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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CIO News and ITx Collective have joined forces to recognize the IT leaders driving real enterprise transformation, pairing CIO News' 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
Most IT leader awards have a credibility problem.
Opaque selection, pay-to-play optics, and recognition that rewards reputation over results. This program was built to fix all three.
A transparent process with clear criteria and a published panel. You can see exactly how winners are chosen.
Evaluated by leaders with real standing in the CIO community, not an anonymous committee.
Judged on measurable outcomes and business impact. The work, not the title.
THE AWARDS
Three distinctions. One submission.
Every nomination is considered for all three. We sort the strongest work into the right category.
National CIO of the Year
Overall leadership, vision, and enterprise impact.
AI Innovator of the Year
Measurable transformation driven by applied AI.
Strategic IT Leadership Award
Team, culture, and organizational outcomes that scaled.
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.
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.
Panel members announced soon.
WHAT FINALISTS RECEIVE
Recognition that travels.
Every finalist, not just the winners, receives the full slate.
CIO News editorial feature
A published profile on CIOnews.com, with podcast or longform coverage for winners.
Cross-brand amplification
Promoted across CIO News 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 CIO News 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.”