(Edit) When I first published this article, I missed the first paragraph when copy-pasting it out of Grammarly (yes, I use Grammarly).

In 2023, I was honored with an industry award for Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of the Year—North America (100 to 499 employees). Impressive, right? Here’s the thing: even I don’t take it seriously. And neither should you.

The corporate awards industry is a multi-million-dollar machine built on a mix of vanity, marketing, and pay-to-play tactics. While some awards have merit, many exist primarily to generate revenue for the organizations that run them. In my experience, here’s how this industry functions:

  1. Nominate Yourself, Pay the Fee, and “Win”: Many awards require companies or individuals to submit applications—often with entry fees attached. Some organizations go a step further, offering “enhanced visibility” for winners willing to pay for premium placement in press releases, trophies, or even speaking engagements at affiliated conferences.
  2. Self-Reported Data and Subjective Judging: Some workplace rankings rely on company-provided data about salaries and perks. Who wouldn’t polish up their numbers to sound more attractive? Similarly, cybersecurity and other industry awards often assess candidates based on self-written applications, with limited independent verification.
  3. Self-Voting: Some awards are given based on anonymous voting by unique clicks. My award was one of those, so I urged my social networks to vote for me. The people in my network who were kind enough to do so got their email addresses added to yet another mailing list.
  4. Hyper-Specific Categories Dilute the Value By making awards hyper-specific—such as “CISO of the Year, North America (100 to 499 employees)”—organizations create an illusion of exclusivity while, in reality, handing out more trophies. More categories create more winners and more revenue they can generate from applications. It’s the corporate equivalent of a participation trophy—an easy way to boost resumes without necessarily proving true excellence. If everyone gets a prize, does winning really mean anything? It’s like those billboards you see on the highway proudly proclaiming someone as the “#1 Realtor in [Your City Here]”—somehow, every other block has another #1 Realtor.
  5. A Badge for Your Marketing Kit: The real value of these awards isn’t in the recognition—it’s in the branding. Winning companies slap the badge on their website, LinkedIn, and hiring pages to build credibility. It’s less about true excellence and more about perception. After all, if a company boasts multiple “Best Workplace” awards yet has high turnover and poor employee reviews, what does that say about the award’s legitimacy?
  6. Lack of Transparency: Who’s actually judging these awards? In many cases, it’s not a panel of industry leaders but internal staff from the awarding organization or algorithms. When judging criteria aren’t transparent, it raises the question: is the process genuinely unbiased, or is it just about securing more paying participants for the next round?

So, Do Awards Matter at All?

Despite my cynicism, I won’t say all awards are meaningless. Some do come with rigorous selection processes and industry respect. But in many cases, winning says more about one’s ability to play the game than true excellence. If you’re in the running for an award, ask yourself:

  • Did I pay to apply?
  • Was my work truly evaluated by experts or based on my own submission?
  • Does this award carry real prestige, or is it another marketing tool?

At the end of the day, real recognition comes from peers, employees, and customers — not from a shiny badge on your LinkedIn profile. If the industry doesn’t change, maybe the most prestigious award should go to those who opt out altogether.

What do you think? Have you seen corporate awards that seem more about revenue than recognition? Are there awards you give more credence to? Drop your thoughts in the comments.