Nominations
The Wired4Women Tech Forum is proud to host its third annual awards programme, which recognises and celebrates female excellence in the South African technology industry. The awards aim to inspire greater female participation in tech and provide role models for future generations.
The Wired4Women Awards programme is run in partnership with ITWeb Brainstorm, and the winners will be announced at a gala event on 16 April 2026.
There are 13 award categories, focusing on leadership, entrepreneurship, business acumen, community impact, and talent.
CIO of the Year
Recognises an exceptional CIO who has led her organisation’s digital strategy and enabled business success through market-leading tech innovation.
Demonstrate:
- IT strategy leadership – aligning technology initiatives with business goals
- Outstanding management of IT operations and teams
- Effective use of technology to drive agility, customer experience, and measurable outcomes
CISO of the Year
Recognises a Chief Information Security Officer who has excelled in safeguarding her organisation's assets and driving a security-first culture.
Demonstrate:
- Cybersecurity leadership – developing and executing protective strategies
- Proactive risk management and compliance
- Innovative approaches to evolving security challenges
Tech Business Leader
Honours a C-level executive driving business growth strategy and execution in a tech service provider (e.g. country manager, country leader, MD, CEO)
Demonstrate:
- Strategy development and execution
- Leadership in building high-performance teams
- Exceptional service delivery and client impact
Tech Entrepreneur
Recognises an entrepreneur who has established a sustainable technology-driven business.
Demonstrate:
- Identifying and capitalising on untapped niches
- Turning ideas into reality, securing buy-in and funding
- Demonstrable milestones and business growth
Top Tech Innovator
Recognises an original thinker addressing a significant industry or social challenge through technology innovation and driving digital transformation.
Demonstrate:
- Significance of the challenge
- Details of the innovation process and solution
- Tangible measures of success
Tech4Good
Honours a leader of a project or initiative applying technology to address social challenges.
Demonstrate:
- Nature of the social challenge
- Development history, team involvement, funding, and technology used
- Tangible milestones and impact
Channel Achiever of the Year
Recognises excellence in ICT channel development and sales growth.
Demonstrate:
- Winning new partners/clients
- Achieving sales metrics and growth
- Aligning tech solutions with client needs
Rising Star – Security (≤35 years)
Recognises young professionals showing exceptional career success in cyber security. .
Demonstrate:
- Learning: Evidence of ongoing academic and professional development.
- Achievements: Notable accomplishment such as successful security implementations, research outputs, innovation in security practices.
- Career ambitions: Clear long-term goals and aspirations.
Rising Star - AI and Data Innovation (≤35 years)
Recognises young professionals driving innovation in AI, data science, analytics, or machine learning.
Demonstrate:
- Learning: Evidence of ongoing academic and professional development.
- Achievements: Notable contributions to successful AI or data-driven projects, e.g. ML model development, data engineering, applied AI research.
- Career ambitions: Clear long-term goals and aspirations
Rising Star – Coding and Software Development (≤35 years)
Recognises young professionals demonstrating outstanding technical growth, coding excellence, and early software engineering leadership.
Demonstrate:
- Learning: Evidence of ongoing academic and professional improvement (e.g. in programming languages, software engineering practices, frameworks, architectures, relevant academic/professional training).
- Achievements: Track record of delivering high-quality software and solving complex software engineering problems.
- Career ambitions: Clear long-term goals and aspirations.
Top Tech Student
Honours an ICT student excelling academically and in community leadership.
Demonstrate:
- Strong academic record
- Extracurricular tech engagement
- Leadership in student/community initiatives
Mentor of the Year
Honours a senior professional who has provided significant guidance to others.
Demonstrate:
- Scope of mentorship
- Structured mentoring programmes
- Demonstrated success metrics
Trailblazing Career in ICT
Honours a distinguished career that has left a lasting impact on the tech sector and society.
Demonstrate:
- Sustained excellence in technology
- Positive influence on peers and colleagues
- Broader community and societal impact
