February was one of those months where the energy of recognition seemed to be everywhere.
From global cultural moments to industry award ceremonies, the theme of celebrating excellence was hard to miss.
Here’s a look at what we got up to last month.
A Month of Celebrating Excellence
February brought plenty of moments celebrating achievement around the world.
The Lunar New Year welcomed the Year of the Horse, symbolising ambition, progress and momentum, which felt fitting for a month focused on recognising standout performance.
Globally, the Winter Olympics saw Great Britain achieve its most successful Winter Games, bringing home five medals, including three golds – their largest number of Golds won at the competition. Meanwhile, the entertainment world was busy celebrating creative brilliance in music at the Grammys, and the best on-screen titans at the BAFTAs. Not forgetting an unbelievable Super Bowl halftime performance from Bad Bunny, and a win for the Seattle Seahawks.
Across every industry, from sport to music to business, recognition plays a powerful role in shining a light on the people and organisations pushing boundaries.
Which is exactly what we’re passionate about supporting every day.
Share the Love: Why Recognition Matters
One of the key themes we’ve been talking about this month is how recognition fuels business growth.
Awards aren’t just about trophies on a shelf. They create tangible value across an organisation.
When businesses are recognised for customer experience, it builds trust, credibility and brand reputation. At the same time, awards recognising employee experience can have a powerful impact internally, helping organisations attract talent, retain great people, and reward the teams who make success possible.
Recognition, done well, supports both the people behind a business and the customers it serves.
Supporting the Awards Industry
February also saw the August team out and about supporting some fantastic industry events and partners.
Donna had the honour of presenting on stage at the National Coaching Awards, where August proudly sponsored the Support Colleague Award, celebrating the people behind the scenes who make a real difference to their teams.
We also joined our partners ActionCOACH for a live podcast recording at the Sky offices, 5 brilliant conversations exploring growth, leadership and the power of mindset in business.
And the celebrations continued at the Learning Awards 2026 ceremony, where organisations across the learning and development sector were recognised for their innovation and impact. We’re so proud to be an ongoing partner of the awards, attending the ceremony is always a highlight with Claudia Winkelman taking on hosting duty.
Events like these are a powerful reminder that awards bring industries together, creating moments to celebrate progress, share ideas and recognise the people driving change.
Team Moments at August
It wasn’t all external events, we had a special moment in the office too.
In February we celebrated Donna’s birthday with a surprise birthday brunch in the office together. It’s always nice to pause, share some laughs, and appreciate the people who make the work we do possible.
Awards Now Open for Entry
If recognition is on your radar for 2026, several major awards programmes opened their doors this month.
Now open for entries:
- Stevie International Business Awards
- UK Customer Experience Awards
- Stevie Awards for Great Employers
Each of these awards recognises organisations delivering exceptional results across leadership, innovation, customer experience and employee engagement.
If you’re planning your recognition strategy for the year ahead, these programmes are well worth exploring.
Join Our Next Masterclass
And if you’re thinking about entering awards but want to understand what value you can really get from winning awards, our next masterclass is the perfect place to start.
We’ll be sharing how awards drive measurable revenue growth, why recognition accelerates trust, sales and employee engagement, plus, the proven awards strategy that determines your success
Join our next masterclass and learn how to position your business for award success.
