5 Cyber Award Programs to Enter in Q1
Startups shouldn't wait to build an awards strategy. Here are 5 programs to help you get started in Q1. Be sure to investigate each program early and monitor for deadline extensions.
SC Awards
Now in its 29th year, SC Media’s prestigious program honors excellence across cybersecurity products, companies and leadership for trust and excellence.
Key categories: Best Security Company, Best Endpoint Security Solution, Best Cloud Security Solution, Best Threat Detection Technology, Investor of the Year, and many other product and leadership categories.
Why enter: SC Awards carry strong industry credibility and media visibility. Recognition is particularly valuable for strengthening enterprise trust, analyst conversations, and partner relationships. Winners are announced during RSA - which offers great visibility and brand association.
Deadline: January 26, 2026
Winners announced: March 24, 2026, in San Francisco during RSA Conference week
Fees: Start at $625
Learn more: https://www.scworld.com/sc-awards
Cybersecurity Excellence Awards
The Cybersecurity Excellence Awards is a global program recognizing cybersecurity companies, products, and professionals across a wide range of categories.
Key categories: Cybersecurity products and services, company leadership, innovation, industry solutions, and emerging categories.
Why enter: This program offers flexibility, including support for new or emerging categories. It’s a strong option for companies launching differentiated or category-defining solutions and looking to establish third-party validation early in the year.
Deadline: February 21, 2026
Winners announced: March 2026
Fees: Start at $499
Learn more: https://cybersecurity-excellence-awards.com/
Globee Awards for Cybersecurity
The Globee Awards for Cybersecurity recognize excellence in cybersecurity innovation, products, and leadership on a global scale. Winners are scored by experts and peers.
Key categories: Cybersecurity products, cloud security, data protection, threat detection, compliance, AI-driven security, and leadership categories.
Why enter: Recognition can support broader brand awareness, partner credibility, and international visibility.
Deadline: January 30, 2026
Winners announced: March 18, 2026
Fees: Start at $440
Learn more: https://globeeawards.com/cybersecurity/
SIIA CODiE Awards
Now in their 40th year, the SIIA CODiE Awards recognize innovative technologies transforming business and education. This award program has both expert judges and community review process, which amplifies your brand’s visibility. It’s one of the most well-run and prestigious programs.
Key categories: Cybersecurity solutions, privacy and compliance, identity and access management, risk management, and enterprise software innovation.
Why enter: CODiE Awards are highly regarded by enterprise buyers and investors. For cybersecurity startups, they provide a strong opportunity to validate technical differentiation in a broader enterprise technology context.
Deadline: March 30, 2026
Winners announced: July 15, 2026
Fees: Start at $995
Learn more: https://codieawards.com/
The Govies Government Security Awards
Sponsored by Security Today and GovSec, the program highlights technologies that support government agencies and critical infrastructure environments. The program recognizes outstanding security products and solutions serving the public sector. Entries are judged by a panel of security industry experts.
Key categories: Government cybersecurity products, threat detection, critical infrastructure protection, cloud security, identity management, and public sector technology solutions.
Why enter: The Govies are especially valuable for companies selling into federal, state, or local government markets. Recognition can support credibility with public sector buyers, strengthen partner relationships, and reinforce positioning for government-focused sales cycles.
Deadline: March 27, 2026
Winners announced: Mid-2026
Fees: Start at $945
Learn more: https://securitytoday.com/pages/govies/entry-form.aspx
Plan Early and Build a Repeatable Process
Entering early in the year gives teams flexibility to adjust plans and highlight wins throughout the year. It allows you to feature recognition across sales and marketing campaigns, align submissions with product enhancements or partnerships, and avoid the stress of last-minute deadlines.
Award nomination forms can also be a useful diagnostic tool. If a submission requires customer testimonials, reviews, or case studies, you’ll need to prioritize investing resources in developing any assets that don’t exist yet. The process of preparing nominations also reveals gaps in messaging, proof points, and content that should be addressed regardless of whether you ultimately enter the award program.
If you need help with your awards strategy this year, Stealth Cartel works with technology teams to turn awards into long-term credibility assets.
