Stevie Awards Announces Four New Sustainability Categories for 2026 International Business Awards
NEW YORK – November 20, 2025 – The Stevie Awards, a leading global authority on business excellence recognition, today announced the addition of four specialized sustainability categories for its 2026 International Business Awards season. The new categories—recognizing circular economy innovation, sustainable supply chain management, sustainability-focused media, and urban sustainability transformation—directly address the accelerating demand from organizations seeking acknowledgment for increasingly sophisticated environmental and social impact initiatives.
The 2026 new categories include: Award for Most Innovative Circular Economy Practices, honoring organizations that have successfully closed material loops and minimized waste through regenerative design; Award for Most Innovative Sustainable Supply Chain Management, recognizing leadership in decarbonizing and ethicalizing complex global value chains; Award for Most Innovative Sustainability-Focused Media, celebrating communication campaigns that drive measurable stakeholder behavior change; and Award for Most Innovative Urban Sustainability and Smart City Transformation, spotlighting initiatives that integrate nature-based solutions with digital infrastructure to enhance metropolitan resilience. These augment the Stevie Awards’ existing 10 sustainability-focused categories, which have seen a 47% increase in nominations since 2023.
This expansion coincides with a pivotal maturation in corporate sustainability strategy. According to research from Business School, companies are abandoning fragmented sustainability pilots in favor of scaled, high-impact solutions that align profitability with environmental stewardship—a strategic pivot expected to define 2025 and beyond.
The Stevie Awards’ new supply chain and circular economy categories specifically reflect this shift, as organizations move from isolated projects to enterprise-wide execution that embeds sustainability across procurement, operations, and product lifecycle management. This trend is particularly pronounced in manufacturing and retail sectors, where scope 3 emissions represent up to 90% of corporate carbon footprints.
Market data underscores the urgency of specialized recognition. Over 80% of S&P 500 companies now identify climate change as a material business risk, according to Harvard Law School’s Corporate Governance Forum, while 68% of organizations not mandated by the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) plan to voluntarily adopt its standards in 2025.
Despite this momentum, 57% of companies struggle to collect trustworthy sustainability data, creating a competitive advantage for firms that demonstrate measurable impact. The Stevie Awards’ enhanced category structure provides a benchmark for excellence as investors, regulators, and consumers demand greater transparency.
“These new categories recognize that sustainability leadership has evolved far beyond carbon footprint reduction,” said Maggie Gallagher, president of the Stevie Awards. “We’re seeing extraordinary innovation in how companies redesign supply chains, embed circular principles at scale, and communicate complex sustainability narratives to diverse stakeholders. Our judges need specialized frameworks to properly evaluate these nuanced achievements, and organizations deserve recognition that reflects the sophistication of their work.”
Nominations for the 2026 International Business Awards open December 1, 2025, with an early-bird deadline of February 12, 2026. Entries will be evaluated by an independent jury of more than 300 executives worldwide, with winners announced at a gala ceremony in Barcelona on October 20, 2026. Eligible achievements must have occurred between July 1, 2023, and the submission date. The awards program accepts entries from organizations of all sizes and sectors, with particular emphasis on demonstrating quantifiable outcomes, innovative methodologies, and alignment with frameworks such as the Science Based Targets initiative and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
About the Stevie Awards
Established in 2002, the Stevie Awards recognize excellence in the global workplace through eight distinct programs, including the International Business Awards, American Business Awards, and Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards. Honoring organizations from more than 60 nations, the Stevies have become one of the world’s most coveted business accolades, with past winners including IBM, Procter & Gamble, Vodafone, and Unilever. The awards are presented by the Stevie Awards organization, a private company headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia.
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