Management Awards Categories
Recognizing the achievements of entire management teams, groups of managers, and individual executives.
Nominations that won in the 2025 ABAs may be resubmitted for consideration in the 2026 ABAs. If they have been updated with recent achievements, they may be submitted to the same categories in which they won. If they have not been updated, they must be submitted to categories different from those in which they won.
Information to be submitted online for entries in these categories for the 2026 ABAs will include
a. An essay of up to 650 words describing the achievements of the nominated management team, group, or individual since January 1 2024, OR a video of up to five (5) minutes in length describing the same. Nominations in the Lifetime Achievement Award category may describe the nominee's lifetime of achievement.
b. In bullet-list form, a brief summary of up to ten (10) of the chief accomplishments of the nominee(s) since January 1 2024.
c. Optional (but highly recommended), a collection of supporting files and web addresses that you may upload to our server to support your entry and provide more background information to the judges.
Achievement in Management
The ABAs no longer feature "Executive of the Year" categories to recognize the recent achievements of individual executives at the VP level or higher. Instead, we now have the following Achievement in Management categories, in 35 industry groups, in which you can nominate the achievements (since the beginning of 2024) of your organization's entire management team, a specific group of managers within your organization, or an individual executive.
A01. Advertising, Marketing, & Public Relations
A02. Aerospace & Defense
A03. Apparel, Beauty & Fashion
A04. Automotive & Transport Equipment
A05. Banking
A06. Business & Professional Services
A07. Chemicals
A08. Computer Hardware
A09. Computer Software
a. Up to 100 Employees
b. 100 or More Employees
A10. Computer Services
A11. Conglomerates
A12. Consumer Products - Durables
A13. Consumer Products - Non-Durables
A14. Consumer Services
A15. Diversified Services
A16. Electronics
A17. Energy
A18. Financial Services
A19. Food & Beverage
A20. Health Products & Services
A21. Hospitality & Leisure
A22. Insurance
A23. Internet/New Media
A24. Legal
A25. Manufacturing
A26. Materials & Construction
A27. Media & Entertainment
A28. Metals & Mining
A29. Non-Profit or Government Organizations
A30. Pharmaceuticals
A31. Real Estate
A32. Retail
A33. Telecommunications
A34. Transportation
A35. Utilities
A36. Best Innovation in Management Practices (new for 2026): honors groundbreaking management strategies that significantly improved operations, engagement, or efficiency.
A37. Emerging Leader of the Year (new for 2026): highlights an executive under 40 (or new to leadership) demonstrating strong leadership potential and tangible business impact.
A38. Maverick of the Year: recognizing the individual executive or manager who's affected the most positive change on his or her company and/or industry since the beginning of 2024.
a. Business Products Industries
b. Business Services Industries
c. Consumer Products
d. Consumer Services
A39. Tech Innovator of the Year: recognizing the individual executive or manager who's contributed most to innovation, within their organization and/or industry, in the U.S.A. since the beginning of 2024.
a. Hardware/Peripherals
b. Services
c. Software
d. Other
A40. Woman of the Year: recognizing the achievements of women in the workplace since the beginning of 2024.
a. Business Products Industries
b. Business Services Industries
c. Consumer Products
d. Consumer Services
A41. Lifetime Achievement Award: these categories will recognize the entire careers of professionals who have worked for at least 20 years. In these categories, you may describe the individual nominee's achievements over their entire career, not just since the beginning of 2024.
a. Business Products Industries
b. Business Services Industries
c. Consumer Products Industries
d. Consumer Services Industries