Achievement in Management Categories

Recognizing the achievements of entire management teams, groups of managers, and individual executives.

Nominations that won in the 2026 ABAs may be resubmitted for consideration in the 2027 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 2027 ABAs will include
a. An essay of up to 4,900 characters describing the achievements of the nominated management team, group, or individual since January 1, 2025, 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 (up to 1,150 characters), a brief summary of up to ten (10) of the chief accomplishments of the nominee(s) since January 1, 2025.
c. Optional (but highly recommended), add to your entry up to 10 webpage links and up to 10 document uploads to support your case to the judges. These might be press articles, press releases, videos, or images, for example.

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 2025) 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. Education & Training (New for 2027)
A18. Energy
A19. Financial Services
A20. Food & Beverage
A21. Health Products & Services
A22. Hospitality & Leisure
A23. Insurance
A24. Internet/New Media
A25. Legal
A26. Manufacturing
A27. Materials & Construction
A28. Media & Entertainment
A29. Metals & Mining
A30. Nonprofit or Government Organizations
A31. Pharmaceuticals
A32. Real Estate
A33. Retail
A34. Telecommunications
A35. Transportation
A36. Utilities

A37. Best Innovation in Management Practices: honors groundbreaking management strategies that significantly improved operations, engagement, or efficiency.

A38. Emerging Leader of the Year: highlights an executive new to leadership demonstrating strong leadership potential and tangible business impact.

A39. 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 2025.
a. Business Products Industries
b. Business Services Industries
c. Consumer Products Industries
d. Consumer Services Industries

A40. 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 2025.
a. Business Products Industries
b. Business Services Industries
c. Consumer Products
d. Consumer Services

A41. People & Culture Leader of the Year (New for 2027)
Recognizing an executive or manager who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in building an effective, engaged, and high-performing workplace since the beginning of 2025. Applicable achievements may include organizational culture, employee engagement, talent development, workforce transformation, leadership development, or other initiatives that produced measurable improvements for employees and the organization.

A42. Tech Innovator of the Year: recognizing the individual executive or manager who has contributed most to innovation within their organization and/or industry in the USA since the beginning of 2025.
a. Hardware/Peripherals
b. Services
c. Software
d. Other

A43. Transformation Leader of the Year (New for 2027)
Recognizing an executive or manager who has successfully led a significant organizational transformation since the beginning of 2025. Applicable achievements may include business model transformation, restructuring, digital transformation, cultural change, operational modernization, or other major initiatives that produced measurable organizational results.

A44. Woman of the Year: recognizing the achievements of women in the workplace since the beginning of 2025.
a. Business Products Industries
b. Business Services Industries
c. Consumer Products
d. Consumer Services