presented by Verkada
The 2026 safety champion awards
Recognizing the leaders who are helping us realize our mission of keeping people and places safe.
The Awards
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 Verkada One, winners will receive a $15,000 monetary gift.
* If the honoree is employed in the public sector and ineligible to receive honorariums or gifts, Verkada will donate the cash prize to a charitable organization.
AI Transformation Award
The AI Transformation Award recognizes a Verkada customer who has leveraged Verkada’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 Verkada One, winners will receive a $10,000 monetary gift.
* If the honoree is employed in the public sector and ineligible to receive honorariums or gifts, Verkada will donate the cash prize to a charitable organization.
School safety excellence award
The School Safety Excellence Award recognizes a school or university that has taken an innovative approach to addressing security challenges, emergency preparedness, and student wellbeing. In addition to celebrating our honoree at Verkada One, winners will receive $50,000 in Verkada products for their organization (or an organization of their choosing).
FAQ
The 2026 Safety Champion Awards recognizes those helping us realize our mission of keeping people and places safe and showcasing excellence in their fields across various verticals and industries.
See the Official Rules for full contest rules.
Beyond recognition of honoree’s accomplishments during VerkadaOne, Verkada will also award Impact Award and AI Transformation Award winners with a cash prize (or a donation to a charity). School Safety Excellence Award winners will receive Verkada products and associated software licenses for their organization (or a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization of their choosing).
If the honoree is employed in the public sector and ineligible to receive honorariums or gifts, Verkada will donate the prize to a charitable organization.
To view the specific eligibility requirements for each award, please review the Official Rules.
Visit verkada.com/safety-champion-awards to access a form where you can submit a nomination.
Verkada’s Safety Champion Awards open on April 30, 2026 and close at 11:59 pm PST on June 30, 2026.
No, there is no cost to participate.
Yes, applying for multiple categories is welcome and encouraged. However, nominees are only eligible to win in one category. Nominators are limited to submitting one (1) entry per Nominee for each category.
Yes, you’re welcome to nominate someone else.
Any individual nominating a leader for Verkada’s Safety Champion Awards must be over 18 years old and be a legal resident of the fifty United States or the District of Columbia, with a personal or professional connection to the individual they choose to nominate. Verkada customers and partners may nominate a leader, but Verkada employees are NOT eligible to submit nominations.
You do not have to be a Verkada customer or partner to be eligible to submit a nomination. For more information on who can nominate an individual, please see here.
The Verkada Impact Award can be won by non-Verkada customers or partners. Only Verkada customers and partners are eligible for the AI Transformation Award and School Safety Excellence Award.
We expect to notify winners before July 31, 2026, but we will ask winners to keep this private until we announce them publicly on September 8, 2026.
After an initial screen for eligibility, winners will be selected by a committee of leaders from the Security Industry Association and Verkada.
Any additional questions? Reach out to [email protected].