Audit & Risk Awards 2026: Nominate today
The Chartered IIA Audit & Risk Awards 2026 are now open for nominations.
Has your team transformed, achieved exceptional results, made a significant impact on a major organisational project or pioneered an innovation in the way your organisation views and manages its risks? If so, we want to hear from you.
At a time when organisations in every sector are facing global geo-political and economic uncertainty, plus unprecedented technological change, internal audit teams should be transforming how they work to maximise their impact. We know that great things are being done across the profession in organisations of all sizes and in each sector – and we want to know more.
Internal audit too often goes unnoticed and uncelebrated. The annual Chartered IIA Awards are the only awards dedicated to internal audit professionals and the work of internal audit teams. Winners and those who make the shortlist gain the recognition of their peers and fellow professionals in every sector across the UK and Ireland.
They gain evidence of excellent work that they can use to publicise their value and boost their reputation with the audit committee and board. Success is contagious and many award-winning teams also find the recognition helps attract more talent to their teams from within and outside their organisation. Merely submitting a nomination can boost team morale and make nominated individuals feel more valued.
Just as importantly, the awards share best practice and innovations across the profession. At a time when professional practice is evolving and technology is transforming the way internal audit works, this is essential. Sharing success stories helps others to develop and move on faster without re-inventing the wheel. The entire profession will benefit from identifying new ways to increase impact and add value.
Winners and those on the shortlist are invited to attend the annual event where they can meet other excellent teams, make new contacts and share their experiences (while also having a splendid evening). Their stories will be written up as case studies and published on the Chartered IIA website and they will be given winners’ logos to run on their websites, emails and social media.
New category
This year there is a new category specifically aimed at small internal audit teams (up to five full-time-equivalent people). The Chartered IIA recognises that small teams are under as much pressure as large ones to provide assurance, advisory services and support to management. While the global risks are developing rapidly, so too are new ways to monitor and mitigate them and this is creating new opportunities for even the smallest teams.
This is an exciting time to be in internal audit – we have new global standards that emphasise courage and social purpose, and a host of new tools. However, the profession must seize these opportunities and demonstrate its value more than ever before. The Chartered IIA Awards are a crucial part of this.
Entering is straightforward, but nominators should read the criteria and categories now to identify where they will need external input, such as endorsements, and what evidence they should gather. These may take time to collect.
Wordcounts in each section are limited to reduce workload and keep nominators focused on their key messages. Writing concise, meaningful reports is an essential part of the internal audit role, so this is important for the judges. In addition to a clear narrative, they will also be looking for evidence of impact/results and of value added to the organisation. Endorsements are a vital element and finding the best people to provide these is essential to a good nomination.
More information and the full criteria are available on the official Audit & Risk Awards webpage together with the awards nomination form.