Reporter This year’s awards champion people and businesses rather than products and platforms, acknowledging all cyber stakeholders, from defence, insurance, cloud services, and technology to those working in STEM, consultancy and ransomware protection.
The awards are open to all businesses operating in Australia that support the cyber supply chain.
Take the first step to being recognised at a national level by submitting an entry or nominating a worthy colleague or business by 5:30pm AEDT on Friday, 6 February 2026.
Nominate a peer or business, or submit your entry.
There are 33 categories on offer this year, including 23 individual and 10 group categories.
The individual categories include CISO of the Year, Cyber Lawyer of the Year, Cyber Rising Star, Female Cyber Leader of the Year, Indigenous Cyber Security Leader of the Year, Cyber Professional of the Year – Defence, and many more.
The group categories include Research Institution of the Year, Cyber Training Business of the Year, Cloud Data Security Provider of the Year, Indigenous Cyber Business of the Year, and many more.
Held in April at The Star, Sydney, the black-tie gala ceremony is set to showcase the depth of talent in Australia’s cyber sector while affirming its essential role in safeguarding individuals, businesses, and the commonwealth in a rapidly evolving security landscape.
Winning one of the cyber awards is a coveted accolade for organisations and professionals seeking to cement their role in the cyber profession.
The judging process
The Australian Cyber Awards, in conjunction with event stakeholders Cyber Daily, Momentum Media, and a panel of leading cyber professionals, involves a robust awards methodology to form the backbone for assessing and benchmarking Australia’s leading cyber professionals and businesses. Click here to view the methodology.
All submissions undergo a thorough audit process, checking demographic and other information against category-eligible criteria based on the information provided in the submission.
Those submissions deemed eligible against submission criteria are reviewed and assessed by a panel of Momentum Media events and editorial team members and executives, plus stakeholders where required, to determine the finalists for each category.
Finalist submissions are then delivered to a panel of respected professionals and business leaders who assess each submission against the criteria of each award category.
The combined judging scores for each submission for each category are then tabulated, with the highest-scoring submission deemed the winner.
The judging criteria for award categories are both quantitative and qualitative, acknowledging growth, business development, diversity, leadership, innovation, business excellence and contribution to Australia’s cyber sector.
Finalists will be unveiled in March, so keep an eye out for your name on the list!
The black-tie gala event will bring together leaders for a night of networking while celebrating the achievements of colleagues and peers.
To learn more about the awards program, click here.