FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Each year at the annual DRI International conference, the Awards of Excellence program honors the leaders and innovators in the fields of continuity management, technology recovery, and crisis and risk management.

Nominations are submitted by you and your peers and are awarded in categories that recognize those who have achieved a level of excellence in the fields of continuity management, technology recovery (TR), disaster recovery (DR), and crisis and risk management through a nomination and judging process. The award presentations and winners are announced at the Gala dinner to be held at the culmination of the annual conference. 

The Awards of Excellence Gala is a ceremony and dinner that recognizes the finalists and winners of the Awards of Excellence. The winners of each award will be revealed during this event. Please see the Event Schedule for updated date and time. 

Information on each of the categories can be found under Categories and Criteria.

The DRI International Honor Roll award was conceived in 2007 and is awarded annually at the DRI Awards of Excellence Gala. The award honors individual Certified Professionals who have demonstrated exceptional service to DRI and the industry as a whole, 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. 

Click here to learn more.

Nominations will be open from August 14, 2026 to October 29, 2026.

Voting for the online categories will be open from November 20, 2026 to December 11, 2026.

The shortlist will be published on the Award Winners page on Friday, December 11, 2026. 

The winners will be revealed on Tuesday, February 23, 2027, at the Awards of Excellence Gala dinner.

It’s easy to nominate people, teams, and organizations/companies. Click here to create an account and start your submission. Nominations are open now through Thursday, October 29, 2026.

Yes, please note that some categories require customer/client endorsements. Please see individual category criteria for more details under Categories and Criteria.

Individuals and organizations may be nominated once per category. 

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.

To be considered for either of the online awards, you need only meet the experience required in the entry criteria. 

Each of our judges has signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). Nominations are collected via a secure, online voting system. The blind judging process ensures winner selection remains impartial. 

The Awards of Excellence 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.

No, there is no cost for making a submission.

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. 

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.

Log into your DRI account, click on the Awards tab, and select Voting Booth to vote.

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.

Awards will be presented to organizations/individuals who must be in attendance at the Awards of Excellence 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. 

The cost for attending the Awards of Excellence Gala is included in the full conference package. Separate and additional tickets may also be purchased. You will be asked to confirm your Gala attendance and make your food selection when you register for the conference. Click here for more pricing information.

If your guest is not a conference attendee, there will be a separate fee. Remember, full conference attendees can attend the Gala free of charge. When registering for the conference, please indicate if you are bringing a guest(s) who is not a conference participant. 

The Awards of Excellence Gala is Tuesday, February 23, 2027. The evening will begin with the DRI Foundation Auction Benefit & Cocktail Reception at 6:30 PM and dinner begins at 8:00 PM.

While there will be some assigned seating for sponsors, the rest of the seating will be open plan style.

The dress code is evening attire - semi-formal, cocktail dress or dark business suit.

Please contact Sponsorship Sales at +1-866-542-3744 or email driinfo@drii.org.

Have other questions? Click the Contact Us button below to reach out to our team.