The way we conduct nominations, choose the finalists and, ultimately, the winners is a multi-step process.

• The nomination phase is open to the public to nominate candidates. However, it will work a little differently for the 15 Tools and Services Awards categories than it will for the Community Awards.
• While anyone can nominate a tool or service, there is a $300 fee for commercial tools and services to ensure the nomination is for serious tools & services in the DevOps space.

• Finalists will be limited to 10. Tool/Services submission fees will be refunded to those that do not make it to finals.
• For the Community Awards, there is no fee for nominations. We will weed through the nominations and pick the finalists based on those who get the most nominations.
• NOTE: COMMERCIAL TOOLS/SERVICES PROVIDERS ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR THREE OF THE COMMUNITY AWARDS AND WILL NOT MAKE IT THROUGH TO THE FINALS. (See Community Awards descriptions)
• Once finalists are announced, voting for the winners in all 24 categories will be open to the public.

• Winners will be chosen from among the finalists, with general public voting being weighted for 40% of the final total and our judges’ selections for 60% of weighted total.
• Finalists will receive a badge to display on their website and social media with a link to the voting/survey site. Additionally, Techstrong will recognize finalists via articles, video, interviews, and other media coverage across the Techstrong network.
• Winners will be announced at the Predict 2026 virtual summit and will receive both digital and physical trophies and badges celebrating their achievements. Additionally, all winners will be announced and highlighted via the Techstrong network.