How It Works

Process & Judging

Winners are decided by a blend of expert judging and community voting — 60% judges, 40% public vote.

Nominate

Submit nominations across any of the 24 categories from September 9 through October 18, 2026. Community awards are free; Tools & Services entries are $300 per nomination.

Judge Panel Review

An independent panel of DevOps leaders reviews every nomination against category-specific criteria.

Finalists Announced

Finalists are unveiled on November 11, 2026 and public voting opens for the community to weigh in.

Public Voting

The community votes through December 31. Public votes count for 40% of the final score.

Winners Announced

Winners are unveiled live during the Predict 2026 virtual summit in January.

Scoring

How final scores are calculated

60% — Judge Panel

Independent expert judges evaluate each nomination on originality, impact, evidence, and category-specific criteria. Judges do not review categories where they have a direct conflict of interest.

40% — Public Vote

The DevOps community votes for the finalists in each category. One vote per person, per category.

See who the judges are

Meet the panel of DevOps leaders reviewing every nomination in the 2026 program.