4 - 5 March 2026
Excel London

CO-LOCATED SHOWS

2026 Categories

Bigger and Better Than Ever

This prestigious event is your chance to showcase your game-changing innovations and be recognised as a true industry leader.

In 2025, we expanded the awards to showcase even more cutting edge data centre technology. Alongside our classic categories for Energy Efficiency, Sustainability, and Talent Development...

We introduced three brand new awards:

  • AI Excellence Award

  • Technology Project of the Year Award

  • Security of Tech Award

These new categories shine a spotlight on the vital role data centres play in powering the latest tech breakthroughs. If you're using AI to optimise operations, spearheading groundbreaking projects, or developing top-tier security solutions - this is your moment to shine.

If you’d like to discuss a potential entry or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at dcwmarketing@closerstillmedia.com. Our team is here to help!

 

ENTRIES OPENING SOON!

NEW FOR 2025: AI Excellence Award

Recognises pioneering applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) that have revolutionised data centre operations. Entrants should provide evidence of how AI has been effectively applied to enhance efficiency, predict and mitigate issues, or optimise resources. This award celebrates the forward-thinking use of AI to drive significant improvements in data centre performance and resilience, setting a new benchmark for AI integration in the industry.

Who Should Enter?

AI solution providers, data centre operators, consulting engineers, technology companies who are pioneers in AI applications within data centres.

NEW FOR 2025: Technology Project of the Year

Recognises outstanding technology projects that have pushed the boundaries of innovation within the data centre sector. Entrants should showcase projects that have addressed challenges through the integration of technologies, creative problem-solving, and exceptional project management. The award celebrates projects that have not only delivered successful outcomes but have also set new standards for technology adoption and implementation in the industry.

Who Should Enter?

Technology companies, project managers, consulting engineers, data centre operators involved in leading technology-driven projects.

What We're Looking For

  • Outstanding use of Artificial Intelligence in data centre operations, resulting in transformative improvements.
  • AI-driven solutions that enhance efficiency, predictive maintenance, energy management, or other critical functions.
  • Case studies that demonstrate the successful integration and impact of AI technologies in data centres.

What We're Looking For

  • Exceptional projects that have applied technology to drive significant impact in data centre operations.
  • Excellence in planning, execution, and delivery of technology projects, with clear and measurable outcomes.
  • Solutions that address complex challenges using cutting-edge technology.

Things to Consider in Your Application

  • AI Integration Process: Explain how AI was integrated into your data centre operations, including the development of AI models or algorithms.
  • Innovative Use of AI: Highlight how your use of AI goes beyond standard practices, providing significant advantages or solving complex challenges.
  • Operational Impact: Explain how AI has enhanced efficiency, predictive accuracy, or decision-making within your data centre.
  • Challenges and Solutions: Describe any obstacles encountered during AI implementation and how they were overcome.
  • Scalability and Future Potential: Discuss the scalability of your AI solution and its potential for broader application within the industry.

Things to Consider in Your Application:

  • Project Planning and Execution: Provide an overview of how the project was planned and executed, emphasising thoroughness and precision.
  • Technological Innovation: Describe the cutting-edge technologies or methodologies used in the project and how they contributed to overcoming challenges.
  • Problem-Solving Approach: Explain how your project addressed specific challenges within the data centre industry, showcasing creativity and effectiveness.
  • Collaborative Efforts: Detail any partnerships or team efforts that were critical to the project’s success.

NEW FOR 2025: Security of Tech Award

Recognises innovative and effective measures in securing technological assets within data centres. Entrants should demonstrate advanced strategies and solutions that protect critical technologies from emerging threats, including cyber attacks, data breaches, and unauthorized access. This award honours those who have implemented cutting-edge security protocols, technologies, and practices that ensure the safety and integrity of data centre operations, setting new standards for tech security in the industry.

Who Should Enter?

Cybersecurity firms, technology companies, consulting engineers specialising in tech security.

Best Reuse or Recycling of Products, Energy, or Data Centre Infrastructure

Celebrates initiatives that demonstrate outstanding achievements in reusing, recycling, or repurposing data centre products, energy, or infrastructure. Entrants should showcase creative solutions that minimise waste, extend the lifecycle of resources, and contribute to a more sustainable and secure technology future.

Who Should Enter?

Data centre owners and operators, manufacturers, consultant engineers who focus on sustainability and recycling initiatives.

What We're Looking For

  • Exceptional projects that have leveraged technology to drive significant impact in data centre operations.
  • Excellence in planning, execution, and delivery of technology projects, with clear and measurable outcomes.
  • Solutions that address complex challenges using cutting-edge technology.

What We're Looking For

  • Outstanding achievements in reusing, recycling, or repurposing data centre products, energy, or infrastructure.
  • Creative solutions that minimise waste, extend resource lifecycles, and contribute to a sustainable technology landscape.
  • Examples of successful implementation that highlight sustainability benefits.

Things to Consider in Your Application

  • Security Technology Implementation: Provide details on the security technologies or protocols deployed to protect critical assets within your data centre.
  • Innovative Security Measures: Highlight any advanced or innovative security solutions that set your approach apart from standard practices.
  • Comprehensive Security Strategy: Discuss the overall strategy for safeguarding technology, including any layers of defense or multi-faceted approaches.
  • Threat Detection and Prevention: Explain how your security measures have been designed to proactively detect and prevent potential threats.
  • Adaptability to Emerging Threats: Showcase how your security protocols are designed to evolve in response to new and emerging threats in the tech landscape.

Things to Consider in Your Application:

  • Sustainability Strategy: Outline the strategies and processes used to repurpose or recycle resources, focusing on innovation and effectiveness.
  • Environmental Impact: Highlight the environmental benefits achieved, such as waste reduction or energy efficiency improvements.
  • Innovation in Recycling Methods: Discuss any unique or pioneering approaches to recycling or reusing data centre infrastructure or resources.
  • Cost-Effectiveness: Explain how your initiative not only benefits the environment but also offers economic advantages.
  • Scalability and Industry Relevance: Describe how your initiative could be scaled or applied more broadly across the industry.

Special Contribution to Improving Energy Efficiency

 

Recognises outstanding achievements in boosting data centre efficiency through innovative strategies, products, or design principles. Entrants should showcase measurable improvements in efficiency, resulting in a more eco-friendly and cost-effective data centre operation, aligning with sustainability and resource optimisation trends. 

Who should Enter?

Project managers, consulting engineers, and construction companies involved in energy efficiency projects within data centres.

Most Successfully Delivered Data Centre

Celebrates projects that stand out for their groundbreaking approaches, teamwork, and efficiency, resulting in reduced total cost of ownership and accelerated time from concept to operation. Emphasis is placed on innovation and streamlined delivery processes, which are vital for meeting the agile demands of modern technology development. Recognition will be given to projects that demonstrate a commitment to diversity and inclusion in their execution.

Who should Enter?

Project managers, consulting engineers, and construction companies responsible for delivering data centre projects.

What We're Looking For

  • Innovative strategies, products, or design principles that significantly enhance energy efficiency.
  • Measurable improvements in reducing energy consumption, aligning with sustainability and cost-effectiveness goals.
  • Case studies or examples that demonstrate how these innovations have led to a more eco-friendly data centre operation.

What We're Looking For

  • Projects that excel in teamwork, planning, and execution, leading to a streamlined delivery process.
  • Evidence of reduced total cost of ownership and faster time from concept to operation.
  • Initiatives that showcase commitment to diversity and inclusion throughout the project lifecycle.

Things to Consider in Your Application

  • Comprehensive Energy Efficiency Strategies: Provide a detailed overview of the innovative strategies, technologies, or design principles you have implemented to tackle the critical challenge of energy efficiency in your data centre operations.
  • Creativity and Thoughtful Planning: Highlight the creativity, problem-solving mindset, and meticulous planning that underpinned the development and execution of your energy efficiency initiative.
  • Innovative Approaches and Execution: Demonstrate how your data centre team thoughtfully implemented the energy efficiency initiative, including any significant obstacles encountered and overcome during the process.
  • Tangible Results and Impact: Offer compelling case studies, diagrams, and process flows that showcase the tangible improvements, cost savings, and environmental impact achieved through your comprehensive energy efficiency efforts.
  • Industry-Leading Efficiency Standards: Illustrate how your innovative energy efficiency initiative has set new benchmarks and standards for data centre sustainability and performance within the industry.

Things to Consider in Your Application:

  • Project Management Strategies: Provide a detailed overview of the comprehensive project management strategies, processes, and tools you leveraged to ensure the successful delivery of your data centre project.
  • Collaborative Teamwork: Highlight the exceptional teamwork, communication, and coordination among all stakeholders that was instrumental in driving the project to completion seamlessly.
  • Innovative Approaches: Showcase any unique, pioneering methods, practices, or technologies you employed throughout the project's lifecycle that contributed significantly to its success.
  • Step-by-Step Breakdown: Offer a comprehensive, step-by-step account of the project's phases, from initial concept to final handover, demonstrating your meticulous planning and execution.
  • Adherence to Constraints: Demonstrate how your project management initiatives ensured strict adherence to timelines, budget, and quality standards, resulting in the successful and timely delivery of the data centre.

Green Data Centre of the Year

Honours data centre facilities that excel in reducing their carbon footprint by integrating design and operational practices that prioritise emissions reduction, recycling, reusability, and sustainability. The winner should embody a zero-carbon approach throughout its lifecycle, showcasing a commitment to environmental responsibility within the tech industry.

Who Should Enter?

Data centre owners and operators, facilities managers who have led environmentally focused projects.

Best Data Centre Operator

Recognises data centres that consistently meet Service Level Agreements (SLAs) while upholding resilience and performance standards. Entrants must demonstrate a comprehensive approach to continuous service delivery, legislative compliance, and performance optimisation. Extra recognition will be given to operators that foster an inclusive and diverse workforce.

Who Should Enter?

Data centre owners and operators, facilities managers with a proven track record of operational excellence.

What We're Looking For

  • Data centres that have significantly reduced their carbon footprint through innovative design and operational practices.
  • Integration of recycling, reusability, and sustainability measures throughout the data centre's lifecycle.
  • Examples of zero-carbon initiatives and a strong commitment to environmental responsibility.

What We're Looking For

  • Data centres that consistently meet or exceed Service Level Agreements (SLAs) while maintaining high standards of resilience and performance.
  • Approaches to continuous service delivery, compliance with legislative standards, and performance optimisation.
  • Initiatives that foster a diverse and inclusive workforce.

Things to Consider in Your Application

  • Sustainable Design and Technologies: Provide an overview of the sustainable design principles, innovative technologies, and eco-friendly practices that have been integrated throughout the lifecycle of your data centre.
  • Renewable Energy and Advanced Systems: Highlight your use of renewable energy sources, advanced cooling systems, and other cutting-edge sustainable solutions that contribute to the exceptional environmental performance of your data centre.
  • Innovative Approaches and Industry Leadership: Showcase any pioneering, industry-first initiatives or unique sustainable approaches you have implemented that demonstrate your data centre’s role as a leader in green innovation.
  • Comprehensive Sustainability Plan: Detail your data centre’s sustainability plan, covering all aspects from construction to daily operations, and emphasize how it has been effectively executed to achieve your environmental goals.
  • Setting New Industry Standards: Provide evidence and metrics that illustrate how your data centre’s comprehensive sustainability efforts have set new benchmarks for environmental excellence within the industry.

 

Things to Consider in Your Application:

  • Comprehensive Operational Strategies: Provide an account of the operational strategies, technologies, and practices you have implemented to address key challenges in data centre management.
  • Resilience, Efficiency, and Compliance: Demonstrate how your operational initiatives cover a wide range of critical areas, such as proactive maintenance, energy management, and regulatory compliance, to ensure data centre performance.
  • Creativity and Effectiveness of Solutions: Highlight the creativity and proven effectiveness of the operational solutions you have deployed, showcasing their significant impact on improving data centre performance.
  • Unique Approaches and Innovations: Discuss any unique, industry-leading approaches or innovative technologies you have pioneered that set your data centre operations apart and contribute to your operational excellence.
  • Demonstrating Operational Excellence: Offer evidence and metrics by means of customer response that illustrate your data centre operator's performance, reliability, and commitment to continuous improvement.

Environmental Product of the Year

Highlights innovative products or developments that contribute to a greener data centre environment by either minimising emissions or reducing waste. Focus is placed on extending product lifecycles and making tangible improvements to sustainability, which directly addresses the growing focus on zero-carbon solutions.

Who Should Enter?

Manufacturers who have developed eco-friendly products or solutions for data centres.

Special Contribution to Improving Resilience through Innovation

Acknowledges pioneers who enhance data centre resilience through inventive strategies, system designs, or configurations. Entrants should provide evidence of improved resilience and reliability in their installations, supporting the dynamic landscape of technology advancements.

Who Should Enter?

Consulting engineers, manufacturers, and technology developers who have contributed to resilience improvements in data centres.

What We're Looking For

  • Innovative products or developments that minimise emissions, reduce waste, or extend product lifecycles.
  • Solutions that directly address sustainability challenges in the data centre industry.
  • Demonstrable impact on the environment through the use of these products.

What We're Looking For

  • Innovative strategies, system designs, or configurations that enhance data centre resilience.
  • Solutions that improve reliability and adaptability in the face of evolving technological challenges.
  • Case studies of successful implementation that demonstrate improved resilience.

Things to Consider in Your Application

  • Innovative Product Design: Provide an explanation of your product's features and how it was designed to address key environmental challenges in the data centre industry.
  • Sustainable Materials and Processes: Highlight the innovative use of materials, energy-efficient designs, and waste-minimising processes that were integral to the development of your environmentally-focused product.
  • Product Development Journey: Outline the product development process, from initial concept to successful market launch.
  • Originality and Industry Impact: Demonstrate the originality of your product and its potential to drive significant, positive environmental impact across the data center sector.
  • Seamless Integration: Explain how your product is designed to seamlessly integrate with existing data centre systems and infrastructure, ensuring a smooth and impactful implementation.

Things to Consider in Your Application:

  • Innovative Resilience Strategies: Outline the strategies, designs, or systems you have implemented to enhance data center resilience.
  • Problem-Solving and Execution: Provide a clear explanation of the planning, problem-solving, and execution involved in your resilience-focused initiative, highlighting your approach.
  • Advanced Resilience Systems: Showcase the innovative architectural approaches, monitoring tools, backup solutions, or other cutting-edge systems you have deployed to improve data centre resilience.
  • Demonstrating Resilience Leadership: Discuss the unique aspects of your initiative that showcase your organization's pioneering role and thought leadership in driving resilience best practices within the industry.
  • Measurable Resilience Improvements: Demonstrate the tangible, data-driven results and impact your resilience-enhancing initiative has achieved in strengthening the reliability and business continuity of data centre operations.

Best Talent Developer

Recognises exceptional efforts in nurturing and enhancing talent within the data centre industry. Entrants must showcase comprehensive plans for recruitment, training, and retention, aligning with industry standards and demands. Special acknowledgment will be given to talent development programmes that emphasise diversity, equity, and inclusion, creating an environment that welcomes and supports a wide range of individuals.

Who Should Enter?

Project managers, consulting engineers, construction companies, data centre owners, and operators who focus on talent development.

Innovation Product of the Year

Spotlights pioneering products or developments that positively impact various data centre aspects, such as emissions reduction, cost efficiency, or waste reduction. Innovation should be demonstrated through measurable improvements in these areas, supporting the ongoing evolution of technology trends.

Who Should Enter?

Manufacturers and technology developers who have created innovative products for the data centre industry.

What We're Looking For

  • Exceptional efforts in nurturing and enhancing talent within the data centre industry.
  • Comprehensive recruitment, training, and retention plans that align with industry standards and demands.
  • Special emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion in talent development.

What We're Looking For

  • Pioneering products or developments that impact various aspects of data centre operations, such as emissions reduction, cost efficiency, or waste reduction.
  • Clear evidence of measurable improvements and technological advancement through innovation.
  • Products that support the ongoing evolution of technology in data centres.

Things to Consider in Your Application

  • Comprehensive Talent Development: Outline the programmes and strategies implemented to address talent challenges across the employee lifecycle.
  • Unique Approaches and Impact: Highlight the standout features and approaches that differentiate your talent initiatives and demonstrate their significant impact.
  • Innovative Talent Management: Discuss methodologies, tools or technologies that drive talent development results.
  • Organisational Transformation: Explain how your talent programmes have the potential to improve industry standards and address critical talent needs.
  • Measurable Outcomes: Demonstrate the tangible results and continuous improvement of your talent development initiatives.

Things to Consider in Your Application:

  • Product Development Process: Explain the process from concept to market, focusing on the innovation and design process.
  • Unique Features and Benefits: Highlight the standout features of your product that differentiate it from competitors and solve industry-specific problems.
  • Innovation in Design and Functionality: Discuss any groundbreaking design elements or functionalities that your product introduces to the market.
  • Market Disruption Potential: Provide insights into how your product has the potential to change the industry or address a significant unmet need.
  • User-Centric Development: Show how the product was developed with the end-user in mind, leading to improved user experience or operational efficiency.

Last Year's Winners

Best Reuse or Recycling of Products, Energy, or Data Centre Infrastructure
Innovation Product of the Year
Special Contribution to Improving Resilience Through Innovation
Best Talent Developer
Special Contribution to Improving Energy Efficiency
Data Centre Security Award
Environmental Product of the Year
Best Data Centre Operator
Green Data Centre of the Year

CONTACT THE TEAM ABOUT THE AWARDS:

Remember: to attend the awards ceremony you need to register to attend Data Centre World on 4 - 5 March 2026 at Excel London

Data Centre World is designed for C-level staff, data centre leaders, end users, managers and key decision makers. No matter the size of your business, or whether you represent the public or private sector, there will be lots of takeaways and goals to achieve at the event.

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