Categories

Executive Director of the Year

This category recognises leadership, expertise and innovation at the most senior level in an Association. The nominee should have obtained outstanding achievements while demonstrating the qualities of a true leader, a visionary, an innovator and with know-how in the sector. Nominees should illustrate excellence in leadership and innovation in their contribution to the organisation and the sector. This nomination is open to: Executive Directors, Secretaries General, Managing Directors, Chief Executive Officers, All Executive Heads of a membership organisation, where the nominee has held the position for at least two years.

Association Executive of the Year

This category recognises strategic and innovative managers 36 years old and over, in all areas of an Association. The nominee should have attained success in their field of expertise and be a strategic manager who has made a substantial impact and/or brought substantial contribution to the association. This nomination is open to association employees or volunteer executives of membership organisations, in the specific role, who have held their position for at least two years.

Young Association Professional of the Year (NEW)

This category recognises emerging talent within associations. The nominee should be an exceptional professional up to 35 years of age who has demonstrated outstanding initiative, strategic thinking, and effective management capabilities in their role. This nomination is open to young professionals who have made significant contributions to their association's growth, operational efficiency, or member value through innovative approaches and strong organisational skills. The nominee must be currently employed by a membership organisation and have held their position for at least two years.

Association Leader of the Year (NEW)

This category recognises exceptional volunteer leaders. The nominee should be a current or recent-serving (last 12 months) President or Chair who has been on the board for at least two years, and at least six months in their position. They should have demonstrated outstanding commitment, strategic vision, and impactful decision-making.

Association of the Year

This category is for membership organisations, be they for individuals, for businesses or for federations of associations, for their successful achievements in the last 18 months. Measurable achievements could include notable and successful projects such as events, campaigns and development of services and products; income generation; membership growth, retention, engagement and satisfaction; leadership within the association; contribution to the advancement and success of the organisation and sector, and other results.

Best Digital Transformation

This category is for the digital transformation of an association’s systems and services, substantially developed or launched in the last 18 months. Transformation elements may include and are not limited to website re-think; moving services to online; re-think of how the services are delivered; adoption of innovative technologies; complete integration of all systems; highly functional and pleasing user interfaces; ease of use by members / community, uplifting the performance of digital media e.g. integrating media sources, improving ROI. Measurable achievements could include statistics such as: site analytics, logins, users returning, number and length of sessions, user interactions, responses to a call to action, user experience evaluations, personalisation, optimisation, and other results, measured against stated goals. This category is not open to association mobile apps or the creation of new member services, which have their own categories.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Initiative

This category recognises either a NEW or a substantially developed EXISTING equity, diversity and inclusion initiative, developed and implemented in the last 18 months. The initiative should demonstrate how the association has successfully mobilised and supported its members in implementing EDI practices within their organisations. Elements may include EDI guidelines and frameworks, training programs, assessment tools, mentoring schemes, resource libraries, or sector-wide inclusion commitments. Measurable achievements could include member adoption rates of EDI practices, implementation of EDI policies among member organisations, participation in EDI programs or progress, against stated goals.

Best Environmental Sustainability Initiative (NEW) 

This category recognises either a NEW or a substantially developed EXISTING environmental sustainability initiative in their sector / membership, developed and implemented in the last 18 months. The nomination should demonstrate how the association has successfully engaged and mobilised its sector towards environmentally sustainable practices. Elements may include industry guidelines, member education programmes, sustainability toolkits, green certification schemes, carbon reduction frameworks, or sector-wide environmental commitments. Measurable achievements could include adoption rates of sustainable practices among members, quantifiable environmental impact reductions, member participation in green initiatives, measured against stated sustainability goals. Associations focused on sustainability issues / activities cannot apply for this category.

Best Automation in an Association (NEW)

This category recognises either a NEW or a substantially developed EXISTING automation project, developed and implemented in the last 18 months. The nomination should demonstrate a comprehensive approach to automating a complex set of processes using technology. Elements may include: emails, text messaging, push notifications, social media posts, AI functions, content creation, automation systems, automation functions in AMS and CRM systems and more.  Measurable achievements could include improved member satisfaction scores, reduction in manual processing time, increased data accuracy, enhanced service delivery metrics, efficiency gains, cost savings, against stated goals or compared to pre-automation benchmarks.

Best Use of AI (NEW)

This category recognises either a NEW or a substantially developed EXISTING artificial intelligence project, developed and implemented in the last 18 months. The nomination should demonstrate how the association has successfully used AI to enhance its activities, operations, services, or member value and delivery. Elements may include AI-powered member engagement systems, predictive analytics for strategic planning, automated content generation, intelligent chatbots for member support, personalised service delivery, or AI-driven data analysis for decision-making or any other function of the association. Measurable achievements could include improved operational efficiency, enhanced service quality, increased member satisfaction, cost savings, better resource allocation, or achievement of specific organisational goals through AI implementation.

Young Member Initiative (NEW)

This category recognises either a NEW or a substantially developed EXISTING initiative that has been created for young members, implemented in the last 18 months. The nomination should demonstrate innovative approaches to providing a service or offering for young members. Elements may include content, training, careers tools, events, a new membership class or any other association activity. Measurable achievements could include participation rates among young members, growth in young member numbers in a new membership class, engagement levels, satisfaction scores, career progression of participants, uptake of young member services, feedback ratings, or other results measured against stated goals.

Best Recruitment Campaign

This category recognises either a NEW or a substantially developed EXISTING member recruitment campaign, predominantly developed and implemented in the last 18 months. The campaign should be designed either for overall membership growth or for targeting specific member groups or demographics. Elements may include strategic marketing initiatives, targeted outreach programs, innovative acquisition strategies, or creative membership drive solutions. Measurable achievements could include membership growth statistics or number of new members, success in recruiting specific demographics, revenue from new members, or other results measured against stated recruitment goals. This category is not suitable for member engagement initiatives or online communities, which have their own categories.

Best Member Engagement Initiative

This category recognises either a NEW or a substantially developed EXISTING member engagement initiative, implemented in the last 18 months. The nomination should demonstrate innovative approaches to increasing member participation and involvement with the association. Elements may include any activities that make up a co-ordinated initiative, either online or physical or a combination of both. Measurable achievements could include increased participation rates, improved engagement metrics, higher program attendance, increased recurring revenue from membership, reduced cancellation rate and churn, or other results measured against stated goals. This category is not suitable for member recruitment initiatives or online communities, which have their own categories.

Best Online Community

This category is for a NEW or substantially developed EXISTING online community that has been developed or launched in the last 18 months. This may include online communities, discussion forums, member to member communication and any other form of initiative or project that encourages member connections. Measurable achievements could include statistics such as growth in subscriptions and usage, number of users as % of membership / community size, average length of time spent in the community, recommendation; promotion by users, and any other data related to the engagement on the platform, or other results, measured against stated goals. This category is not suitable for member engagement initiatives, which have their own category.

Best New Event

This category is for a NEW in-person event, such as a conference, congress, convention, exhibition, event or seminar series, showcase, careers show or other event, which has taken place in-person, in the last 18 months. Measurable achievements could include statistics such as number of attendees, exhibitors, sponsors; revenue, education evaluations, net promoter score and other results, measured against stated goals. This category is not suitable for online or hybrid events, which have their own category.

Best Event of the Year

This category recognises outstanding achievement in the delivery of an established event series, held within the last 18 months. The nomination should demonstrate how this event showed significant progress, development, innovation, or growth from previous editions. The event may be a conference, congress, convention, exhibition, seminar series, showcase, careers show, or other event format. Measurable achievements could include statistics such as attendee numbers, exhibitors, sponsors, revenue, education evaluations, net promoter score, and other results measured against stated goals and compared with results in the previous editions. 

Best Environmentally Sustainable Event (NEW)

This category recognises either a NEW or a substantially developed EXISTING event, held within the last 18 months, that demonstrates exceptional commitment to environmental sustainability. The nomination should showcase innovative approaches to reducing environmental impact while maintaining high-quality delivery. Elements may include waste reduction strategies, carbon footprint minimisation, renewable energy use, or eco-friendly venue or other supplier selection. Measurable achievements could include reduced carbon emissions, sustainable materials usage, energy consumption reduction, successful sustainable transport initiatives, or other environmental impacts measured against stated goals. The nomination should demonstrate how sustainable practices were effectively integrated without compromising event quality or attendee experience.

Best Hybrid or Online Event

This category is for either a NEW hybrid or online event, or the substantial development of an EXISTING hybrid or online event, which has had a live, online audience and has taken place in the last 18 months. Measurable achievements could include number of attendees, exhibitors, sponsors, online engagement, revenue, education evaluations, net promoter score and other results, measured against stated goals and previous editions where applicable. Events include conferences, congresses and conventions but not webinars or online training, which have their own category.

Best Association Video

This category recognises either a NEW video or a video series/channel, primarily produced or released within the last 18 months. The submission should demonstrate creative storytelling, innovative content delivery, and effective audience engagement through visual media. Measurable achievements could include viewer analytics, response levels, social media shares and reach, production quality metrics, or other results measured against stated goals. This category is not open to event recordings or online courses, which have their own category.

Best Association Podcast

This category recognises either a NEW podcast or podcast series, primarily produced or launched within the last 18 months. The submission should demonstrate compelling content creation and effective audience engagement through audio format. Elements may include industry discussions, member interviews, expert insights, or sector analysis. Measurable achievements could include listener analytics, episode download rates, audience growth, social media reach, production quality metrics, or other results measured against stated goals. This category is not open to event recordings or online courses, which have their own category.

Effective Voice of the Year

This category recognises a successfully planned and implemented marketing campaign, including a social media campaign, primarily planned and implemented in the last 18 months. Elements may include social media platforms, campaign specific web pages, micro-sites or blogs and any tools and platforms used for engagement, raising awareness or for achieving the goals and objectives of the campaign. Measurable achievements could include statistics such as mentions, retweets, shares, likes, reach, impressions, page views, comments, calls to action, purchases, sales volumes, subscriptions and other results, measured against stated goals. This category is not open to member recruitment or engagement campaigns, which have their own categories.

Best Crisis Communications (NEW)

This category recognises a crisis communications initiative, implemented in the last 18 months. The nomination should demonstrate rapid crisis identification, strategic stakeholder outreach, and effective crisis management through comprehensive communications. Elements may include integrated communications plans, media engagement plans, stakeholder reassurance activities, multi-channel outreach, or sector-wide response coordination. Elements may include press releases, broadcast media appearances, published articles, targeted email communications, social media campaigns, or marketing communications plans. Measurable achievements could include response time metrics, stakeholder reach and engagement rates, media coverage analytics, message penetration, crisis impact mitigation, or other results.

Best Professional Development Offering

This category recognises either a NEW or a substantially developed EXISTING professional development offering, implemented in the last 18 months. The nomination should demonstrate innovative approaches to advancing member careers and professional growth. Elements may include certification programs, competency frameworks, career advancement tools, or assessment systems. Measurable achievements could include number of participants, qualification achievements, member career progression, revenue from program sales, or other results measured against stated goals.

Best Training Programme

This category recognises either a NEW or a substantially developed EXISTING training programme, delivered online or in person, in the last 18 months. The nomination should demonstrate effective knowledge and skills transfer through structured learning experiences. Elements may include e-learning modules, classroom style training, blended learning solutions, or digital education platforms. Measurable achievements could include participant numbers, completion rates, assessment scores, login frequency, session duration, learner engagement metrics, revenue from course sales, or other results measured against stated goals.

Best Association eNewsletter, Magazine or Journal

This category recognises either a NEW or a substantially developed EXISTING publication, launched or significantly enhanced in the last 18 months. The publication may be an eNewsletter, magazine, or professional journal. Measurable achievements could include readership growth, open rates, click-through rates, reader engagement metrics, social media reach, response to calls to action, quality of reader contributions, citation rates for journals, or other results measured against stated goals. This category is not suitable for data or information products, which have their own category.

Best Directory / Data / Information Product

This category recognises either a NEW or a substantially developed EXISTING directory, data product, or information service, launched or significantly enhanced in the last 18 months. The nomination should demonstrate innovative approaches to collecting, organising, and delivering valuable sector-specific information to members and stakeholders. Elements may include searchable databases, industry statistics, market intelligence, benchmarking tools, or comprehensive directories. Measurable achievements could include user adoption rates, frequency of access, subscription renewals, user engagement metrics, client testimonials, revenue generation, or other results measured against stated goals. This category is not open to publications, which have their own category.