About CSO 100 Awards

The CSO Awards by Foundry is a global awards recognition platform that has spanned the U.S., Europe, ASEAN, APAC, ANZ and India since 2017 in various guises, including CSO 100, CSO 50, and CSO 30. As a recognized platform for excellence in cybersecurity in the region.

The 8th CSO 100 Awards & Conference is an exclusive, invite-only event for India’s top cybersecurity leaders. It serves as a premier platform for security decision-makers to enhance their expertise, scale their businesses, and network with industry peers and leading tech partners.

Outstanding individuals who drive business success through effective risk mitigation can secure a CSO 100 Award the ultimate recognition for India's top security leaders. Winners will be honored at a dedicated ceremony during the 2026 CSO 100 Awards and Conference in Chennai.

Important Dates:

Nominations for the CSO 100 Awards open — February 13, 2026
Final deadline for submitting nominations — March 15, 2026
CSO 100 winners to be individually notified by email — April 5, 2026
SELECTION & JUDGING CRITERIA

Selection Criteria

To be selected for a CSO 100 Award, the project(s) that you submit must have:

· Had significant business benefits
· Positively impacted business processes
· Been innovative or created innovation
· Demonstrated creativity and "out-of-the-box" thinking
· Gone live between January 2025 and March 2026

Judging Criteria

· CSO 100 Award honourees will be chosen by the judging panel of Foundry’s global editors and the senior management team, based on the submitted information. Their decision will be final.

· Each entry (project) will be judged based on how it compares to all other entries submitted. Honourees will not be ranked.

· Entrants are encouraged to include any information about their project(s) or initiative(s) that they would like the jury to consider.

· Projects that are yet to go live will not be considered.

· Any project rolled out for a client of the nominating organization will not be considered.

· The information you provide in your CSO 100 nomination form will be used internally by the jury for the purpose of judging the awards and may be used in online articles or other publicity related to the CSO 100 Awards.

· If there are any parts of the information (company confidential) that you would not like to publish, please mention so in the text box, but do provide the information for the purpose of award evaluation.

· Please note that details about the security project, financial figures, etc. are mandatory for evaluating the final winners. Rest assured that nothing filed in the nomination form will be published on any website/social media of Foundry or talked/discussed during the event or otherwise.

· The honoree should currently be working with the organization they are submitting the nomination for.

· Discovery of falsification of data or fraudulent claims will constitute grounds for disqualification.
SUGGESTIONS & GUIDELINES

· Please provide the necessary details through your official email ID only. Incomplete forms will not be considered.

· Nominations must be by, or on behalf of, the most senior information security executive in the organization who is authorized to apply on behalf of the organization.

· You may submit up to two projects, but the organization can only win an award for one project. on behalf of your company

· Please be specific and wherever possible use supporting data. Nominations that provide details about an initiative and its impact on the business have a better chance of winning than nominations that merely summarize a project. We have found that the most successful nominations are those that are written by a CSO with input from both business stakeholders and technical staff.

· Applicants must provide data and examples that support their claims of innovation and business value. For example, it is not enough to tell us that a sales support system enabled your company to increase its market share. You should also provide metrics such as your market share before and after the project, how your rank changed among your competitors, or other metrics that illustrate your claim.

· Participation in the CSO 100 Awards is free of charge, with no additional marketing or other awards costs. Winning CSOs will be given complimentary passes (one per winner) to attend the CSO 100 Awards and Conference Event on May 14-16 at The Leela Palace, Chennai.

· CSO 100 Award Categories: Each of the winner selected will be either honoree of CSO 100 Award (The Fearless 100) or honoree of CSO 100 Award (The Game Changers), depending on the nomination form submitted and the CSO’s project stacked against the other winners. The jury’s decision will be final.

CSO 100 Special Awards: Few of the main CSO 100 award winners will also receive additional special awards (7 in each category). The jury’s decision will be final for selection of special awards. (Note – the final categories of special awards are subject to change)

- Hall of Fame
- Zero Trust Mavens
- Endpoint Security Masterminds
- Data Security Maestros
- Cloud Security Supremos
- Data Privacy Evangelists
- AI Security Innovators
- MDR Experts

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