Awards are a global multi-billion-pound industry making an impact all sectors, industries and professions.
But it doesn't come without it's own challenges.
And leaders from aross the industry, including ourselves, are constantly innovating and adapting to continue bringing value to the businesses and individuals entering, running, and supporting the industry.
Discover the ways the industry is dealing with issues from trust, ROI, and the rise of AI;
The Business of Awards: 2026 Industry Insights
From Event Industry News in collaboration with evessio, the multi-award winning software for awards and conferences, together they have published The Business of Awards: 2026 Industry Insight report.
The report is designed to give a complete overview of the current state of the awards industry, and it's biggest challenges in 2026.
August Recognition Founder, Donna O'Toole was asked to contribute and share her expertise on the issues facing the industry.
The Rising Threat of Award Scams
In an interview, Donna discussed the rising threat of award scams and how entrants can protect their repuation.
Covering everything from Imitation, Pay-to-Win, Backlinking scams, why this matters to the industry, and how entrants can protect themselves.
You can download and read the report here.
The Changing Landscape of Awards
Going beyond the report, at EventTech Live in November 2025, Donna and Evessio CEO Gary Clement teamed up for a live discussion on the Changing Landscape of Awards.
In the session they discussed the latest trends, insights, and industry predictions. Sharing with the audience practical tips, best practices, and expert perspectives to help entrants manage, plan, judge, sponsor, or influence awards with confidence in an evolving landscape.
You can catch up on the 30-minute session here – search for the Changing Landscape of Awards.
Live Industry Insights Webinar
In partnership with Event Industry News and Evessio, on Wednesday 12th March 2026, we'll be sitting down with the experts behind The Business of Awards: 2026 Industry Insight report for a live panel discussion via Webinar.
In 45 minutes, we'll explore:
- Why less than half of stakeholders view awards judging as transparent
- The rise of award scams – from imitation sites to backlinking schemes
- AI in awards: opportunity or credibility threat?
- What entrants and sponsors really want from recognition programmes
the expert panel includes;
- Donna O'Toole – Founder, August Recognition and author of WIN
- Gary Clement – Evessio
- Hannah Bray – MD Commercial & Events, PPA
- Sarah Austin – Founder, Empowered Events / British Business Excellence Awards
Whether you organise awards, enter them, sponsor them, or judge them, this is a really exciting opportunity to learn more about the current state of the awards industry.
