Nominations are open • Enter by February 27, 2027 • Time left: Start a nomination
Award categoryCybersecurity Product / Service
The Cybersecurity Excellence Awards recognize cyber workforce development programs. The category covers programs that grow the security workforce: bringing new people into the field, reskilling, apprenticeships and job placement.
Nominations are open
Enter this category by February 27, 2027. Anyone can submit an entry: the company, the nominee, a colleague or an agency.
The Cyber Workforce Development category covers programs that close the security skills gap by bringing people into security jobs. Typical entries are apprenticeships and career-change or reskilling programs, including programs for veterans, and for women and other groups under-represented in security. Others are partnerships that connect training with employers and place graduates in jobs. Recruiting programs that build new talent pipelines also fit; the retired recruiter award is replaced by this category.
Skills training for people already in security fits Cybersecurity Training, and degree and school programs fit Security Education. The organization that runs the program can enter Best Cybersecurity Education Provider, and a person who has done much to grow the workforce can be recognized in Global Cybersecurity Advocate of the Year.
Each category is judged separately, so you can enter a program in every category that fits, with a separate nomination for each. Tailor each nomination to that category's focus. The people who teach or run it can also be nominated in Cybersecurity Educator of the Year or Cybersecurity Instructor Team of the Year.
An independent jury of security practitioners, analysts and CISOs scores each nomination on leadership, innovation and impact. For training and education, the jury looks at the reach of the program and what learners achieve, such as skills gained, qualifications earned and jobs found. Each nomination competes in its category against entrants of similar size and region, so a local nonprofit is not ranked against a global training company. Your entry package, any sponsorship and public votes do not affect the jury's scores.
Strong entries in this category show:
The jury awards Gold, Silver or Bronze, or a Finalist badge, and results are published on this site and announced to the 600,000+ member Cybersecurity Insiders community. Every approved nomination also enters the separate Community Choice award, decided by public votes.
Training providers, schools, universities, nonprofits, employers and program teams can enter their own courses, platforms or programs, and a PR agency can enter them on their behalf. The nomination form has a confidential field for detail that is shared with the judges and not published, such as enrollment, completion or job placement figures. Deadlines, pricing and entry steps are on the How it Works page.