Nominations for the 2026 Rising Star Awards are now open, and WeAreTheCity is inviting nominations for the individuals, allies and organisations making progress happen.
Over the past eleven years, the Rising Star Awards have built a strong reputation for celebrating women at a pivotal stage in their careers. The focus remains on contribution, influence and leadership potential, rather than job titles or seniority. As this year’s programme begins, the spotlight once again turns to the emerging talent shaping teams, projects and industries behind the scenes.
This year, the awards continue to celebrate excellence across individual, advocacy and organisational categories. The Rising Star Awards recognise outstanding women across multiple industry-specific categories, alongside awards for Champions of gender equality, Men for Gender Balance and companies committed to improving gender balance in the workplace. Together, these categories highlight the many ways individuals and organisations show up, lead change and make a difference.
How to submit a nomination
Nominations are now open via the Rising Star Awards website.
Self-nominations are welcome, and you can also nominate colleagues, peers, clients and organisations whose work deserves recognition. Nominating is a chance to capture impact clearly, highlight contribution and ensure people doing exceptional work receive the visibility they deserve.
To support you, we’ve created a nomination guidance document that walks you through the process step by step.
Read the nomination guidance document here
An independent judging panel will review each nomination.
Key dates for the 2026 Rising Star Awards
Nominations close: 10 March 2026
Winners announced: 20 May 2026
Awards ceremony: 8 July 2026, London
Why nominations matter
The Rising Star Awards are about recognising people who are already making an impact, often long before they ever consider putting themselves forward. Many winners have been nominated by someone who spotted their contribution early, saw their potential and took the time to ensure their work was recognised.
Taking a few minutes to nominate someone can be a powerful action. It helps ensure emerging talent, advocacy and allyship do not go unnoticed, and it reinforces the importance of recognising the people shaping workplace culture, driving inclusion and making progress happen in real and practical ways.
Submit your nomination
With nominations now open, now is the moment to think about the individuals, teams and organisations whose work deserves to be celebrated this year.
Visit the Rising Star Awards website to submit your nomination and be part of recognising the women and allies shaping what comes next. If you are unsure where to start, the live webinar with Dr Vanessa Vallely OBE on 11 February is a brilliant way to get nomination-ready.
Registration now closed
