Know a Safety Champion? Nominations Are Open for Verkada's 2026 Awards
We’re lucky to have a front row seat to the extraordinary work security leaders do every day to keep people and places safe.
While headlines in the news don’t often highlight the near-misses and threats stopped in their tracks, it’s these moments where the work of safety champions makes all the difference. We launched Verkada’s Safety Champion Awards three years ago to celebrate these individuals, and have been honored to learn about leaders across the globe who are not just going above and beyond to keep their organizations safe, but also pioneering new approaches to security and safety.
Those include John Mitchell, who reduced emergency response time at the YMCA of Austin to less than 90 seconds on average. Didar Hayytov, who integrated a mental health screening for students at check-in at Triad Math and Science Academy (NC). Steve Camsey, who provided 182,000 nights of safe and secure shelter for men, women, and children at just one of the Salvation Army’s sites in a single year. And countless more.
We need your help to recognize and celebrate those who are quietly making their communities safer every day. We’re opening nominations for the 2026 Safety Champion Awards across the following categories:
Impact Award
The Impact Award recognizes an individual who has made a positive, tangible impact on the safety and security of their organization and/or community. In addition to celebrating our honoree at VerkadaOne, they will receive a $15,000 monetary prize.
AI Transformation Award
The AI Transformation Award recognizes a Verkada customer who has leveraged the company’s AI-powered technology in a novel way to enhance safety or operational efficiency within their organization and/or community. In addition to celebrating our honoree at VerkadaOne, they will receive a $10,000 monetary prize.
School Safety Excellence Award
The School Safety Excellence Award acknowledges schools or universities that use Verkada and have spearheaded comprehensive safety initiatives to proactively address security challenges, emergency preparedness, and student wellbeing. In addition to celebrating our honoree at VerkadaOne, they will receive $50,000 in Verkada products for their organization or a charitableorganization of their choosing.
Nominations close on June 30, 2026. Visit www.verkada.com/safety-champion-awards to learn more about rules and eligibility for this year’s Safety Champion Awards.
