This award recognizes an outstanding association or corporate meeting, conference or brand activation that effectively engaged its target audience and achieved clear business or organizational objectives. 

Judges will be looking for a well-defined purpose, strong execution and meaningful results.

• Meeting or campaign objectives: How clearly objectives were defined and how well the event or activation delivered against them (e.g. education, sales, engagement, advocacy).
• Audience insight and content: Relevance and quality of agenda, content and formats to the target audience’s needs and expectations.
• Attendee experience: Overall attendee satisfaction, including environment, production, networking, accessibility and support services.
• Stakeholder engagement: Quality of engagement with key stakeholders such as sponsors, exhibitors, internal teams and partners.
• Innovation and creativity: Use of creative formats, technology or design to elevate engagement and achieve better outcomes.
  

This award recognizes an event that has made a significant positive impact on a local or regional community by bringing people together and fostering a strong sense of belonging. The event may be recurring or one-off, and may focus on culture, neighborhoods, causes or civic life.

• Purpose and goals: Clarity and relevance of the event’s mission and alignment with community needs or priorities.
• Community involvement and accessibility: Level of participation from local residents, partners and organizations, including inclusivity and access for diverse groups.
• Social and cultural impact: Evidence of positive social, cultural, environmental or economic impact on the community.
• Partnerships and collaboration: Depth and quality of collaboration with community groups, nonprofits, local government or businesses. 
• Execution and delivery: Effectiveness of planning, marketing, logistics, safety and on-site attendee experience.
  

This award recognizes events that have excelled in event space design, décor and overall experiential storytelling to create an immersive environment for attendees. Physical and sensory elements should support the narrative, purpose and flow of the event.

• Creativity and originality: Distinctive visual and experiential design that stands out and avoids “off-the-shelf” solutions.
• Theme and concept integration: How well design, layout, décor and production elements reinforce the event’s purpose and story.
• Spatial flow and functionality: Effective use of space to support wayfinding, networking, learning, activation zones and accessibility. 
• Sensory experience: Use of lighting, sound, materials, scent or interactive elements to shape mood and engagement. 
• Sustainability in design: Thoughtful integration of sustainable materials, reusability and waste reduction where applicable.
  

This award recognizes an exceptional event supplier whose products or services significantly contributed to the success of one or more events (e.g. AV, lighting, sound, entertainment, décor, photography, rentals, catering, transportation). Entries should showcase specific events or client relationships as evidence.

• Quality of products or services: Reliability, performance and fit for purpose in real event conditions.
• Responsiveness and problem-solving: Ability to respond quickly to client needs, changes and on-site challenges.
• Innovation and customization: Creative and tailored solutions that elevate the event experience beyond standard offerings.
• Collaboration and service: Strength of partnership with planners and clients, including communication and support. 
• Impact on event success: Clear examples of how the supplier’s contribution improved outcomes, efficiency or attendee experience.
  

This award recognizes events that delivered high impact and memorable experiences while working with a limited budget. Judges will reward smart trade-offs, creative problem-solving and clear evidence of value created relative to spend.

• Budget parameters: Evidence that the event operated within a clearly constrained or modest budget.
• Cost efficiency: Effective use of resources, in-kind support and partnerships to stretch the budget without compromising quality.
• Creativity with limited resources: Original, resourceful solutions across venue, décor, programming, technology, F&B or marketing.
• Attendee experience: Quality of the attendee journey and experience despite financial constraints.
• Impact and outcomes: Achievement of key objectives (e.g. attendance, engagement, revenue, awareness) relative to the scale of investment.
  

This award recognizes an event, organization or supplier that demonstrates an outstanding commitment to environmental and social responsibility through a specific sustainability initiative or program. The initiative should show measurable progress and inspire broader change in the industry. 

• Strategy and objectives: Clarity and ambition of sustainability goals, targets and planned actions. 
• Environmental and/or social impact: Measurable outcomes such as waste reduction, emissions savings, resource efficiency or community benefits. 
• Innovation and leadership: Novel approaches, technologies or partnerships that push sustainable practice forward.
• Stakeholder engagement: How attendees, vendors, venues and partners were informed, involved and motivated to participate.
• Scalability and legacy: Potential for the initiative to be replicated, scaled or to influence ongoing practices beyond a single event.
  

This award recognizes an individual event professional who has demonstrated exceptional leadership, creativity and results across their portfolio of events over the past year. The focus is on consistent excellence, not a single “hero” event. 

• Calibre of events delivered: Complexity, diversity and quality of events planned and executed in the eligibility period.
• Strategic thinking and creativity: Ability to design experiences that align with organizational or client goals in innovative ways.
• Execution and reliability: Track record of delivering on time, on budget and to a high standard, even under pressure.
• Stakeholder and client feedback: Testimonials or evidence of strong relationships, trust and satisfaction.
• Industry contribution: Involvement in mentoring, speaking, volunteering, association work or other activities that support the sector.
  

This award recognizes outstanding live or hybrid sports or esports events that deliver high-quality production, fan engagement and value for brands, rights-holders and participants. Both ticketed and non-ticketed events are eligible. Private or invite only events are not eligible. 

• Event concept and objectives: Clarity of purpose (e.g. competition, fandom, community, brand) and success against those goals.
• Competition and programming: Quality of competition format, scheduling and integration of supporting content or activations.
• Production quality: Standard of AV, staging, showcalling, broadcast/streaming and in-venue presentation.
• Fan and participant experience: Engagement before, during and after the event, on-site and online (e.g. interactivity, community, accessibility).
• Commercial and brand impact: Outcomes for sponsors, rights-holders or partners, such as reach, visibility and fan connection.
  

This award recognizes an emerging event professional (typically with fewer than five years in the industry) who is already making a significant contribution to their organization, clients and the wider sector. The focus is on potential, initiative and impact early in their career.

• Role and responsibility growth: Evidence of increasing responsibility, ownership and trust within their role or organization.
• Standout contributions: Specific projects, ideas or actions where the nominee made an outsized impact relative to experience level.
• Creativity and problem-solving: Examples of fresh thinking and effective responses to challenges.
• Feedback and reputation: Testimonials from managers, colleagues, clients or partners highlighting performance and attitude.
• Commitment to development: Engagement in learning, networking, volunteering or professional community-building activities.
  

This award recognizes an individual, organization or initiative that has gone above and beyond to strengthen the regional event industry through collaboration, mentorship, advocacy or community-building efforts. The emphasis is on generosity, inclusivity and measurable impact on the northwest events ecosystem.

• Community-building vision: Clear articulation of the need or gap being addressed and the goals of the connector initiative.
• Activities and initiatives: Quality and consistency of programs such as meetups, education, peer groups, advocacy or resource sharing. 
• Inclusivity and reach: Efforts to welcome diverse voices, disciplines and career stages into the community. 
• Impact and outcomes: Evidence of tangible benefits for local event professionals or businesses (e.g. collaborations, opportunities, knowledge sharing). 
• Ongoing commitment: Signs that the work is sustained, evolving and embedded in the region’s event landscape, not a one-off activity.