Award Categories

Open to any individual recognised to have made a significant contribution to the Data Centre industry in EMEA - they could be working within a data centre environment or for a supplier of data centre services such as a hosting/colocation supplier, a managed services provider, a channel organisation, a datacentre facilities or ICT vendor.

The Emerging Talent Award is designed to recognise and reward up-and-coming professionals making a significant impact within the data centre industry. This award celebrates individuals who have been working in the sector for less than six years and have demonstrated outstanding achievements, innovation, and dedication.

This is a non-voting award, with the winner determined by an independent panel of judges from the DCS Awards committee. Nominees have the option to submit a supporting video to highlight their journey, achievements, and aspirations, providing additional context for their nomination. Videos can be submitted to awards@dcsawards.com.

Entry Criteria for the Emerging Talent Award:

1. Career Path & Achievements: Describe your career path so far and your key achievements to date. You may include academic accomplishments if relevant.
2. Industry Contribution: Explain how you are supporting the employer brand and broader data centre industry. This could include activities such as social media engagement, volunteering, participation in careers fairs, creating videos or podcasts, or attending industry events.
3. Vision of Success: Share your vision of success and what it means to you personally and professionally.
4. Reference Letter: Include a written reference from either your current employer or a client. Multiple references are welcome, with a total word count for this section capped at 300 words.

Submission Notes:

• Each applicant may only submit one entry.
• Nominations can be made by the individual themselves or by their organisation.
• Supporting videos are optional but highly encouraged to give judges a fuller understanding of the nominee’s story and accomplishments.

Celebrate the future of the data centre industry by shining a spotlight on emerging talent with this award.

Open to any data centre site which has been operational for at least 6 months prior to 1st February 2025, and which has a demonstrable commitment to sustainability and technology innovation, delivering outstanding value to its customers.

Acknowledging the colocation/hosting provider that excels in customer-centric services, offering unparalleled support, responsiveness, and tailored solutions, ensuring utmost satisfaction and exceeding client expectations consistently

Open to any commercial organisation manufacturing, selling and/or supporting DC Facilities solutions in the EMEA market.

Open to any commercial organisation manufacturing, selling and/or supporting DC ICT system solutions in the EMEA market.

Open to any commercial organisation selling and/or supporting DC Cloud products and/or services in the EMEA market.

Open to any IT vendor or reseller/business partner delivering end-user customer service in the UK or EMEA data centre markets. &nbspEntries must be accompanied by a minimum of THREE customer testimonials (in English) attesting to the high level of customer service delivered that sets the entrant apart from their competition.&nbsp

Open to any data centre-focused organisation which has delivered some or all of the following: true workplace inclusivity, equality and diversity, social responsibility.

Open to any data centre-focused organisation which has delivered some or all of the following: innovative recruitment initiatives (at whatever career stage(s)) ongoing skills development programmes and a more general commitment to educating the workforce of tomorrow.

Open to any IT vendor or business partner who has delivered through innovation or integration a measurable and/or tangible solution that delivers improved sustainability or efficiency in the data centre environment.&ampnbsp

Open to any innovative analytics and/or observability service, product or technology.

Open to any innovative data centre automation/ orchestration service, product or technology.

Open to any networking and/or communications platform, appliance or system that provide local, wide area or remote access data centre connectivity.

Open to any security products, hardware and/or software based, that deliver specific datacentre focussed security solutions to organisations.

Open to any datacentre or cloud-based IT storage hardware and/or software productsthat deliver specific datacentre focussed storage solutions to end-users.

Open to any products that are designed to deliver efficient and cost-effective data centre and or infrastructure cooling solutions to end users and/or data centre operators.

Open to any products that are designed to deliver comprehensive automation (IOT, AI etc.) or Data Centre Management (DCIM) solutions (i.e. the building and its total contents) to end users and/or data centre operators.

Open to any products that deliver effective cabling infrastructure and management in the data centre environment including cabinets and racking solutions for end users and/or data centre operators.

Open to any PDU products that are designed to deliver efficient and cost-effective power solutions to end users and/or data centre operators

Open to any products that are designed to deliver efficient and cost-effective power solutions to end users and/or datacentre operators.

Open to any Physical Security and/or Fire/Safety solutions in the datacentre environment for end users and/or data centre operators.

Open to any product that results in significant benefits to an end-user organisation's energy efficiency or sustainability of all or part of their data centre environment.

Open to any IT systems-level management solution aimed at effective management of heterogeneous data centre IT environments including those based around AI.

Open to any specific distributed computing innovation that brings computation and data storage closer to the sources of the data improving response times and saving bandwidth for operators services providers and/or end users.

Open to any project involving the design and build of a new data centre anywhere in EMEA - specifically involving the re-purposing of an existing building to create the new data centre. 

Open to any organisation's implementation of a set of set of private, public or hybrid cloud services to their internal or external customers that results in a significant business benefit.

Open to any project involving the consolidation of several data centres or a notable refresh/upgrade project resulting in significant benefits to the end-user organisation concerned.

Open to any data centre project that resulted in significant benefits to the end-user organisation with regard to the energy efficiency and sustainability of the facilities concerned.

Open to any specific distributed computing project that brigs computation and data storage closer to the sources of the data improving response times and saving bandwidth implemented in any organisation of any size in EMEA.

Open to any project involving the design and build of a new data centre anywhere in EMEA - specifically involving the construction of a new data centre building/campus.

Celebrating the colocation facility that exhibits exceptional planning, execution, and innovation in establishing a new, purpose-built data centre, setting benchmarks for efficiency, reliability, and future scalability.

Acknowledging the colocation provider that pioneers innovative solutions, technologies, or practices fostering sustainability within the data centre ecosystem, contributing to energy efficiency, renewable adoption, and environmental responsibility.

Highlighting the colocation facility that demonstrates a commendable commitment to sustainability through remarkable initiatives, practices, or projects, significantly reducing environmental impact and fostering eco-friendly operations.

Recognizing the colocation provider that showcases outstanding strategies and seamless implementation in upgrading existing infrastructure, optimizing performance, and meeting evolving industry and client demands effectively.

Open to any organisation delivering data centre hosting and colocation services to end users or datacentre operators in the EMEA region.

Open to any products that enhance the provision of hosted and/or colocation services offered to an operator's clients or business partners.

Open to any organisation's project to migrate to a managed services model or colo-based set of services for the delivery of one or set of key applications in support of their core business.