The US CIO 100 Awards 2026 call for entries is closed. It accepted nominations for organization-level technology initiatives that delivered business value; the deadline was January 14, 2026, and the entry fee was $50. As of October 4, 2026, Foundry’s official event site lists the 2026 honorees and advertises nominations for the 2027 awards, with a January 18, 2027 application deadline. CIO’s 2026 call and the official event page are the sources for those details.
What the US CIO 100 Awards recognize
The annual US CIO 100 Awards recognize 100 organizations and their IT teams for using technology innovatively to deliver business value. The 2026 call described outcomes such as creating competitive advantage, optimizing business processes, enabling growth, and improving customer relationships. The honor is for an organization’s initiative and team, not an individual CIO alone. CIO’s call for entries described the 2026 program as entering its 28th year.
Who and what qualified under the 2026 call
The eligibility rules focused on where the project operated, what it did for the organization, and whether it had enough maturity to show early results.
- US-based project: The nominated project had to be based in the United States.
- Internal organizational benefit: It had to produce a technology or service that benefited the organization internally.
- Pilot stage or beyond: The project needed to have reached at least the pilot stage and delivered early findings or results.
- Not a vendor product sold to IT buyers: A project whose business outcome was a technology product or service sold directly to IT buyers was disqualified. Vendors could submit on behalf of a customer’s qualifying, internally beneficial project, but not nominate their own customer-facing product or service.
The call did not state a project start-date window, measurement period, scoring rubric, or required supporting documents. Those details should not be assumed from other regions or award years.
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The call allowed technology leaders, directors and executives, other qualified team members, and internal or external public-relations representatives to nominate. A vendor could participate as a nominator for a client’s internal initiative under the eligibility distinction above.
2026 entry fee, application limit and deadline
| 2026 call detail | Published term |
|---|---|
| Entry fee | $50 per application |
| Multiple applications | Organizations could purchase up to 10 applications at a time |
| Awards per organization | No more than one award in the year |
| Submission deadline | January 14, 2026 |
These terms were published for the 2026 cycle by CIO; they are not current instructions for a future application.
Is the 2026 CIO 100 call still open?
No. The 2026 application deadline has passed. Foundry’s official CIO 100 event page lists the 2026 honorees and promotes the 2027 nominations, with a January 18, 2027 application deadline. The 2026 call page does not establish the eligibility rules or fee for the 2027 cycle, so applicants should check the current official application materials rather than carry the 2026 terms forward.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.2026 symposium dates and location
The 2026 call scheduled the CIO 100 Symposium & Awards for August 17–19, 2026, at Omni PGA Frisco Resort & Spa in Frisco, Texas. These were the event details stated in the main call description. CIO’s 2026 call page also contains a conflicting FAQ reference to August 2025, so the main description is the reliable source for the published 2026 schedule.
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