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NPCC Innovation and Digital Awards 2026

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Nominations now open!

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) has officially opened nominations for the Innovation and Digital Awards 2026, celebrating exceptional individuals and teams across UK policing who are driving forward digital excellence, capability, and transformation.

Nominations are open until 31 May, judging will take place following the closing date, culminating in an awards ceremony at the NPCC Innovation and Digital Summit in Liverpool on the 20 October.

Only UK based law enforcement agencies, or their teams are eligible to submit nominations. Those wishing to submit a nomination should request a nomination form here.

Eleven distinct categories will celebrate achievements in various areas:

2026 Award Categories

Excellence in Innovation

This category will recognise the value and impact add to police by the individuals or teams who use innovative approaches to tackle issues challenges or problems.

Digital Equity or Wellbeing Champion

This category will recognise the impact of individuals who lead or champion technologies to improve accessibility, equity or diversity within the police workplace. Recognising individuals or teams who have made a significant impact on diversity, inclusion and equity in their organisation using digital, data or technology.

Excellence in Innovation

This category will recognise the value and impact add to police by the individuals or teams who use innovative approaches to tackle issues challenges or problems.

Innovation and Digital Leader

This category acknowledges great leadership, irrespective of role or rank, in the delivery of excellent solutions surrounding Science and Technology. It will particularly focus on courage in leadership, taking decisions that are necessarily bold to close the gap to where policing needs to be with its digital, data and technology capabilities

Pioneer of Policing Data

This award celebrates an individual or team who combine vision, innovation, and exceptional collaboration to advance the use of policing data. Judges will assess the demonstrable ability of teams/individuals to bring together people, systems, and ideas and deliver real, measurable benefits for policing – strengthening the approach to data enabled decision making.

Excellence in Cyber Security 

This category will recognise individuals or teams who have gone beyond the basics to ensure that police systems and data are protected from threat or data loss or how they respond to a specific threat incident or risk.

Nominate now

Apply now to help share and celebrate excellence in digital policing innovation and delivery.
Request a nomination form here

Excellence in Collaboration

This category will recognise how the nominee has actively reduced duplication of effort by working with others forces and organisations who face similar challenges, sharing learning, and ensuring solutions deliver wider value across policing.

Innovation and Digital Ambassador

This category looks to identify those who have gone above and beyond reasonable expectations to promote and facilitate more effective use effective and efficacious use of Digital Data and Technology within UK Policing. This is an award for an individual.

Nominations close in:

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Learn about the 2025 Awards

See details of last year's winners

Excellence in Business Change

This category will recognise the value and impact add to police by the individuals or teams who use innovative approaches to tackle issues challenges, problems, improve user experience or wellbeing.

Excellence in Learning and Development

This category is for an individual or team who have facilitated the development of others in the fields of digital, data and technology. Their dedication to professional development, skill enhancement and wellbeing has significantly contributed to the growth and success of their colleagues and the wider policing community.

Excellence in Productivity & Value

This category will recognise the impact a project, team or individual who using innovation in digital, science or technology to reduce or avoid costs or improving quality of service or capabilities. There will be a particular focus on measurable and demonstrable savings or cost avoidance achieved with minimal investments, particularly where capital or revenue investments were not required as the team leveraged existing technology capabilities.

Resilience in Innovation

This award recognises an individual or team who has demonstrated exceptional courage and resilience by embracing failure as a catalyst for innovation. Through intelligent or vicarious failure, the recipient has shown how setbacks – when approached with reflection, responsibility, and resilience – can lead to meaningful progress, improved practices, and a stronger culture of learning. Their experience serves as a powerful reminder that innovation is not the absence of failure, but the mastery of learning from it.

Find out more about the Summit

The awards ceremony will take place as part of the NPCC Innovation and Digital Summit 2026
Find out more - register here