Please see below 2024 categories. For more information on the nomination process, please click here.

Digital Leader of the Year

Digital transformation continues to sweep across UK businesses. This award will go to a woman who has lead from the front a digital project, team or department. Entrants should demonstrate the impact of their leadership, and of the digital project or team on the wider business.

Diversity and Inclusion Initiative of the Year

This award will go to the organisation which has launched the best diversity and inclusion initiative over the last 12 months. Judges will be looking for results of the initiative and its impact on the wider business. The initiative can cover any type of diversity. Gender should play a part but the winning initiative may be more ambitious.

Diversity Employer of the Year

The diversity employer of the year will be doing industry-leading work in building an inclusive workplace for a diverse workforce to thrive and prosper. We are specifically looking for evidence of D&I initiatives, such as employee resource groups, focused diversity roles, evidence of a top-down commitment to D&I and full transparency on progress.

Engineer of the Year

The winning submission will demonstrate excellence in the field of software engineering. This could be the result of personal effort or as part of a team, but the entrant must demonstrate how her contribution has made a significant impact, and why it goes above and beyond the usual expectations of her role. Any technical contribution to the development, operation or maintenance of software will be considered relevant to this award. 

Graduate / Apprentice of the Year

Awarded to the graduate or apprentice working in technology who most impresses the judging panel with her success in the earliest stages of her career. This success could be entirely personal, perhaps by initiative and driving through a solo project, or a significant contribution to a team. Entrants must have graduated from a tertiary education course within the previous 24 months or be a current apprentice, including degree apprentices.

Hero of the Year

This award will go to the woman who has demonstrated excellence outside her normal role. This could be in her support of others, or in going beyond the call of duty to achieve a business goal. Whether it's championing a person or idea, rescuing a failing project, or going the extra mile to help others - as a real hero, the winner will have gone beyond the remit of her day-to-day role.

Innovator of the Year

To be a technology leader is to be an innovator but that innovation can take many forms. This award will go to the woman who can showcase innovation and new thinking, either in terms of an organisation's products, or in terms of strategy, or operations. It could be a new process, or a new way of working - what matters is the innovation.

IT Leader of the Year

This will be awarded to the female IT leader who best demonstrates excellence in leadership, communication and strategic vision. The award includes CIOs but is not limited to them. You could be a CTO, CISO or Director of Infrastructure - what matters is the quality of leadership.

Outstanding Returner Award

Returning to work after starting or expanding a family, or taking a break to care for others, will always be challenging. For this category, the judges will be looking for a returner who can provide an inspirational example of returning successfully to a career after maternity leave or a career break break, highlighting both personal commitment and drive as well as dedication and support by the employer. This award is for women who have returned to work at any point over the last 18 months.

Outstanding Transformation of the Year

The business transformation referenced in this award could relate to a project, product, process, department or entire organisation. The award will go to the woman responsible for leading or driving this transformation. Entrants should explain why the transformation was needed, their role in its success, and the results achieved.

Rising Star of the Year

The Rising Star Award is for the young woman blazing a trail through tech. You may be a graduate or apprentice who has made an exceptionally strong impact in a short time, or a young manager or executive who is making waves through the business. Whoever you are, we want to hear your story, both to celebrate your success and help to inspire women embarking on a tech career or those considering it.

Role Model of the Year

We all understand the importance of woman role models in tech. If you can see it, you can be it! But with the sector still far short of women, especially in leadership, role models can be harder to find than they should be. This award will go to the woman who most inspires her colleagues, leads by example and showcases the opportunities of a tech career to younger women and girls.

Security Professional of the Year

Cybersecurity is the highest stakes and most visible area of IT yet those who excel often choose to keep a low profile. We're looking for a woman cybersecurity professional who can demonstrate how she has improved the resilience of her company's networks, data, stakeholders and end users. Whether it's a long standing stellar career or work on a specific security project that's enhanced resilience or maybe improved organisational knowledge, our judges are looking for female-led excellence in cybersecurity.

Team Leader of the Year

This will be awarded to the person who best demonstrates how her leadership inspired a team, and directly contributed to their success. Entrants can be at any level within a firm, but must have some elements of leadership of others within their role. Nominees should describe how their leadership impacted the team, and what challenges they overcame both personally, and as part of the team.

Transformation Leader of the Year

The winning entrant will demonstrate how her leadership contributed the successful transformation of a project, product or business within the last 12 months. This does not necessarily have to be a broad change across an entire enterprise, it could be a single department, team or process. However, the transformation must be substantial, and its overall impact on the wider business should be clear.

Woman of the Year

This award will go the woman most deserving of recognition for her achievements in the tech industry this year. Her successes won't necessarily fit neatly into any of the other categories, and could even span several of them. She will inspire others, will have brought about significant success and change in her organisation and will have improved the chances of those who follow her. 

** NEW ** Emerging Tech Champion of the Year

The emerging technologies of today - including but not limited to AI, Web3 and the metaverse - will shape our tomorrow. As these technologies develop it is crucial that women are in the room. This award will go to a woman who can show how she has shaped emerging tech, reduced potential bias and made it relevant to a wider market. Judges will look for evidence of increasing diversity of representation across multiple aspects to try and ensure as many voices as possible are heard.