There is a lot of cynicism voiced on the subject of security industry awards. To some degree, with justification. Recently, I was contacted by an organisation that will remain nameless, not for fear of embarrassing them, just because I hadn’t heard of them before, and I hope to never hear from them again.
For a mere £450, I could be entered into their awards event as a finalist! Erm? For a few hundred pounds more, I would be guaranteed to win one of their “prestigious and highly regarded” awards…as long as I provided them with a unique category of award I wanted to win in. Not likely.
The Credibility Problem in Certain Security Industry Awards
This kind of vanity-driven, award-for-cash rubbish fools nobody, but does cast doubt on the legitimacy of other, more worthy organisations and events. There is also a widely held feeling that companies that work hard to get you to pay for a table, or several seats at their award presentation events, will tend to award the gongs to the companies that have spent the most. I was in this camp to some degree. However, a few years ago, something happened that proved me wrong.
A Winning Moment That Changed My Mind
I was working with a company that had a stake in an innovative lone worker safety system based on smart watch technology. It was clever kit, and I could see the potential for it to save lives if widely adopted. The software was called SALUS, and I enthusiastically nominated it for a Security & Fire Excellence Award. Much to my delight, SALUS made the final in its category.
Despite getting asked how many seats we would be buying for the event, our MD was busy that night, as was our ops director, and I didn’t fancy the trip from the wilds of Kent, into the centre of town, so we decided that we wouldn’t send anyone. I wrote off our chances of success as a result. The next morning, I received an email stating that SALUS had won, and social media posts throughout the day, from the organisers, further celebrated the win. Cool.
Since then, I took a closer interest in security industry awards, and now I very much feel that they are a great way to recognise the hard work and successes of my team members. They are also an easy way to generate positive publicity and help to enhance the reputation of a company or worthy individual. Taking nominated security officers and managers to these events is also a great way to say thank you for your hard work, regardless of whether or not anyone from your party leaves with a trophy.
To recognise talent in all its forms, it’s also worth noting the top security figures in the UK. We’ve covered them in our recently published GuardPass 100 feature.
Playing to Win: How to Maximise Your Chances
An awards cabinet, displayed prominently in your HQ, groaning under the weight of trophies, medals and gongs, looks great to visitors and potential clients, and the positive impression it gives is not to be underestimated. While not all awards events are created equal, in general, they are a pretty good thing to get involved in.
Pro tip: Although it only takes one well-drafted nomination to win over the judges, submitting more nominations and entering more categories will obviously increase your chances of coming away with an award.
Case in point, Mitie Security wins piles of awards every year. Not because they are so astronomically better than other companies (sorry and all that), but because their management is encouraged to nominate their best people and most prestigious sites for any award out there (in fact, I spotted this written in a senior manager’s job description!).
The Most Respected Security Industry Awards
But what are the most well-respected security industry award events? A recent poll on LinkedIn would suggest these:
- The OSPAs (Outstanding Security Performance Awards).
- The British Security Awards
- The Security & Fire Excellence Awards
- The International Security Buyer Awards
- The Women in Security Awards
Guardpass has been on the receiving end of its fair share of awards as well. We were an OSPA finalist in 2024 and also won “Software of the Year” at the Security Buyer Awards.
Writing a Winning Nomination: Key Tips
There are a few things to remember when writing a winning nomination for any of the above awards:
- Read the nomination guidance and category requirements for any submission carefully, and stick rigidly to the instructions provided.
- Note carefully any maximum word limits and do not exceed them, as even the best nominations can be disqualified without any judge ever reading them.
- If you are permitted to submit supporting documents, ensure you stick to any maximum data limits stated and ensure that additional information is visually engaging, accurate and clearly supports the key points of your nomination.
- Although “self-nomination” is widespread and acceptable for most awards and categories, supporting quotes and endorsements from clients, customers or third parties are massively valuable and indeed, required to support your nominations for some awards.
- Always try to accentuate innovation, what makes your team/individual/initiative/product better than the competition, key benefits and the outstanding actions or scenarios that reinforce your claims of excellence. Try to avoid repetition, but use positive and relevant keywords and phrases to underline important features or achievements.
Final Thoughts: Enter and Celebrate
Winning awards feels great! They are generally free to enter (please avoid the vanity award purchase malarky). They provide positive publicity, so remember to use your social media outlets to announce your success. They are also a great opportunity to reward your staff and, indeed, thank top clients.
And remember, platforms like GuardPass don’t just help you hire faster and better. They also make it easier to identify and nominate standout talent for industry recognition. When you combine great people, great technology, and genuine recognition, the result is a stronger, more respected security industry for everyone.
Stick to the security industry awards listed above and you won’t go far wrong, so get those nominations in and good luck!