TBM Council Awards

We’re excited to announce several new features and enhancements to the 2026 TBM Council Awards program, including:

1) Refreshed Award Categories – New and updated categories reflecting today’s tech and business trends around the world.

• New: AI Value & Governance
• Cloud Value Creation
• Financial Impact
• Portfolio & Product Excellence
• Public Sector Excellence
• TBM Quick Starter
• TBM Pioneer (one winner per region)
• TBM Professional of the Year (new: one winner per region)

2) Expanded Individual Honor – TBM Professional of the Year, the TBM industry’s highest recognition for individual excellence, will now be awarded to one outstanding leader in each of our four regions – Americas, APAC, EMEA, and Japan.

3) Newly Regionalized Recognition – As noted above, to spotlight TBM success stories from around the world while also celebrating impact at the local level, the regional versions of the TBM Pioneer and TBM Professional of the Year awards will be presented at each region’s annual summit.

4) Extended Submission Support – Expert-crafted guidance from TBM Council’s Research & Standards team to help applicants craft compelling entries.

5) Enhanced Scoring Transparency – Submitters will have full access to the official scoring criteria used by judges to evaluate submissions.

The TBM Council Awards program includes both Global Awards and Regional Awards, ensuring organizations and individuals are recognized on both worldwide and regional stages.

Organizations and individuals from any region may apply for the following global award categories to be recognized at our annual TBM Conference in November:

• AI Value and Governance
• Cloud Value Creation
• Financial Impact
• Portfolio and Product Excellence
• Public Sector Excellence
• TBM Quick Starter
•  

Two prestigious honors – TBM Pioneer and TBM Professional of the Year – are now celebrated at each region’s premier annual gathering:

• Asia Pacific – APAC Summit (February)
• Europe, Middle East, and Africa – EMEA Summit (June)
• Japan – Japan Summit (July)
• Americas – TBM Conference (November)

Note: Regional award recipients are honored at their respective regional summit and also recognized during the global awards ceremony at the TBM Conference in November, providing visibility across both regional and global communities.ee the full awards programming and timelines above.

During the application process, judges evaluate how nominees use Technology Business Management (TBM) to drive strategic, real-time business decisions. They look for clear examples of improved organizational alignment and accelerated, data-driven decision-making.

Submissions are assessed based on measurable outcomes, including cost efficiencies, the reallocation of budgets from run-the-business to transform-the-business initiatives, strategic investments in innovation, spend optimization, and demonstrated return on investment (ROI).

Judges also consider how TBM increases confidence across teams and enables executives to lead value-driven conversations with business partners.

After you submit your initial nomination on this page, you will receive an email with a link to the full award application form.

Once the full application is submitted, it is reviewed by a panel of judges. Up to three finalists are selected for each category. Finalists are then evaluated by a separate panel of judges who select one winner per category.

Winners are announced at the annual TBM Conference, taking place November 9-1, 2026, in Miami, Florida.

Organizations at any stage of their TBM journey are encouraged to apply. Throughout the 13-year history of the TBM Council Awards program, participants have represented a wide range of TBM maturity levels – from organizations early in their adoption of TBM to those with highly established practices.

> Early adopters that have recently begun their TBM journey and are already driving measurable business value, optimizing IT investments, and improving cost transparency.

> High-maturity organizations that have embedded TBM deeply across their enterprise to deliver transformative outcomes extend TBM beyond traditional cost management.

> Innovative teams at any level that have integrated TBM data, principles, and frameworks into key business initiatives, like sustainability, risk management, workforce planning, product management, and more.

What matters most is demonstrating how TBM has helped drive meaningful outcomes within your organization.

Yes. The TBM Council’s Research & Standards team has developed expert guidance for each award category to help submitters craft clear, impactful applications.

This guidance is available beneath each question within the full application form, as well as within the resources provided for each category.

For your convenience, links to downloadable PDF overviews for each award category are provided below:

• AI Value & Governance
• Cloud Value Creation
• Financial Impact
• Portfolio & Product Excellence
• Public Sector Excellence
• TBM Quick Starter
• TBM Pioneer
• TBM Professional of the Year

Each category-specific question is evaluated using a four-point scoring scale. To promote transparency, the official scoring criteria used by judges are shared with all submitters.

You can view the scoring criteria for each question directly within the full application form.

For your convenience, links to downloadable PDF overviews for each award category are provided below:

• AI Value & Governance
• Cloud Value Creation
• Financial Impact
• Portfolio & Product Excellence
• Public Sector Excellence
• TBM Quick Starter
• TBM Pioneer
• TBM Professional of the Year

At the TBM Council, we take transparency, fairness, and impartiality very seriously.

To ensure every submission is evaluated objectively and free from bias, we implement several safeguards, including:

> Application Anonymization: Prior to evaluation, all identifying information – including company and individual names – is removed from submissions. Judges assess content without knowing the identity of the applicant, enabling their focus to remain on content and quality.

> Shared Scoring Criteria: Submitters have access  to the same scoring framework used by judges, ensuring full visibility into how applications are evaluated.

> Public Disclosure of Judges: The names, titles, and current employers of all judges are published on this public website to reinforce accountability and transparency.

These measures help ensure that each application is judged solely on the strength of its content and demonstrated outcomes.

Judges are carefully selected from TBM Council’s global boards, Standards Committee, Strategy Communities, and distinguished past award winners.

In selecting judges, we consider  a judge’s deep expertise in the specific award categories they’re assigned, extensive hands-on experience in TBM, and meaningful  leadership and influence within the global TBM community.

This rigorous selection process ensures that each submission is evaluated by individuals with the knowledge, experience, and perspective necessary to recognize excellence across all dimensions of TBM.

Organizations and individuals who participate in the 2026 TBM Council Awards program will receive the following forms of recognition:*

Participants:

• Free and/or discounted TBM Executive Foundation Course and Certification **

Award Finalists:

• Personalized plaque for the organization, presented at TBM Conference
• TBM Council branded mini one-page case study
• Mention in our official TBM Council press release (example)
• Recognition on TBM Council branded social media channels
• Finalists’ graphics for use on social media, email signatures, and company websites.
• Free and/or discounted passes to TBM Conference **
• TBM Council swag **

Award Winners:

• Personalized trophy for the organization, presented at TBM Conference
• TBM Council branded multiple-page case study (example)
• Invitation to participate in TBM Council’s “TBM Tuesday” as a featured speaker
• Mention in our official TBM Council press release (example)
• Recognition on TBM Council-branded social media channels
• Winners’ graphics for use on social media, email signatures, and company websites.
• Free and/or discounted passes to TBM Conference **
• TBM Council swag **

* Recognition assets are subject to change.

** Complimentary or discounted conference passes and recognition assets are subject to the organization’s internal policies and final approval by the TBM Council.

For the seven organization-based categories, you may apply for up to two.

If you apply to more than one, you may be selected as a Finalist in multiple categories; however, you may only be selected as a Winner in one category.

You may apply for the TBM Professional of the Year award (our individual-based award) regardless of how many organization-based categories you apply for.

Yes. You may apply for up to two of the seven organization-based awards, as well as the individual-based TBM Professional of the Year award.

Yes. For the seven organization-based awards, if you know an organization that deserves recognition for its TBM journey, please provide a contact name so we can reach out and invite them to apply.

For the individual-based award, TBM Professional of the Year, you may nominate yourself or another individual with whom you have direct professional experience, such as a current or former colleague, consultant, partner, or delivery vendor.

Employees of the following organizations are not eligible to apply for an award:

• IBM
• TBM Council
• Any TBM software or service provider
• Any partner or sponsor of TBM Council or the TBM Conference

That said, if you’re part of one of these groups, we strongly encourage you to nominate individuals or organizations you’re familiar with who have demonstrated strong TBM practices and results.

No. Your organization does not need to be a member of the TBM Council to submit an award nomination. However, membership is highly encouraged because of the valuable benefits it provides.

Members gain access to exclusive resources and join a global community of IT and finance leaders, including CIOs, who share insights and best practices in the evolving discipline of Technology Business Management (TBM). This network can be especially helpful when preparing responses to award category questions. Members also receive early access to research and content produced by the Council.

Best of all, membership is completely free.

If your organization is selected as an award finalist and you are not yet a member, you may be asked to join at that time.

You can learn more and sign up at https://community.tbmcouncil.org/home

For the TBM Pioneer award, one winner will be selected from each of the following four regions: the Americas, Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), Asia Pacific (APAC), and Japan.

If you apply for this award, the business unit or operation highlighted in your submission must be located in the region for which you are applying.

Organizations from EMEA, APAC, and Japan may apply for their region’s TBM Pioneer award during designated submission periods throughout the year, and will be recognized at their respective regional summits:

• Asia Pacific – APAC Summit (February)
• Europe, Middle East, and Africa – EMEA Summit (June)
• Japan – Japan Summit (July)
• Americas – TBM Conference (November)

Visit the Awards page on the TBM Council website to view submission timelines for your region.

In addition to regional recognition, winners will also be honored at the annual TBM Conference in November as part of the global awards ceremony programming.

The Technology Business Management (TBM) Conference is the most important engagement of the year for transformational technology and finance leaders and practitioners. Hosted by TBM Council, in partnership with Apptio, this event brings together more than 1,500 global tech leaders and practitioners for keynotes, best practice presentations, trainings, and more to share how business value is delivered by breaking open the ‘black box’ of technology costs and tying investments to outcomes.

The TBM Council Awards live, in-person ceremony, takes place on the opening night of the TBM Conference.

You can learn more about the TBM Conference here.

The TBM Conference is hosted by the TBM Council in partnership with Apptio, an IBM Company. The event focuses on TBM best practices and related frameworks, including FinOps and Agile methodologies, as well as the products and solutions that help organizations build and execute successful TBM programs.

Yes. For information on speaking opportunities and the submission process, please visit the official TBM Conference website for details.