DRI Awards of Excellence

 Program Leader of the Year (Private Sector)

This award goes to the business continuity program leader who has demonstrated exceptional innovation and leadership within the private sector, as well as a deep understanding of the continuity issues most important to the field. Strategic thinking, collaborative teamwork, and exceptional communication skills are the benchmarks of an exceptional program leader, and nominations will be judged by these criteria.

Program Leader of the Year (Public Sector)

The winner of this award will have enhanced the business resilience of a public sector organization while improving community preparedness as a champion of business continuity to local businesses. Nominations will be evaluated on experience and understanding of business continuity issues and best practices, promotion of BCM in the community, as well as the ability to successfully navigate organizational, legislative, or community challenges to achieve success.

Program Leader of the Year (Non-Profit Sector – 501(c)(3))

This award recognizes those practitioners working to make the non-profit sector more resilient, by strengthening relationships among service suppliers, insurers, and continuity professionals, as well as developing creative, effective approaches to continuity planning and promotion. Entries will be judged on experience, understanding of continuity issues and best practices, and creative problem-solving.

Consultant of the Year

This award recognizes consultants who excel in the field of business continuity program management, use creative problem solving to tackle difficult issues, and instill a culture of continuity in every organization with which they work. Among the deciding factors in the selection process: evidence of strong relationships with clients and other continuity professionals, as well as innovative ideas on the future of continuity planning.

Newcomer of the Year

This award welcomes and encourages those who are new to the profession and bring with them fresh ideas and perspectives. The award recognizes up-and-coming leaders who display ingenuity and understand the wider impact of business continuity within their organizations.

Lifetime Achievement Award (Voted online)

This award honors the most experienced professionals in the industry for the stellar work they have done over the course of their careers. The recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award is well-regarded among continuity professionals and has a track record of professional success and respect from peers in the field. DRI Certified Professionals will have the opportunity to vote for the nominee of their choice.

Team of the Year

This award recognizes excellent business continuity teams, of which essential ingredients are collaboration and communication. Nominees will display exceptional teamwork within the business continuity department, in-house across the organization, and with external consultants and partners.

Response and Recovery of the Year

The ability to recover from a disaster – whether it was a hardware/software failure, a product recall, a natural disaster, or some other catastrophic event – is the foundation on which business continuity is built. This award recognizes those who have successfully bounced back from a major incident using their plans, skills, and creativity.

Product/Service Provider of the Year (Voted online)

Recognizing the best in products and services developed for business continuity providers, this award is decided by online votes from DRI Certified Professionals across all industry sectors. These providers show they are committed to promoting business continuity to both their core customer base and the wider consumer market. Judges award innovation and quality as well as customer service, staff awareness, training activities, and other strong efforts.

The awards judging process employs a secure online voting, submission and review mechanism, which ensures integrity and accountability at each level of submission and review:

Each potential finalist nominee and winner is reviewed entirely by a blind judging process.

• All submissions are thoroughly scrubbed to guarantee that the judges do not see anyone’s name, identifying company, or other personal identifying information, so they may remain impartial.
• A randomly generated number is assigned to each submission – this is the only identifier known to the judges.
• Judges are only permitted to view the nominee’s submission. No supporting material will be allowed

The review process involves two rounds of judging:

First Round

• In the first round, judges are responsible for selecting two or more finalists in each category. The submission by any nominee for a category must meet the Professional Practices standards and requirements of that category.
• If an award category fails to garner a minimum of two nominees by the submission deadline date, that award category is suspended for that year and no award will be given for that particular award category.
• If an award category does garner a minimum of two nominees by the submission deadline date, each selected finalist is reviewed twice, at a minimum, in this round.

Second Round

• The second round of judging involves a further review of the finalist submissions and one winner in each category is selected.
• At the discretion of the judges, finalists may be contacted to verify submitted information.
• All winners are announced at the Awards of Excellence Gala Dinner.

We look forward to seeing everyone’s nominations. Good luck!

1. How long do I have to submit a nomination?
   The period for submitting category or online nominations begins August 30, 2023, and ends on November 13, 2023.
2. When can I vote for the online categories of Lifetime Achievement and Service Provider of the Year?
   The voting period for the two online categories begins on December 1, 2023 and ends on December 29, 2023.  Log into your DRI account, click on the Awards tab and select Voting Booth to vote.
3. When will I know if I, or my company, have been shortlisted?
   The shortlist of finalists will be posted January 10, 2024, unless otherwise advised, on this page.
4. When will the winners be revealed?
   The winners revealed: Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at the Awards Gala Dinner.

1. 1. 1. What are the Awards of Excellence?
         The industry awards presented by DRI International are known as the Awards of Excellence and are awarded in categories that recognize those who have achieved a level of excellence in the fields of continuity management, technology recovery (DR), and crisis and risk management through a nomination and judging process. The award presentations will be made at the Gala Dinner to be held at the culmination of the annual conference on Tuesday, March 5, at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside, New Orleans, LA.
      2. What is the Gala Dinner?
         The Gala Dinner is an event that recognizes the finalists and winners of the Awards of Excellence. The Gala Dinner will be held during the annual conference at Hilton New Orleans Riverside, New Orleans, LA, on Tuesday evening, March 5, 2024.
      3. Where can I find information on the categories of the Awards of Excellence?
         Information on each of the categories can be found under Submit a Nomination.

Submitting a Nomination

1. 1. 4. How do I submit a nomination?
         Please follow the instructions by going to Submit a Nomination on our website. If you need clarification about the nomination submission process, please contact us at 1-866-542-3744 or email driinfo@drii.org.
      5. Can I nominate myself/ my own company/ my own product/ my strategy?
         Please note that some categories require customer/client endorsements. Please see individual category criteria for more details under Submit a Nomination.
      6. Can I submit more than one entry or be nominated for multiple categories?
         Yes. However, please ensure that you follow the entry criteria for each individual category to which you submit.
      7. Does an individual have to be DRI certified to be considered for an award?
         To be considered for an award, you need only meet the experience required in the entry criteria against the identified Professional Practices. Anyone may nominate you for any category – and the person nominating you does not have to be a DRI Certified Professional.
      8. Does an individual have to be DRI certified to be considered for an online award?
         To be considered for either of the online awards, you need only meet the experience required in the entry criteria.
      9. If I send hard copies of my entry, can I expect to have them returned?
         We cannot guarantee the return of hard copies, but special circumstances may permit the return of some materials if you request to have them returned.
      10. Can I be assured that my nomination will be treated in the strictest confidence?
          Each of our judges has signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).
      11. I am not based in the United States. May I still submit an entry?
          The Awards are internationally recognized. We only ask that your entries be submitted in English. Attendance at the gala is required. However, non-continental U.S. finalist organizations and individuals may submit an acceptance video to be considered.
      12. Is there a fee for submitting an entry?
          No, there is no cost for making a submission.
      13. May I send more than the recommended number of words (1,000) for my entry?
          You may not submit additional materials. The focus of your submission should be on the 1,000 word online entry. The system does allow you to cut and paste information directly into the essay field.
      14. What happens if there is only one nomination for a category?
          If there is only one nomination entry for a category, that entry will not be selected/judged/voted upon for the DRI award. There must be at least two or more nominations for each category.

Voting for the Online Categories

1. 1. 15. How can I vote for the online categories of Lifetime Achievement and Service Provider of the Year? Log into your DRI account, click on the Awards tab, and select Voting Booth to vote.
      16. Does an individual have to be DRI certified to vote for an online award?
          In order to vote for either or both of the online categories (Lifetime Achievement and Service Provider of the Year), you must be a DRI Certified, current, active member. You can only vote once for each category.

Attending the Awards of Excellence Gala

1. 1. 17. Must the nominated individual or organization be present to win?
          Awards will be presented to organizations/individuals who must be in attendance at the gala.  An exception will be granted to non-continental USA  organizations/individuals who must submit an acceptance video. In the case of illness, please designate an alternate to receive the award, in-person on your behalf.
      18. I’m attending the conference, is there a fee to attend the Awards of Excellence and Gala Dinner?
          The cost for attending the Awards of Excellence and Gala Dinner is included in the conference package. Please make sure you indicate whether you are attending and make a food selection when you register for the conference.
      19. Can I bring a guest to the Awards of Excellence and Gala Dinner?
          If your guest is not a conference attendee, there will be a separate fee. Remember, conference attendees can attend the Awards dinner free of charge. When registering for the conference, please indicate if you are bringing a guest(s) who is not a conference participant.
      20. What time does the Awards of Excellence and Gala Dinner start?
          The evening will begin with a cocktail reception and DRI Foundation 6:30 p.m. and the Awards and Dinner service will begin at 8:00 p.m.
      21. Is there assigned seating at the dinner?
          While there will be some assigned seating for sponsors, the rest of the seating will be open plan style.
      22. What is the dress code for this event?
          The dress code is evening attire – semi-formal, cocktail dress or dark business suit.
      23. Can we sponsor a category in the 2022 Awards?
          Please contact Sponsorship Sales at 866-542-3744 or email driinfo@drii.org.
      24. Do you have a question that we haven’t already answered?
          Please contact us at (866) 542-3744 or email driinfo@drii.org.

The DRI International Honor Roll award was conceived in 2007 and is awarded annually to the person who has demonstrated exceptional service to DRI and the industry as a whole; has contributed to the growth of DRI and DRI’s reputation; and is a prominent member of the BCP/DR/ERM community. The award is voted on by the DRI Board of Directors.

Honor Roll Nomination Criteria:

• Demonstrates exceptional service to DRI and the industry as a whole
• Contributes to the growth of DRI and DRI’s reputation; and/or
• Is a prominent member of the BCP/DR/ERM community.

Click to learn more

View a list of the Past Awards of Excellence Winners.