Navigating the US healthcare system—insurance coverage plans, government agencies, pharmacies, and medical providers— can be challenging. While many organizations have introduced automation to improve efficiency, personalized support still plays an important role in helping people understand their benefits and access the care they need.

LaborFirst provides healthcare navigation and advocacy services for unions, employers, and their members. Its Member Advocacy Services team serves as a single point of contact for healthcare-related questions, helping members understand their coverage, coordinate with providers and insurance carriers, resolve billing issues, and make the most of their benefit plans.

Combining Personal Support With Practical Solutions
LaborFirst's advocacy team includes more than 180 US-based employees dedicated to member support. Advocates assist with everyday needs such as locating specialists, arranging mail-order prescriptions, and confirming prescription coverage, while also helping members navigate more complex situations, including prior authorizations, network changes, and major medical procedures.

The team completes extensive onboarding and annual geriatric-sensitivity training, and many Advocates are bilingual. A HIPAA-compliant translation service supporting more than 300 languages helps extend assistance to members with diverse language needs.

Unlike many traditional call centers, LaborFirst measures Advocates on service quality rather than call length or quotas, allowing them to spend as much time as needed with each member. The organization also emphasizes proactive outreach, with Advocates making nearly twice as many outbound calls as inbound to help resolve issues before they become larger problems.

Improving the Member Experience
In 2024 and 2025, LaborFirst's Member Advocacy Services team resolved more than 550,000 member cases. Since 2022, the team has also helped close more than 9,000 gaps in care by encouraging preventive screenings, annual exams, vaccinations, and chronic care programs.

The company's approach has also resulted in consistently high member satisfaction, maintaining a Net Promoter Score (NPS) above 90 each month since 2022.

Individual member stories illustrate the practical impact of the team's work. Advocates have helped members recover incorrectly billed healthcare costs, secure approvals for critical medical procedures, and obtain financial assistance for high-cost prescription medications by coordinating with healthcare providers, pharmacies, and nonprofit organizations.

Expanding Healthcare Advocacy Services
In 2025, LaborFirst expanded its advocacy model by introducing HealthActive for active employees and early retirees, along with RetireeFirst for Individuals, broadening access to its healthcare navigation services.

While technology helps reduce administrative work, LaborFirst's model emphasizes direct human interaction. By giving Advocates the time and resources to build relationships, answer questions, and guide members through complex healthcare decisions, the organization aims to provide support that extends beyond a traditional customer service experience.

LaborFirst won a Silver Stevie® Award for Front-Line Customer Service Team of the Year – Other Service Industries in the 2026 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.

Interested in entering for 2027? 

 On Friday, 11 September, winners of the seventh annual Middle East & North Africa Stevie® Awards were presented with Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Awards during a majestic ceremony at the InterContinental Istanbul in Istanbul, Türkiye. More than 300 guests from 82 winning organizations around the MENA region and beyond attended the ceremony. Türkiye-based organizations recognized as winners in the Stevie Awards for Great Employers were also invited to attend the ceremony. 

The Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards, sponsored by the Ras Al Khaimah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, is the region’s only awards program open to all organizations in 18 nations in the Middle East and North Africa. The focus of the awards is recognizing workplace innovation in all its forms.

This year, more than 1,400 nominations were considered in the judging process by more than 155 professionals, whose average ratings determined the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners announced earlier in the year.

Grand Stevie Award Winners in the 2026 Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards

In addition to honoring Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners, two Grand Stevie Award winners were presented with Grand Stevie Award trophies at the 11 September ceremony. The winners of these Grand “best in show” Stevie Award trophies are Eastern Health Cluster (EHC) of Saudi Arabia and the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR) of the United Arab Emirates.

Organization of the Year: With 84.5 award points, earned through nine Gold, 19 Silver, and 14 Bronze Stevie Award wins across various categories, Eastern Health Cluster (EHC) of Saudi Arabia is the most honored organization in this year’s competition.

Eastern Health Cluster is one of the largest integrated healthcare network operators in Saudi Arabia. It serves more than two million beneficiaries, making it a key pillar of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 healthcare transformation. The cluster’s extensive medical service network spans the entire Eastern Province, operating 22 general and specialized hospitals, one medical city, and more than 120 primary healthcare centers.

With specialized centers of excellence in cardiology, oncology, neurosurgery, and organ transplantation, EHC’s network has an overall capacity exceeding 3,450 medical beds and a team of more than 4,500 doctors. EHC won Gold Stevie Awards in categories recognizing innovation in academic institution events, finance, human resources management, planning and practice, management in healthcare industries, thought leadership, and more.

Highest-Rated Nomination of the Year: With an average score from the judges of 9.66 out of a possible 10, the nomination submitted by the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR) of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, received the highest individual average score in the 2026 competition.

The nomination, about the development of FAHR’s HR AI Agent, also won a Gold Stevie Award in the Award for Excellence in Innovation in Artificial Intelligence category.

FAHR is an independent federal entity responsible for managing and developing human capital within the United Arab Emirates federal government sector. Acting under the supervision of the UAE Council of Ministers, FAHR designs, reviews, and implements modern workforce policies, performance management programs, and civil service legislation across all federal ministries.

Maggie Miller, President of the Stevie Awards, commented that this year’s awards gala brought together more than 300 guests from around the MENA region and beyond. The award attendees included dignitaries, industry leaders, officials, company owners, chairmen, boards of directors of government and private organizations, and executive directors, all pleased to be honored on stage.

“We were delighted to celebrate the 2026 Grand Stevie Award winners. EHC and FAHR exemplify the outstanding caliber of nominations received for the 2026 Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards,” said Maggie Miller. “The judges were highly impressed by the Grand Stevie winners’ creativity, resourcefulness, and expertise in driving their organizations forward over the past two years.”

The ceremony brought together dignitaries, government officials, business leaders, business owners, executives, and professionals from across the region. Winners were recognized on stage for their achievements and had the opportunity to deliver acceptance speeches and participate in interviews.

The following organizations participated in the ceremony. Only winning organizations that attended the ceremony were recognized:

See the full list of 2026 Middle East & North Africa Stevie Winners by category

View and download photos from the awards ceremony.

Individual Acceptance speeches and red-carpet interviews are available on the Stevie Awards YouTube channel.

About the 2026 Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards

The 2026 Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards have recognized organizations in 15 nations including Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Türkiye and United Arab Emirates. More than 1,400 nominations in Arabic and English were evaluated in this year’s competition. Winners were determined by the average scores of 155 professionals worldwide, acting as judges on five juries to recognize innovative apps, achievements, entire organizations, public relations, customer service, human resources, individual professionals, live and virtual events, management, sustainability, technology, thought leadership, and more.

The 8th edition of the MENA Stevie Awards will open for entries in 23 September 2026. Sign up here to request the 2026 entry kit when it becomes available.

Finalists were announced today in the 23^rd annual Stevie® Awards for Women in Business, the world's top honors for women entrepreneurs, executives, employees, and the organizations they run. Visit http://Women.StevieAwards.com for a complete list of Finalists by category.

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business are produced by the Stevie Awards, creators of The American Business Awards® and The International Business Awards®, among other business awards programs. The Stevies are widely regarded as the world's premier honors for achievement in the workplace.

This year's Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award placements from among the Finalists will be revealed during an awards banquet at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City on Monday, November 16. More than 400 winners, guests, and Stevie Awards judges from around the world are expected to attend the presentations, which will be broadcast live.

More than 1,500 nominations were submitted this year by organizations and individuals for consideration in categories including Executive of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Startup of the Year, Women Helping Women, and Women-run Workplace of the Year, among many others.

Nominations were submitted by organizations in 56 nations including Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Eswatini, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Türkiye, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, United States Minor Outlying Islands, and Zimbabwe.

Among the many extraordinary organizations and women who have been recognized as Finalists, the following stand out as those with six or more Finalist nominations:

Cherishers 811 CIC, Rugeley, Staffordshire, United Kingdom — 23 awards
IBM, various locations — 20 awards
Purpol Marketing Ltd, Chippenham, Wiltshire, UK — 16 awards
The Dr Z Functional Medicine Academy LLC, Sheridan, WY, USA — 14 awards
UnitedHealthcare Consumer Services, Eden Prairie, MN, USA — 12 awards
Jared Dunscombe Foundation, Mount Eliza, VIC, Australia — 9 awards
Supernal World Creations, Naples, FL, USA — 9 awards
4 Voices, Queensland, Australia — 8 awards
Adele M Anthony, Kearneys Spring, Australia — 8 awards
Blue Diamond Property Group, New South Wales, Australia — 8 awards
BELBİM, İstanbul, Türkiye — 7 awards
BRYGE AI, New York, NY, USA — 7 awards
Dream Culture, Sydney, NSW, Australia — 7 awards
Empowered Living Care, Sydney, Australia — 7 awards
Epique Realty, Houston, TX, USA — 7 awards
National Talents Company, Khobar, Saudi Arabia — 7 awards
Nikki Langman, Melbourne, Australia — 7 awards
The Audacious Agency, Maroochydore, QLD, Australia — 7 awards
Access Offshoring, Brisbane, Australia — 6 awards
Avahi Inc., San Francisco, CA, USA — 6 awards
Award Writing Services, Bali, Indonesia — 6 awards
Expand Your Empire, Fort Collins, CA, USA — 6 awards
Innovative Leadership Institute, Columbus, OH, USA — 6 awards
Katrina Wurm, Gisborne, Victoria, Australia — 6 awards
Lead & Empower Her, Coronado, CA, USA — 6 awards
Syzygy - Life Directionist, Lake Munmorah, NSW, Australia — 6 awards

Finalists were determined by the average scores of more than 200 professionals around the world, working on seven juries. Their scores will also determine the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie placements from among the Finalists, to be announced on November 16 during the ceremony.

Winners were announced today in the 2026 People's Choice Stevie® Awards for Favorite Companies, an annual feature of The International Business Awards®. The International Business Awards are the world's only international, all-encompassing business awards program, now in its 23^rd year.

The worldwide public vote was conducted in August and September, with the highest number of votes determining the People's Choice winners across various industries. More than 34,000 votes were cast. All Stevie Award winners in the Company/Organization of the Year categories in this year's International Business Awards (IBA) were eligible to be included in the vote.

Winners of the crystal People's Choice Stevie Awards will be honored during a Fall Event on 28 October at the Pullman Paris Montparnasse in Paris, France. Tickets for the event are now on sale. The winners of peer-adjudicated Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Awards will also be recognized during the ceremony.

The winners of the 2026 People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Companies in IBAs are:

Banking: BANK OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
Business & Professional Services – Medium & Large: PT Permata Graha Nusantara
Business & Professional Services – Small: Dream Culture
Computer Services: Stefanini Consultoria e Assessoria em Informática S.A.
Computer Software: Multisys Technologies Corporation
Conglomerates: SM Investments Corporation
Consumer Products: For Keeps
Consumer Services: Just Kidz Emergency Medical
Cybersecurity: TeckPath
Diversified Services: Virtual Elves Agency Australia
Education & EdTech: YÜKSEKBİLGİLİ EĞİTİM & DANIŞMANLIK
Financial Services: BANK OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
Food & Beverage: pladis
Health Products & Services: ANYTIME COUNSELLING PTY LTD
Health Providers: Just Kidz Emergency Medical
Hospitality & Leisure: Beyond the Valley LLP
Insurance: VUMI Group
Internet/New Media: Network Solutions
Manufacturing: pladis
Materials & Construction: Aboitiz Construction, Inc.
Media & Entertainment: Jasmine Norris Photography
Non-Profit or Government Organizations: Megaworld Foundation, Inc.
Real Estate: First National Real Estate Bundaberg
Retail: Rossmann Türkiye
Telecommunications: Viettel Group (Viettel Burundi)
Transportation: BEVALDIA OE
Venture Capital & Private Equity: George Capital Finance Solutions

Entries for The 24th (2027) International Business Awards will be accepted starting in February.

As businesses increasingly rely on specialized platforms for customer service and technical development, keeping information flowing between them can become a challenge in itself. Grazitti Interactive is addressing that gap with Sinergify, its integration platform designed to connect customer-facing and technical teams more efficiently.

Stevie-winner Grazitti Interactive is a global digital innovation company that helps organizations transform marketing, sales, and customer support through technology. Operating across North America, Europe, and Asia, the company works across major cloud ecosystems including Salesforce, Adobe, HubSpot, Marketo, and Khoros, while also developing its own enterprise software products.

Connecting Customer Service and Technical Teams
Among those products is Sinergify, a native, zero-code connector between Salesforce and Jira. The platform enables information to move between the two systems in real time, helping support teams working in Salesforce collaborate with engineering and product teams working in Jira without relying on disconnected processes or repeated manual updates. Recent Sinergify enhancements have focused on security, automation, artificial intelligence, and usability.

For organizations using Jira Service Management, Sinergify provides greater control over how it synchronizes public and private comments with Salesforce. This allows teams to maintain appropriate boundaries around internal information while keeping customer-facing communication current.

The platform has also expanded its authentication capabilities, including support for OAuth 2.0, Google Single Sign-On, and Personal Access Tokens for Jira Server and Data Center environments. These additions support organizations with increasingly complex security and compliance requirements.

Bringing AI and Automation into the Workflow
AI is also playing a larger role in the integration. Through Salesforce Agentforce, users can perform Jira-related tasks from within Salesforce, including creating and linking issues, adding comments, searching for information, and generating summaries. This approach brings technical information closer to customer service teams without requiring them to constantly switch between platforms.

Automation features further address the divide between technical incidents and customer support. Jira issues associated with application or infrastructure incidents can generate corresponding Salesforce support cases, helping relevant teams coordinate their response and communicate more efficiently.

Additional improvements give administrators more control over fields, layouts, default values, and supporting information. Sinergify can also surface similar existing cases as new Salesforce records are created, helping users identify possible duplicates and maintain more consistent data.

Breaking Down Operational Silos
Together, these capabilities reflect a broader challenge facing digital enterprises: customer service, engineering, and product teams may use different specialized systems, but customers experience their work as a single organization. Integrations such as Sinergify are designed to make those internal boundaries less visible by allowing information and context to move more readily between teams.

Sinergify is available through both the Salesforce AppExchange and Atlassian Marketplace and is used across industries including technology, SaaS, manufacturing, cybersecurity, and business services. Its continued development reflects Grazitti Interactive’s focus on using integration, automation, and AI to improve collaboration across increasingly complex enterprise technology environments.

Grazitti Interactive won a Bronze Stevie Award for Best Customer Support Solution - New Or New Version in the 2026 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.

Interested in entering for 2027?

This Friday, September 11 we will stage the seventh annual Middle East & North Africa Stevie® Awards at the InterContinental Hotel in Istanbul, Türkiye.  This Stevie Awards program recognizes innovation in the workplace in 18th nations of the MENA region. The program has been sponsored, since its inception, by the Ras Al Khaimah Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

More than 300 Stevie Award winners and their guests, judges, and special guests will attend.  Also in attendance will be several winners in the 11th edition of the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, our HR awards program.  That program features many Turkish winners this year, and we invited them to share the stage and receive their awards in their home nation.

Here are the organizations that will be represented at Friday's event in Istanbul:

555 Global Live Experience, United Arab Emirates
ADSCOPE CONSULTING LLC, United States
Ajman Chamber, United Arab Emirates
Ajman Police General Headquarters, United Arab Emirates 
Al Dhafra Region Municipality, United Arab Emirates
Al-Khobar Health Network, Saudi Arabia 
Aon Türkiye 
Aster DM Healthcare, United Arab Emirates 
Astronaut Agency Global INC., Jordan
AVA Media, Iraq 
Barns, Saudi Arabia 
Batı Anadolu Şirketler Topluluğu, Türkiye
BATIÇİM BATI ANADOLU SAN. VE TİC. A.Ş., Türkiye
Boehringer Ingelheim, Türkiye
CarrefourSA, Türkiye 
The Charitable Society for Orphan Care in Riyadh Region (Ensan), Saudi Arabia 
Commercial Bank International, United Arab Emirates
Creative City Fujairah - Media Free Zone, United Arab Emirates
Deputyship for Research & Innovation (R&I) within MEWA, Saudi Arabia
Dhahran Eye Specialist Hospital, Saudi Arabia 
Diversey, A Solenis Company, United Arab Emirates 
Dubai Customs, United Arab Emirates 
Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, United Arab Emirates
Eastern Health Cluster, Saudi Arabia 
EHC, Allied Health, Saudi Arabia 
EREN ENERJİ, Türkiye
Esas Sosyal, Türkiye
Etihad Airways Group, United Arab Emirates
Federal Authority for Government Human Resources, United Arab Emirates
FLO GROUP, Türkiye 
Fujairah Natural Resources Corporation, United Arab Emirates 
Future Leaders International Group, Egypt 
General Entertainment Authority, Saudi Arabia 
George Mason University, United States 
Gliese İstanbul, Türkiye
Gorkem Ozkan, Türkiye 
HAYAT KİMYA, Türkiye
Higher Colleges Of Technology, United Arab Emirates 
ING Türkiye, Türkiye
King Saud University Medical City, Saudi Arabia 
King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Saudi Arabia 
King Fahd Military Medical Complex, Saudi Arabia 
King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia
Leisure World, Qatar 
Ministry Of Interior, Kingdom Of Bahrain 
Ministry of Municipalities and Housing, Saudi Arabia 
Municipality & Planning Department – Government Of Ajman, United Arab Emirates 
NABTA, Egypt 
National Talents Company, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates 
Nautical Green Maritime S.A, Greece 
NHC Innovation, Saudi Arabia 
NMDC Energy, United Arab Emirates
Ooredoo Kuwait, Kuwait 
Parkin Company PJSC, United Arab Emirates 
Patient Friends Association in Unaizah, Saudi Arabia
Penti, Türkiye
PETROL OFİSİ, Türkiye
Philip Morris International, Türkiye
Pladis, Türkiye
PT Pertamina Hulu Energi ONWJ, Indonesia 
Qatar Foundation, Qatar
Qiwa-Takamol, Saudi Arabia 
QNB Bank A.S., Türkiye
QNET, Türkiye
RAK Chamber of Commerce & Industry, United Arab Emirates 
RAK Mediation & Arbitration Center, United Arab Emirates 
RAK Properties PJSC, United Arab Emirates 
RAKEZ: Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone, United Arab Emirates 
Ras Al Khaimah Civil Defense Department, United Arab Emirates 
Real Estate Registry, Saudi Arabia 
Riyadh Airports, Saudi Arabia
Roads General Authority, Saudi Arabia 
Rudaw, Iraq
Samsung Electronics Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia 
Saud Albabtain Cardiac Center, Saudi Arabia 
Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia 
SEIZE, Saudi Arabia 
SESTEK, Türkiye
SOCAR Turkey, Türkiye
Sonaa el khair, Egypt
STM SAVUNMA TEKNOLOJİLERİ MÜHENDİSLİK VE TİCARET A.Ş., Türkiye
TAVUK DÜNYASI GIDA SAN. VE TİC.A.Ş., Türkiye
TCS Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Tosyalı Holding, Türkiye
Toyota Türkiye Marketing and Sales Inc., Türkiye
Turkcell, Türkiye
Turkish Airlines, Türkiye
TURKISH DO & CO, Türkiye
Turkish Technic, Türkiye
Türkiye Sigorta, Türkiye
TURKUVAZ MEDIA GROUP, Türkiye
UAE Space Agency, United Arab Emirates 
University City Of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates 
VakıfBank, Türkiye
VitrA Tiles, Türkiye
Wio Bank, United Arab Emirates
Zakat, Tax And Customs Authority, Saudi Arabia 

The 2027 edition of the Middle East & North Africa Stevie® Awards will begin accepting nominations this September 23.  The 2027 edition of the Stevie Awards for Great Employers will begin accepting nominations in February.

Learn about all nine Stevie Awards programs at www.StevieAwards.com. 

Eight top “best in show” honors recognize leading organizations, agencies, nominations, and a new product or service; winners will be celebrated on 28 October in Paris, France.

The Stevie® Awards today announced the eight Grand Stevie Award winners in The 2026 International Business Awards®, the 23rd annual edition of the global business awards competition. The Grand Stevie Awards are the competition’s highest honors and recognize the most honored organizations and agencies, the highest-rated nominations, and the highest-rated new product or service nomination.

The 2026 International Business Awards attracted more than 3,800 nominations from organizations in 78 nations and territories. Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award placements were determined by the average scores of more than 210 professionals worldwide during a three-month judging process. The 2026 Stevie Award winners were announced on 12 August, and all winners will be recognized at a gala event in Paris, France, on 28 October.

2026 Grand Stevie Award Winners

Organization of the Year

Cathay Financial Holding, including Cathay Life and Cathay United Bank, wins this year’s top honor with 76.5 award points, earned on the basis of 13 Gold, nine Silver, and 13 Bronze Stevie wins. Cathay Financial is a major financial holding company offering a range of financial products and services through its subsidiaries, including insurance, banking, and investment services. Cathay Financial is known for its strong presence in Taiwan and its expanding reach in the Asia Pacific region. This is the second year in a row Cathay Financial Holding has won this Grand Stevie Award.

Most Honored Marketing Agency

Above The Line Company Limited, Hong Kong wins this top honor on the basis of nine Gold, three Silver, and two Bronze Stevie Awards (36 points) for nominations submitted on behalf of clients the Development Bureau of the HKSAR Government and the Construction Industry Council.

Most Honored Public Relations Agency

LLYC, Madrid, Spain, with 28.5 points, is the Most Honored Public Relations Agency of the Year for the fifth time in the IBAs, this year with seven Gold, three Silver, and one Bronze Stevie Awards. LLYC is a global public relations, digital marketing, and corporate affairs consulting firm headquartered in Madrid, Spain, with extensive operations across Europe, Latin America, and the United States.

Most Honored Awards Agency

Purpol Marketing, Chippenham, Wiltshire, United Kingdom earned 39 points, the most among award agencies, for nominations prepared on behalf of themselves and clients CeCe Digital, Cherishers 811 CIC, SME Today, and W B Griffiths And Son Ltd. This marks the fifth Grand Stevie win for the firm, but the first in The International Business Awards.

Highest-rated Nomination of the Year

There is a three-way tie this year for the highest-rated nomination of the year, all scoring 9.71 out of a possible 10. The winners are:

Brasilprev Seguros E Previdência SA, São Paulo, Brazil for their nomination “Accessibility as a Strategy for Excellence In Serving Deaf Customers,” which won the Gold Stevie for Achievement In Customer Satisfaction. This is the first-ever Grand Stevie win, in any Stevie Awards competition, for Brazil.

Grundfos Holding A/S, Bjerringbro, Denmark for their nomination “Stay or ALPHA GO,” winner of the Gold Stevie Award for Achievement in Agricultural / Industrial / Building Marketing. This marks Denmark’s first-ever Grand Stevie Award win.

MilliporeSigma, Burlington, Massachusetts, USA for their nomination “One Community at a Time,” Gold Stevie winner for Achievement In Corporate Social Responsibility. MilliporeSigma is the U.S. and Canada Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.

Highest-rated New Product or Service Nomination of the Year

This year’s honor goes to Beyaz Kağıt San. ve Tic. A.Ş., Adana, Türkiye, for the nomination entitled “Asperox Sparx Hand Dishwashing Liquid,” which won the Gold Stevie for New Product or Service Introduction of the Year. One judge acclaimed the nomination, “The company identified a genuine consumer frustration and turned it into a simple, practical, and easy-to-understand solution with Asperox Sparx. The combination of strong product performance, innovative packaging, and a well-integrated communication strategy made the launch stand out.”

How the Grand Stevie Awards Are Determined

Organizations cannot apply directly for Grand Stevie Awards. The “most honored” Grand Stevie winners are determined by a points system based on awards won in the International Business Awards: three points for each Gold Stevie Award, two points for each Silver Stevie Award, and 1.5 points for each Bronze Stevie Award. Highest-rated Grand Stevie honors are based on judges’ average scores.

Quote from Stevie Awards President Maggie Miller

“The eight Grand Stevie Award winners represent the very best of this year’s International Business Awards,” said Maggie Miller, President of the Stevie Awards. “Their achievements reflect the innovation, leadership, and determination that distinguished this year’s honorees. These organizations have demonstrated an exceptional ability to turn ambitious ideas into meaningful results and set new standards for excellence in their industries. We congratulate them on their outstanding achievements and look forward to celebrating their success in Paris this October.”

About the 2026 International Business Awards

The International Business Awards recognize achievement across every facet of work life. Categories include artificial intelligence, management, new products and services, marketing, public relations, customer service, websites, and many other areas of business performance.

The nomination process for the 2027 International Business Awards will open in February 2027. For more information about The International Business Awards and the complete list of 2026 Stevie Award winners, visit iba.stevieawards.com.

German Stevie® Awards 2026: Die Gewinner stehen fest – diese Unternehmen wurden
ausgezeichnet

Über 250 Bewerbungen bewertet – Unternehmen aus Deutschland, Österreich, der Schweiz, Luxemburg und weiteren deutschsprachigen Märkten ausgezeichnet – Preisverleihung im Oktober in Paris

Die Gewinnerinnen und Gewinner der 12. German Stevie® Awards stehen fest. Nach Abschluss der Jurybewertungen wurden zahlreiche Unternehmen, Organisationen und Führungskräfte für besondere Leistungen, innovative Projekte und herausragende Erfolge mit einem Gold, Silber oder Bronze Stevie® Award ausgezeichnet.

Zu den diesjährigen Preisträgern gehören unter anderem die Communita GmbH, die DELL BAUGROUP und das ZDF – Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen. Eine vollständige Übersicht
aller Gewinnerinnen und Gewinner ist auf der Website der German Stevie® Awards nach
Kategorien veröffentlicht.

Zur Übersicht der German Stevie® Awards Gewinner 2026

Wolters Kluwer Deutschland mit sechs Stevie® Awards ausgezeichnet

Zu den erfolgreichsten Teilnehmern der German Stevie® Awards 2026 gehört die Wolters Kluwer Deutschland GmbH. Das Unternehmen erhielt insgesamt sechs Stevie® Awards.
Die Jury überzeugten insbesondere die Leistungen in den Bereichen digitale Prozessautomatisierung sowie bei der Durchführung von Konferenzen und Tagungen.

Auch das österreichische Unternehmen Amplexio konnte mehrfach überzeugen und erhielt zwei Stevie® Awards. Ausgezeichnet wurden unter anderem Leistungen in den Kategorien „KI-Startup“ und „KI-Anwendung“.

Weitere Unternehmen mit mehreren Auszeichnungen sind unter anderem die Allianz Versicherungs-AG, Rabb IT Solutions GmbH und das ZF Friedrichshafen – Werk Bielefeld.

Mehr als 35 Jurymitglieder bewerteten über 250 Bewerbungen

Für die German Stevie® Awards 2026 wurden mehr als 250 Bewerbungen von über 35 erfahrenen Führungskräften sowie Expertinnen und Experten bewertet. Die Einreichungen wurden in fünf unabhängigen Jurys beurteilt.

Im Mittelpunkt der Bewertung standen unter anderem:

• Innovation
• Qualität
• wirtschaftlicher Erfolg
• besondere Leistungen
• Wirkung der eingereichten Projekte

Nach einer umfassenden Bewertung wählten die Jurymitglieder die Gewinnerinnen und Gewinner der Gold, Silber und Bronze Stevie® Awards aus.

Maggie Miller gratuliert den Preisträgerinnen und Preisträgern

Maggie Miller, Präsidentin der Stevie Awards, gratuliert allen ausgezeichneten Unternehmen und Organisationen:

„Wir freuen uns sehr, auch in diesem Jahr wieder zahlreiche innovative Unternehmen und Organisationen mit den German Stevie® Awards auszeichnen zu können. Die Qualität und Vielfalt der eingereichten Leistungen zeigt eindrucksvoll, wie viel Innovation und unternehmerische Stärke im deutschsprachigen Europa vorhanden ist.“

Preisverleihung der German Stevie® Awards 2026 in Paris

Die Gewinnerinnen und Gewinner der German Stevie® Awards werden in diesem Jahr gemeinsam mit den Preisträgern der International Business Awards®, der Stevie® Awards for Great Employers sowie der Stevie® Awards for Technology Excellence ausgezeichnet.

Die internationale Preisverleihung findet am Mittwoch, 28. Oktober 2026, im Hotel Pullman Paris Montparnasse in Paris statt.

Neben der persönlichen Auszeichnung bietet die Veranstaltung den Gewinnerinnen und Gewinnern die Möglichkeit, ihre Erfolge einem internationalen Publikum zu präsentieren und neue Kontakte zu Unternehmen und Führungskräften aus aller Welt zu knüpfen.

Publikumspreis: Abstimmung für die People’s Choice Stevie® Awards startet

Für die Gewinnerunternehmen der German Stevie® Awards 2026 geht der Wettbewerb nach der Jurybewertung in die nächste Runde.

Am Montag, 31. August 2026, startet die öffentliche Abstimmung für die People’s Choice Stevie® Awards for Favorite Companies.

Alle ausgezeichneten Unternehmen der German Stevie® Awards 2026 sind automatisch für diesen Publikumspreis nominiert. Bis zum 25. September 2026 können sie öffentlich um Stimmen werben – beispielsweise bei:

• Mitarbeitenden
• Kunden
• Geschäftspartnern
• der eigenen Social-Media-Community
• der breiten Öffentlichkeit

Unternehmen mit einer besonders aktiven Community haben dabei die besten Chancen auf den Publikumspreis. Weitere Informationen zur Abstimmung sind auf der Website der German Stevie® Awards verfügbar.

Die German Stevie® Awards: Ein internationaler Wirtschaftspreis für den deutschsprachigen Markt

Die German Stevie® Awards gehören zu den vielseitigsten Wirtschaftspreisen im deutschsprachigen Europa. 2026 findet der Wettbewerb bereits zum zwölften Mal statt und ist Teil der international etablierten Stevie® Awards.

Zu den Stevie® Awards gehören unter anderem auch die International Business Awards®. Insgesamt erhalten die Stevie® Awards jährlich mehr als 12.000 Bewerbungen aus über 70 Ländern.

Die German Stevie® Awards bieten Unternehmen und Organisationen, die auf dem deutschsprachigen europäischen Markt tätig sind, eine internationale Plattform. Sie können dort besondere Leistungen sichtbar machen und sich mit anderen erfolgreichen Organisationen messen.

Teilnahme aus sechs europäischen Ländern möglich

Auch 2026 konnten Unternehmen aus allen europäischen Ländern mit Deutsch als Amtssprache am Wettbewerb teilnehmen. Bewerbungen waren aus folgenden Ländern möglich:

Deutschland, Österreich, Schweiz, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg und Belgien.

Ausgezeichnet wurden Leistungen und Projekte, die seit Januar 2024 umgesetzt oder erbracht wurden.

Die Kategorien der German Stevie® Awards decken ein breites Spektrum unternehmerischer Leistungen ab – von Innovation, Management und Marketing über Technologie und Kundenservice bis hin zu gesellschaftlichem Engagement und Nachhaltigkeit.

Damit richten sich die German Stevie® Awards an Unternehmen und Organisationen aus unterschiedlichsten Branchen und Unternehmensbereichen.

Jetzt für die nächste Runde der German Stevie® Awards vormerken lassen

Wer im kommenden Jahr zu den Preistragenden der German Stevie® Awards gehören möchte, kann sich bereits auf der offiziellen Awards-Website registrieren und sich rechtzeitig über Teilnahmefristen und Bewerbungsunterlagen informieren lassen: GSA.stevieawards.com.

Die German Stevie Awards sind Teil der Stevie® Awards, welche die renommierten International Business Awards® ausrichten und in insgesamt neun Wettbewerbsprogrammen jedes Jahr mehr als 12.000 Einreichungen aus über 70 Ländern erhalten.

There’s still time to enter the 2026 Stevie® Awards for Women in Business.

The final entry deadline for the 23rd annual competition has been extended from August 19 to September 3, 2026, giving women entrepreneurs, executives, employees, and women-led organizations around the world additional time to submit their nominations.

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business are among the world’s leading awards recognizing the achievements of women in the workplace. More than 300 award categories are available for 2026, providing opportunities to recognize individual women, entrepreneurs, executives, employees, teams, organizations, achievements, products, and initiatives.

New AI and Technology Awards for 2026

One of the biggest additions to this year’s competition is an extensive new group of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Technology categories.

These new awards recognize women and women-led organizations that are developing, implementing, and leading advances in AI and emerging technologies.

The categories cover a wide range of achievements, including individual leadership, organizations, teams and departments, AI achievements, products and solutions, and digital and emerging technologies.

New individual honors include:

• AI Leader of the Year
• AI Ethics & Responsible AI Leader of the Year
• AI Product Leader of the Year
• AI Researcher of the Year
• AI Rising Star of the Year
• Woman of the Year in Artificial Intelligence
• Cybersecurity Leader of the Year
• Data & Analytics Leader of the Year

The expanded category group provides new opportunities to recognize women not only for developing technology, but also for using AI and emerging technologies to transform organizations, improve business functions, create innovative products and services, and deliver meaningful impact.

More Than 300 Ways to Recognize Achievement

In addition to the new AI and Technology categories, the 2026 Stevie Awards for Women in Business include awards for achievements in:

• Communications, marketing, and public relations
• Women-owned and women-led companies and organizations
• Individual women
• Media developed for or by women
• New products and services developed for or by women
• Social media
• Sustainability
• Thought leadership

Popular individual categories include Best Female Entrepreneur, Female Executive of the Year, Mentor or Coach of the Year, Lifetime Achievement Award, Employee of the Year, and Most Innovative Women of the Year.

All female entrepreneurs, executives, employees, and the organizations they run, worldwide, are eligible to be nominated.

A Truly International Competition

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business attract nominations from organizations around the world. In 2025, the competition received more than 1,500 nominations from organizations in more than 48 nations.

More than 200 leading professionals worldwide will judge the 2026 nominations. Entrants will also receive access to the judges’ comments and suggestions about their nominations, providing valuable feedback regardless of the final award result.

Enter by September 3

The extended September 3 final entry deadline is the last opportunity to submit nominations for the 2026 competition.

Finalists will be announced on September 16, and Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners will be celebrated at the 2026 Stevie Awards for Women in Business ceremony on November 16 in New York City.

Visit Women.StevieAwards.com to review the categories, request an entry kit, and submit nominations.

High-achieving organizations and executives around the world have been recognized as Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie® Award winners in The 23rd Annual International Business Awards®, the world's only international, all-encompassing business awards program.

Winners were selected from more than 3,400 nominations submitted by organizations in 82 nations and territories.

A complete list of all 2026 Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners by category is available at http://IBA.stevieawards.com.

More than 210 professionals around the world serving as Stevie Award judges on 11 specialized juries reviewed and rated nominations to determine the winners.

The top winner of Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Awards is Viettel. Viettel organizations worldwide earned a total of 29 awards, led by Viettel Cambodia Pte., Ltd. and Viettel Peru S.A.C. with six awards each. Other winning Viettel organizations included Lumitel, Movitel S.A., Viettel Post Joint Stock Corporation, Viettel Burundi (Lumitel), Viettel Solutions, Viettel Tanzania PLC (Halotel), Viettel Global, Viettel Group, Viettel IDC, and Viettel Timor.

Other winners of four or more Gold Stevie Awards include:

9 Gold Stevies
Globe Telecoms, Inc., Manila, Philippines

7 Gold Stevies
Cathay United Bank, Taipei, Taiwan
LLYC, Madrid, Spain
Tata Consultancy Services, various locations

6 Gold Stevies
Cathay Financial Holding Co. Ltd., Taipei, Taiwan
HALKBANK, Atasehir, Türkiye
IBM, various locations
Megaworld Foundation, Inc. and Megaworld Lifestyle Malls, Taguig City, Philippines
pladis, Istanbul, Türkiye
QNB, İstanbul, Türkiye
The Development Bureau of the HKSARG and the Construction Industry Council, Hong Kong

5 Gold Stevies
CarrefourSA, Maltepe, Türkiye
Leobit, Austin, TX, USA
Miral, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

4 Gold Stevies
Abu Dhabi Customs, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Addvox, Mexico City, Mexico
AS Watson, Milan, Italy and Hong Kong
Beyaz Kağıt San. ve Tic. A.Ş., Adana, Türkiye
Cebuana Lhuillier, Makati City, Philippines
Cisco Systems, San Jose, CA, USA
George Capital Finance Solutions, Sydney, Australia
HeyMo® The Experience Design Company, İstanbul, Türkiye
Noguchi x, Budapest, Hungary
Türkiye Sigorta, Besiktas, Türkiye

All organizations worldwide are eligible to compete in the IBAs and may submit any number of nominations in a wide range of categories for achievement in management, marketing, public relations, customer service, human resources, new products and services, technology, websites, apps, events, and more.

Winners will be celebrated during a gala event in Paris, France, on 28 October 2026. Tickets are on sale now.

Nominations for the 2027 edition of the IBAs will be accepted starting in February 2027.