The National Cyber Awards® returns to London this September

With the cyber threat landscape ever changing, it’s important to recognise the work that goes into keeping so many of us safe. The National Cyber Awards were designed to recognise employees of organisations such as the Ministry of Defence, National Crime Agency and the UK Cyber Security Council, whose hard work to protect the UK is rarely seen by the general public. Now in its fifth year and following the huge success of the 2022 event, The National Cyber Awards® returns to London on Monday 25th September 2023 at the Novotel London West, Hammersmith.In support of recognising individuals, teams and organisations for their achievements within the cyber and digital sectors, the National Cyber Awards® 2023 will be sponsored by BAE Systems Digital Intelligence. With backing from The Prime Minister’s Office, The Cabinet Office, National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC), the Chartered Institute of Information Security (CIISec), National Crime Agency (NCA), Ministry of Defence (MoD), NHS Digital and the UK Cyber Security Council.

This year, we welcome four exciting new awards: The Prime Minister’s Award for Cyber 2023, The Alan Turing Cyber Award 2023, The NHS Digital Cyber Award 2023 and the National Cyber Security Council Award 2023.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak MP said: “The National Cyber Awards are a wonderful way to reward, celebrate and showcase the work of those who are committed to keeping us safe online. My warm congratulations as always to the finalists and winners who are an inspiration to everyone across the sector who wish to work to protect others in the same manner.”

Dave Armstrong, Group Managing Director of BAE Systems’ Digital Intelligence said: “It’s important that we recognise the hard work from across the industry that goes into understanding and tackling the ever changing threats that we face. Events like these, which we’re delighted to be a part of, help showcase the incredible skill and talent keeping us safe and inspire future generations.”

Commissioner Angela McLean – Commissioner of the City of London Police and NPCC Lead on Cyber Crime, said:“The National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) is delighted for a fourth year to be a headline sponsor for these awards that recognise not just the best talent and products but also the unsung cyber heroes and those seeking to help others in every sector.”

Christine Maxwell, Director of Cyber Defence and Risk for the Ministry of Defence said:“The National Cyber Awards recognise the outstanding contributions of many teams and individuals who protect us across numerous sectors. With cyber-related warfare becoming an increasingly important part of the United Kingdom’s Government and Defence Cyber Strategies, I am delighted that a special award for Ministry of Defence military and civilian staff will be presented at this year’s national awards.”

Graeme Biggar CBE, Director General of the National Crime Agency, said: “The NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit (NCCU) leads the UK’s incident response to high-end cyber criminality, working closely with regional police forces, Government agencies and international law enforcement partners. This collaborative response is key to bringing cyber criminals to justice and protecting our national security. The National Cyber Awards® allow us to recognise the exceptional work undertaken every day to tackle cybercrime and increase the UK’s resilience against this threat.”

Pete Cooper – Deputy Director Cyber Defence at Cabinet Office said: “The National Cyber Awards allow us all to recognise and celebrate outstanding individuals, teams and organisations. They demonstrate innovation, collaboration, individual effort, teamwork and leadership that not only makes a real-world difference in meeting our most critical challenges but also inspires current and future generations. The Cabinet Office is also delighted to be overseeing The Prime Minister’s Award for Cyber 2023 reaffirming the government’s commitment to this vital sector and those that work within it.”

Professor Liz Bacon – Vice Chancellor Abertay University said: “(We are) proud to be among only ten UK institutions to have achieved gold-level Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Education recognition from the National Cyber Security Centre, reflecting the outstanding facilities and teaching on offer to our global student family, industry and partners. The new Abertay cyberQuarter centre for cybersecurity R&D on our campus in Dundee represents the next phase of growth for the university as we seek to provide research and innovation-led solutions to the most prominent challenges facing the sector. We are delighted to be sponsors of the very first Alan Turing Cyber Award 2023 at The National Cyber Awards 2023 which will be awarded for an outstanding contribution to the safety of vulnerable groups or individuals – an area that resonates closely with our mission here at Abertay.”

The Awards remain totally independent, free to enter and our sponsors ensure that every finalist receives a free ticket to the black-tie ceremony and dinner. This allows anyone to enter without any financial constraint or obligations and we are grateful to our headline sponsors BAE Systems Digital Intelligence for providing additional tickets for parents and carers where needed.

By popular demand, the organisers will again host the International Cyber Book Fair at the Novotel London West prior and during the awards. This is free for budding and established authors to promote and undertake book signings for their cyber related books.

The organisers are also grateful to The National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park who will be presenting an interactive exhibition of historic wartime computers and decoders for guests.