The CIO & Strategic IT Executive of the Year
A peer-led award for the IT leaders actually driving enterprise transformation. Transparent process, real industry backing, judged on outcomes. Presented live at the National ITx Collective Forum in Austin this November.
Inaugural class. Nominations open now.
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CIOnews and ITx Collective have joined forces to recognize the IT leaders driving real enterprise transformation, pairing CIOnews' editorial reach across the CIO, CTO, and CISO community with the ITx Collective's peer-led ecosystem of enterprise technology executives.
WHY THIS ONE IS DIFFERENT
CIO awards designed for maximum transparency.
These awards from CIOnews and SINC are purpose-built for transparency. No hidden agendas, no pay-to-play optics, no brand-name bias. Just a clean, merit-driven process that recognizes the IT leaders doing the best work — regardless of who they know or what they sponsor.
You don’t have to be a member of SINC or associated with CIOnews to submit a nomination. The award is open to any qualified IT leader, period.
The most deserving finalists will be selected to win the award, regardless of brand recognition. A CIO at a 200-person company and a CIO at a Fortune 100 are judged on the same rubric.
Zero pressure to make sure major event sponsors, table-buyers, or national partners take home a trophy. Sponsorship dollars and award outcomes are completely decoupled.
No requirement for finalist organizations to sponsor a high-tier table or purchase a package to receive their award. Finalists are flown to Austin at no cost.
THE AWARDS
Four distinctions. One submission.
All nominations are judged across one rubric. Weighted scores determine the award. Only one nomination required.
CIO of the Year
Highest overall score across the full rubric — leadership, impact, innovation, and strategy combined.
AI Innovator CIO of the Year
Measurable enterprise transformation driven by applied AI and emerging technology.
Visionary CIO of the Year
Bold, forward-looking leadership that reshaped how the organization thinks about technology.
Strategic CIO of the Year
Exceptional alignment of IT strategy with business outcomes — execution, governance, and scale.
THE PROCESS
Transparent, by design.
Nominate
Anyone can submit a nominee. It takes two minutes.
Conversation
Shortlisted nominees take a call about their wins, challenges, and how they solved them.
Finalists
The panel reviews and names finalists publicly. Roughly six per category.
The Forum
Finalists are flown to Austin for the National ITx Collective Forum. Winners announced live in November.
LIVE JUDGING & AWARDS
In-person interviews. Announced live in Austin.
Finalists don’t just get scored on paper. Each one goes through a round of live, in-person interview judging with the independent panel — a real conversation about their work, their challenges, and the outcomes they delivered. Winners are then announced live on stage at the ITx National Forum, November 8–10 in Austin, TX.
Judging format
Live, in-person interviews
Awards ceremony
ITx National Forum — Austin, TX
Dates
November 8–10, 2026
THE PANEL
Judged by people the industry already trusts.
An independent panel of enterprise CIOs and senior IT executives, regionally balanced across the country. Profiles published in full.
Tony Peleska
CIO
Kraus-Anderson
Edward Marchewka
DBA, CIO
Illinois Bone & Joint Institute
Rahoul Ghose
CIO
ECMC Group
Jason Frame
CIO
Southern Nevada Health District
WHAT FINALISTS RECEIVE
Recognition that travels.
Every finalist, not just the winners, receives the full slate.
CIOnews finalist interview article
Every finalist is covered by CIOnews with an interview article that digs into why they are a finalist and explores their project in depth.
CIOnews winner longform career feature
Every winner receives a longform career feature on CIOnews — a deep, narrative profile of their leadership journey and impact.
Cross-brand amplification
Promoted across CIOnews and the ITx Collective ecosystem, including the executive council network.
NASDAQ Tower feature
Your name and face on the NASDAQ Tower in Times Square. Photo package delivered for you to share.
The Forum experience
Flown to Austin for the National ITx Collective Forum, with a private finalists dinner.
Ongoing visibility
Finalists are invited back to moderate and sit on panels at future ITx and CIOnews events.
NOMINATE
Submit a Nomination
Know an IT leader driving real enterprise transformation? It takes two minutes to put their name forward.
Advancing past nomination means a willingness to take a brief call and share more. The submission itself is quick.
All nominations are reviewed by an independent panel of ITx Collective Executive Council members.
Strong nominations demonstrate measurable leadership impact, business value created through technology, and meaningful industry engagement.
Tell us about their impact
Example of a strong response
“Under [Name]'s leadership, the org consolidated four legacy ERP systems into one platform, cutting operational costs 18% while improving audit response time from weeks to days.”