We are delighted to reveal the finalists for the IESE Awards 2026, following a rigorous judging process. This year’s awards attracted 218 nominations from 88 public sector organisations, surpassing last year’s impressive total of 193 entries. The remarkable response highlights the sector’s ongoing commitment to innovation, excellence and transformation, and sets the stage for a truly inspiring celebration of public service achievement.
Digital and data transformation skyrocketed this year, with 36 nominations, comprising 16% of all submissions! Other categories that had high submission rates included innovation, efficiency and effectiveness, as well as collaboration and partnership – all with more than 25 nominations each.
We are excited to include two new categories this year for the first time! The CareCubed Award recognises best practice and innovation by authorities using the national cost of care tool CareCubed, and the Lived Experience Award will recognise outstanding contributions made by individuals in adults’ and children’s social care. The finalists and winners of these new categories will be announced on the night.
We were also elated to receive 20 international nominations, highlighting the global reach of our awards programme alongside the breadth and quality of transformation and improvements across the world.
We look forward to bringing our exceptional finalists together on Wednesday, 4th March for an unforgettable evening of recognition and celebration. On the night, we will unveil the Gold, Silver and Bronze winners in each category, honouring those who have set the bar for excellence. The excitement will reach its peak as we also crown our council, police service, fire and rescue service, and international public bodies of the year – the most coveted honours of the event.
While we keep our highly anticipated ‘of the year’ winners under wraps until the big reveal at the awards ceremony, join us in celebrating the remarkable achievements of this year’s finalists. The excitement is building – watch this space!
Finalists 2026
AI in Public Services
FINALIST: Beam and Kent County Council
FINALIST: Derby City Council
FINALIST: North Somerset Council
Best Transformation Team
FINALIST: Derby City Council
FINALIST: Hippo Digital and the Department for Education
FINALIST: London Borough of Hackney
Best Use of Digital, Technology & Data Insight
FINALIST: NHS Property Services
FINALIST: Runnymede Borough Council
FINALIST: Surrey County Council
Collaboration & Partnership Award
FINALIST: Essex County Council
FINALIST: Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council & Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council
FINALIST: Public Sector Partnership Services (PSPS)
Community & Customer Focus
FINALIST: Carmarthenshire County Council
FINALIST: Islington Parental Support Team
FINALIST: Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service
Efficiency & Effectiveness
FINALIST: Birmingham City Council
FINALIST: Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service
FINALIST: Watford Borough Council
Green Public Service
FINALIST: East Ayrshire Council
FINALIST: London Borough of Hackney
FINALIST: Watford Borough Council
Innovation
FINALIST: Chesire West Heritage Protection Group
FINALIST: Humberside Police
FINALIST: Plymouth City Council
Transformation in Health & Social Care
FINALIST: Gravesham Borough Council
FINALIST: NHS Humber Health Partnership
FINALIST: Norfolk County Council Adult Social Services
The Evolution of the IESE Awards
At the heart of the awards is our commitment to uncovering and sharing powerful stories of innovation that have made a real, positive difference to residents and businesses. Our judging is guided by the IESE Transformation Model, which draws on our ongoing research into not only how local public services have transformed, but how they are planning to transform in the years ahead. This insight directly informs the work we do with councils, police services, and fire and rescue services across the UK.
Since 2019, IESE have received 1,593 nominations from 288 public sector organisations, comprising: 160 local authorities, 33 Police Services, 16 Fire and Rescue Services, and many other organisations working in and amongst the public sector.
The nominations we received for 2026 make up 13.7% of this, more than an eighth of all nominations received in the last 8 Awards! Every award-winning submission exemplifies the very best of the IESE Transformation Model and, in doing so, helps us to continually refine and strengthen it. A defining characteristic of these submissions is their ambition: many go well beyond statutory duties to deliver better outcomes for communities. Crucially, they do this in ways that benefit the wider public sector – reshaping and rewiring how services work for the good of all.
“Our strength lies in this diversity of ideas, approaches, and experiences. We would like to thank everyone who made a submission for the IESE Awards 2026, not only for the impactful projects you have delivered for residents and local businesses, but also for the time, care, and commitment you invested in sharing your work with us,” said Annabelle Atkin, Chief Executive of IESE.
Today, IESE is proud to be part of a global conversation about what great transformation looks like. So, wherever you are in the world, we invite you to be part of it. We hope to see you tune into our live-streamed awards ceremony on Wednesday, 4th March, on our website here: www.iese.org.uk/public-sector-transformation-awards-2026.
