team delivered measurable impact, worked collaboratively across the business, and maximised value from data and AI within an SME context.

This category recognises a senior leader within a small or medium-sized organisation (fewer than 250 employees) who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in the use of data and AI. Entries should showcase how the individual has driven strategy, built capability, and delivered measurable impact, often within the constraints typical of an SME environment.

This category recognises a senior leader within a large organisation (more than 250 employees) who has shown exceptional leadership in driving data and AI strategy at scale. Entries should demonstrate how the individual influenced culture, governance, and transformation to deliver sustained, organisation-wide impact through data and AI.

This category recognises an individual at an early or emerging stage of their leadership career who has demonstrated exceptional impact in data and AI. Entries should highlight leadership potential, innovation, and the ability to influence change, as well as measurable contributions to business or organisational outcomes.