10 - 11 March 2027
Excel London

2027 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 2027, we are expanding the awards to showcase even more cutting edge data centre technology. Alongside our classic categories for Energy Efficiency, Sustainability, and Talent Development...

We introduced two brand NEW awards:

  • Community and Social Impact

  • Data Centre Automation and Intelligence

These new categories shine a spotlight on the expanding role data centres play in powering digital progress, supporting local communities, and improving the way critical infrastructure is operated. Whether you are using automation to modernise operations, delivering measurable social impact, spearheading a groundbreaking project, or developing resilient security solutions, this is your opportunity to be recognised.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!

SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY

NEW: Community and Social Impact

Recognises data centres that make a positive contribution to the communities around them. Entrants should demonstrate meaningful local engagement, social value, and measurable benefits that show how data centre infrastructure can support communities beyond the delivering of digital services.

Who Should Enter?

Data centre operators, developers, owners, project teams, local engagement leads, sustainability teams, and organisations delivering community-focused initiatives linked to data centre infrastructure.

NEW: Data Centre Automation and Intelligence

Recognises the use of automation and intelligent systems to modernise data centre operations. Entrants should demonstrate how digital automation has improved service quality, efficiency, resilience, or decision-making in response to changing demand, standards, and resource pressures.

Who Should Enter?

Data centre operators, facilities managers, automation specialists, software providers, infrastructure teams, engineering teams, AI and analytics providers, and technology partners implementing automation or intelligent systems within data centre environments.

What We're Looking For

  • Evidence of community engagement, local partnerships, heat network contributions, education collaboration, employment opportunities, or environmental wellbeing initiatives.
  • Clear benefits delivered to local communities, linked directly to a data centre project, facility, agreement, or planning application.
  • Results achieved or evidenced within 2025–2027, showing measurable progress against the community challenge addressed.

What We're Looking For

  • Evidence of infrastructure automation, AIOps, digital twins, DCIM innovation, predictive maintenance, automated provisioning or AI-dirven optimisation.
  • Measurable improvements in service quality, operational efficiency, resillience, decision-making or resource optimisation.
  • Results achieved or forecast within 2025/2026, supported by clear evidence of operational improvement.

Things to Consider in Your Application

  • Community Challenge: Explain the local social, environmental, infrastructure, or political challenge your project or initiative was designed to address.
  • Action Taken: Describe the community engagement, partnerships, agreements, or initiatives delivered.
  • Local Benefit: Show how the initiative supported areas such as heat networks, education, employment, skills development, or environmental wellbeing.
  • Measurable Impact: Provide clear evidence of the benefits achieved or expected within the 2025–2027 period.
  • Long-Term Value: Explain how the initiative supports stronger community acceptance and creates lasting local value.

Things to Consider in Your Application:

  • Operational Challenge: Explain the operational issue your automation, software, or data-led initiative was designed to solve.
  • Technology Applied: Describe the use of automation, AIOps, digital twins, DCIM, predictive maintenance, automated provisioning, or AI-driven optimisation.
  • Implementation Approach: Show how the solution was introduced into the data centre environment.
  • Measurable Improvement: Provide evidence of improvements to efficiency, resilience, service quality, capacity management, or decision-making.
  • Scalability and Future Value: Explain how the solution could be expanded, repeated, or applied more widely across data centre operations.

Data Centre Security Award

Recognises exceptional efforts in safeguarding data centre environments against evolving cyber security threats. Entrants should demonstrate innovative security measures, risk mitigation strategies, and robust protocols that ensure the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of critical data and systems.

Who Should Enter?

Cybersecurity firms, security technology providers, data centre operators and managed security service providers.

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

  • Evidence of innovative security measures, risk mitigation strategies, or robust protection frameworks.
  • Clear improvements in the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of critical data, systems, or infrastructure.
  • Examples that demonstrate how the approach strengthens cyber resilience and protects data centre operations.

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 Challenge: Explain the cyber security risks or threats your solution, strategy, or initiative was designed to address.
  • Security Measures: Describe the technologies, protocols, processes, or frameworks implemented to protect the data centre environment.
  • Risk Mitigation: Show how your approach reduced exposure to threats, improved resilience, or strengthened operational security.
  • Measurable Impact: Provide evidence of improved protection, incident response, compliance, uptime, or system availability.
  • Future Readiness: Explain how the solution can adapt to evolving threats and support long-term data centre security.

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.

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 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 vendors, manufacturers, solution providers, and developers.

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?

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

What We're Looking For

  • Innovative technology products or projects that push the boundaries of technology within the data centre sector and address a clear industry challenge.
  • Creative integration and implementation of technologies that demonstrate strong problem-solving and set new standards for technology adoption within the industry.
  • Clear and measurable evidence of successful outcomes and improvements achieved or predicted during 2025/2026.

What We're Looking For

  • Pioneering applications of AI that address key data centre challenges and enhance operational efficiency, performance, resilience, or resource optimisation.
  • Innovative and effective integration of AI to predict and mitigate issues, optimise resources, or improve how data centres are managed and operated.
  • Clear and measurable evidence of improvements delivered or predicted during 2025/2026, demonstrating the impact and effectiveness of the AI solution.

Things to Consider in Your Application

  • Industry Challenge: Outline the specific challenge or opportunity your technology was developed to address.
  • Innovation and Differentiation: Highlight what makes your technology unique and how it advances existing approaches or solutions within the industry.
  • Technology Implementation: Explain how the technology was developed, integrated and implemented, including any challenges overcome during the process.
  • Industry Impact: Demonstrate how your technology has improved areas such as performance, efficiency, resilience, sustainability, security or cost effectiveness.
  • Measurable Outcomes: Provide clear evidence of the results achieved or predicted, supported by relevant data, case studies or customer outcomes.

Things to Consider in Your Application:

  • AI Challenge and Application: Outline the challenge or opportunity identified and explain how AI was applied to address it.
  • Innovation and Approach: Highlight what makes your use of AI innovative and how it differs from existing technologies, processes or approaches.
  • AI Integration: Explain how AI was integrated into data centre operations to enhance efficiency, optimise resources, predict issues or strengthen resilience.
  • Operational Impact: Demonstrate how the application of AI has improved data centre performance and its potential to set new standards for AI adoption within the industry.
  • Measurable Outcomes: Provide clear evidence of the results achieved or predicted, supported by relevant performance data, improvements or real-world outcomes.

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
Environmental Product of the Year
Best Data Centre Operator
Green Data Centre of the Year
AI Excellence Award
Security of Tech Award
Most Successfully Delivered Data Centre
Technology Project of the Year

CONTACT THE TEAM ABOUT THE AWARDS:

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