CMSWire IMPACT Awards
The 2026 program is now closed and winners have been announced (see below!). The 2027 program will open to submissions in August 2026.
The CMSWire IMPACT Awards celebrate exceptional work in the fields of customer experience, digital experience and customer service.
Categories | Winners | FAQ | Judges | Stay Updated
Previous Participants & Winners
Award Categories
Not all categories are offered in all years.
For Practitioners
Customer Experience Leader of the Year
Recognizes executives who excel at elevating customer experience by leveraging digital technologies and partnering across the organization.
Customer Journey Innovation
Recognizes the digital customer experience team that has implemented the most novel and/or impactful customer journey optimization over the past year.
For Vendors
Best Customer Experience Transformation
Recognizes the vendor that has helped one of their customers achieve the most complex transformation of the customer experience.
Best Use of AI in Customer Experience
Recognizes the vendor that has helped one of their customers use artificial intelligence to improve the customer experience.
Excellence in CCaaS & Customer Service
Recognizes the vendor that has brought meaningful innovation to contact center platforms and partnered closely with customers to elevate customer support operations.
Excellence in Chatbots & Conversational AI
Recognizes the vendor that has delivered innovative self-service and chatbot solutions and worked with customers to improve support experiences.
Excellence in DX Analytics, Observability & Intelligence
Recognizes the vendor that has empowered customers with innovative journey analytics and observability tools, with a strong commitment to customer needs and feedback.
Excellence in Digital Experience & Journey Optimization
Recognizes the vendor that has helped customers optimize digital journeys through platform innovation and collaborative partnerships for CX improvement.
Stay Updated
2026 Winners
Practitioner Awards
Customer Experience Leader of the Year (Winner)
Suzie Dieth, NRG Consumer Energy Vice President and Chief Experience Officer
Customer Experience Leader of the Year (Finalist)
Charlotte Gilmour, Managing Director, Environmental Impact
Customer Experience Leader of the Year (Finalist)
Abhii Parakh, Head of Customer Experience
Customer Experience Leader of the Year (Finalist)
Amy Sessions, Division Manager
Customer Journey
Innovation (Gold)
Quadient
Customer Journey
Innovation (Silver)
NRG Energy Inc.
Vendor Awards
Best Customer Experience Transformation (Gold)
Firstsource
Best Customer Experience Transformation (Silver)
Netcracker Technology
Best Use of AI in Customer Experience (Gold)
Talkdesk
Best Use of AI in Customer Experience (Silver)
Concentrix
Excellence in CCaaS & Customer Service (Gold)
Crescendo
Excellence in CCaaS & Customer Service (Silver)
Transaction Network Services
Excellence in Chatbots & Conversational AI (Gold)
RingCentral
Excellence in Chatbots & Conversational AI (Silver)
Ada
Excellence in Digital Experience & Journey Optimization (Gold)
Optimizely
Excellence in Digital Experience & Journey Optimization (Silver)
VOZIQ AI
Excellence in DX Analytics, Observability & Intelligence (Gold)
BLOX Digital
2021 Winners | 2022 Winners | 2024 Winners | 2025 Winners
About the CMSWire Impact Awards
The IMPACT Awards celebrate exceptional work in the field of digital customer experience. Honors are given to practitioners and vendors responsible for creating a notable impact either within their organization (practitioners) or for their customers (vendors).
If you want to showcase your company’s internal practices you should apply for the practitioner awards.
If you want to showcase the work you’ve done for a customer/client you should apply for the vendor awards.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the IMPACT Awards?
- The IMPACT Awards is a prestigious recognition program, celebrating exceptional work in the field of customer experience. Honors are bestowed on both exceptional practitioners (individuals, departments and teams) and vendors (companies and their customers).
How do I apply for the IMPACT Awards?
- Visit awards.simplermedia.com/cx to apply.
What’s new this year?
- We have restructured the fees for our practitioner awards. There is now no cost to apply for Customer Experience Leader of the Year, while the fee to apply for the Customer Journey Innovation award is now $149.
- We have added a new category and 4 new awards for vendors. The following awards recognize innovation, implementation and impact in vendor platforms/solutions:
- Excellence in CCaaS & Customer Service
- Excellence in Chatbots & Conversational AI
- Excellence in DX Analytics, Observability & Intelligence
- Excellence in Digital Experience & Journey Optimization
- The following awards are no longer offered:
- Customer Service Excellence
- Innovative Use of CX Technology
- Best Omnichannel Personalization
- Best Contact Center Innovation
Who is eligible to apply?
- Nominees for the practitioner awards should be customer experience, digital experience or customer service leaders, departments or teams that have deployed impactful initiatives or technology over the past 12 months.
- Nominees for the vendor awards should be vendors who have either solved a particularly impressive challenge for one of their clients or produced particularly impactful capabilities for their products or solutions within the last 12-24 months.
- You may self-nominate for any award.
What is the difference between the practitioner and the vendor awards?
- If you want to showcase your company’s internal practices you should apply for the practitioner awards.
- Companies whose business model includes CX programs, platforms or solutions may not apply for the practitioner awards.
- If you want to showcase your platform, solution or the work you’ve done for a customer/client you should apply for the vendor awards.
- Your customer’s name may remain anonymous, although we encourage you to identify them in your application. Failure to disclose customer names may hinder recognition efforts, should your application win.
What are the awards categories?
- Please scroll to the top of this page for the full list of awards categories.
Can I apply to more than one category?
- You may apply to as many categories as you wish and it is possible to win or rank in multiple categories. Each category application does carry its own application fee. However, discounts are available for applicants who submit multiple category applications; contact us to request a discount code.
Is there a cost to apply? How do I pay?
- There is no cost to apply for the Customer Experience Leader of the Year award.
- The cost to apply for the other Practitioner awards is $149 per application (early bird saves you 30% through Sept. 30, 2025).
- For all Vendor awards, there is a $995 fee per application (early bird saves you 30% through Sept. 30, 2025).
- NOTE: Registering at the awards portal during the Early Bird period by September 30 saves you 30% off your application fee.
- Other discounts are available. Contact us for more information.
- All application fees are payable by credit card prior to application submission. Applications are not considered final until fees are paid in full.
- If you are unable to pay by credit card, contact us.
How long does it take to complete the application?
- Applications typically take 1-2 hours to complete.
Is there a word limit? Can I include charts, photos or other attachments in my application?
- All application questions have maximum word counts. These vary and are listed on each question.
- Charts, photos and other attachments are not allowed.
Who are the judges?
- Judges are volunteer practitioners, specialists, consultants and CX experts, recruited for their field expertise.
- Please scroll to the bottom of this webpage to see the list of last year’s judges.
What is the judging process and criteria?
- Judges apply through the awards portal and are vetted by CMSWire prior to reviewing applications.
- Judges receive detailed instructions and a scoring rubric to assist in the review process.
- Judges agree to keep all material confidential. Certain application fields with proprietary information are not shared with judges.
- All applications are reviewed by multiple judges to minimize bias. Judges are not assigned applications from participants in their own industry and judges can recuse themselves from any application to avoid direct or indirect conflicts of interest.
How are the winners determined?
- Questions are weighted according to importance. Judge scores are aggregated to determine the final winners of each category.
- Judges only score the “category-specific questions” section of each application. Demographics information is not shared with judges and not scored.
Can I win more than one category?
- Yes; there is no limit on the number of categories an applicant can win in any given year or across multiple years. Note that each category application does carry its own application fee. However, discounts are available for applicants who submit multiple category applications; contact us to request a discount code.
How are the winners notified? When are the winners announced?
- Winners are notified through email once the judging period is over. The Awards Director will notify the main point of contact for each winner. Please provide alternate contact information if you are an agency or otherwise applying on behalf of an individual or company.
- Winners are announced in the spring.
How are winners recognized?
- Winners are publicly recognized in the following ways:
- Press release on CMSWire, promoted through PR channels.
- As part of a longer awards article on CMSWire.
- Mention on awards website.
- Opportunity to participate in CMSWire TV.
What else do winners receive?
- Gold award winners receive a physical trophy as well as a digital badge for social media promotion.
- One trophy is included in your win. It is possible to order additional trophies at your cost; contact us for details.
- One trophy is included in your win. It is possible to order additional trophies at your cost; contact us for details.
- Silver award winners receive a digital badge for social media promotion.
- It is possible to order a trophy or trophies at your cost; contact us for details.
- It is possible to order a trophy or trophies at your cost; contact us for details.
- All awards participants (winners and nonwinners) receive a PDF scorecard with their score and judge comments.
Who were the previous winners?
How will my application data be used?
- By signing up for the IMPACT Awards, you agree to receive emails related to the awards program, including (but not limited to) reminder emails, open/close dates and finalist status. All finalists and winners will be contacted through email and may be contacted via phone for additional information. Winners’ contact information may be shared with our Events team for the purpose of coordinating your participation in our events. Winners’ addresses will be shared with our awards vendors for the purposes of awards delivery and digital badge distribution. Finalists’ and winners’ application data may be shared with our Editorial team for background information only.
Who do I contact if I have any questions?
- Please send all questions to [email protected].
2026 Judges
Judges are volunteer practitioners, specialists, consultants and CX experts, recruited for their field expertise.
Akshay Sura
Composable architect and founding partner, Konabos Inc.
Alan Pelz-Sharpe
Industry Analyst, Deep Analysis
Alejandra Aparicio
Partner – CMO, Melga Advisors
Aleksei Abdulin
Software Engineer & Head of Mobile Development, Kolos Studio
Alex Nejako
CMO, Nejako Solutions
Alison Sainsbury
Managing Director, Aline DX Pty Limited
Amanda Joyner
SVP of Sales, Anteriad
Amber Garrett
Senior Field Marketing Manager, Snaplogic
Amy Leyson-Cadiz
Director, Learning and Development Operations, Corporate Finance Institute (CFI)
Amy Sessions
Division Manager, Utility Customer Service, City of Clearwater
Angela Bandy
Director of Human Resources, Reconciled. Inc
Ankit Agrawal
Associate Director – Business Strategy, Verizon
Annam Sreenivasan
Business Analyst, Axelerant Technologies Pvt Ltd
Annette Corbett
Business Change and Adoption Manager, NatWest
Anya Nelson
SVP, Public Relations Practice Lead, Scratch Marketing + Media
Artur Balabanskyy
CTO, Tapforce
Ashwin Thapliyal
Vice President Marketing, Exemplifi
Atasun Kasbas
Managing Partner & Consultant, Nord CX
Bayan Thomas
Marketing Specialist, ACRC Global
Beth Martin
Digital Services Expert, Federal government
Bhavani Moodabagil
Insights Consultant, Independent Consulting
Brittany Barhite
Manager, Culture & Belonging, ITC
Bryant Duhon
Owner, Simply Useful Marketing
Carla Woodard
Executive Assistant to the CEO, Central Florida Community Action Agency, Inc.
Carolyn Duby
Field CTO, Cloudera
Cindy Brummer
CEO / Creative Director, Standard Beagle
Courtney Keating
CMO, Acxiom
Daipayan Das
CEO, Customer Echoes, Inc
Dan Keldsen
Chief Innovation Officer, Infocap
Dave Seaton
Principal Consultant, Seaton CX
David Canfield
Chief Information Officer, Pacific Battleship Center
David Zimmerman
Director of Customer Experience & Performance Support, QVC Group
Deanna Fortson
HRIS & Benefits Manager, BST Global
Deepu Prakash
Senior VP: Technology Innovation, Fingent
Dennis Gershowitz
Principal, DG Associates
Denyse Drummond-Dunn
President, C3Centricity
Donna Roberts
VP Human Resources, Citco (Canada) Inc.
Edwin Grogan
Founder, GroganStudios LLC
Fawaz Nizamdeen
AVP: Customer Experience & Interaction Channel Management, Dialog Business Services
Frank Esposito
Assoc. Director, Yale University
Hank Brigman
President, Chief Experience Officer, Customer Experience Strategies Inc.
Hanna Kuznietsova
Content Team Lead, Stripo.email
Heather Shankwiler
Director, Product Marketing, Smart Compliance Solutions, ADP
Heather Valeri
CEO. Founder, Meridian Business Advisors
Isaac Sacolick
CEO, CIO, Author, StarCIO LLC
Jacqueline Burandt
President, Award-winning Results
Jacqueline Burkitt
CX Manager, Cenitex
Jag Seth
VP, Customer Experience, Zip Co
Jamie Martin
Executive Coach, Jamie Martin Coaching
Jeannie Walters
CEO, Author, Speaker, Experience Investigators
Jeff Sheehan
CX Advisor and Customer Service Strategist, CX JS Consulting
Jennifer Gutman
Director of Customer Marketing, Oktopost
Jennifer Jones
Corporate Communications Prinicpal, USAA
Jennifer Pineda
Director of Innovative Learning Systems, Advanced Learning Partnerships
Jiaxi Zhu
Head of Analytics, SMB Division, Google
Jo Anne Dimitriou
Owner/Founder, JMD Leadership LLC
Joe Karasin
Founder, Karasin PPC
Joel Goodman
Vice President, Growth Strategy, Squiz
Jon Knisley
Global Lead Process AI, ABBYY
Judy Bloch
VP, Industry Executive Advisory, Medallia
Karyn Furstman
Founder & CEO, CustomersFurst
Kathy Sobus
CEO, Sobus Consulting
Kautilya Prasad
Digital Experience Platforms Lead, XCentium
Kenneth C. C. Yang
Professor, University of Texas at El Paso
Kiran Varri
Director: Academics, Blue Ocean Corporation
Kristen Hayer
CEO, The Success League
Lanae d’Hulst
Customer Implementation Manager, YouScience
Linda Saindon
CEO, Aureavate
Lori Alcalá
Product Marketing Consultant, Lori Alcalá
Luke Ng, PhD
Former Chief Operating Officer, Microsoft Asia Pacific
Maggie Valo
Global marketing & ABM Manager, Poppulo
Maria Scarangella
President, Scarangella Consulting, LLC
Mario Chatzidamianos
Director Compliance, Communications & Business Development, Creators of Cosmos SMPC
Mark Ratekin
VP, CX Consulting, PG Forsta
Mars Sailors
Marketing and Communications Manager, The Source LGBT+ Center
Martyn Perks
Independant Business Consultant, Property Investment Broker, Exclusive Links & self employed
Mary Gotschall
Business Development Consultant, Strategic Results
Mary Long
Chief Ghost, Digital Media Ghost
McKenzie Peterman
Associate Director of Professional Development & Instruction, Georgia Southern University
Melanie Disse
CX Consultant & Tech Advisor, Melanie Disse Consulting
Melody Rawlings
Director, National University
Michelle Wicmandy
Global Marketing Campaigns Manager, KBC (A Yokogawa Company)
Mike Goracke
Director, Media, Bain and Company
Milankumar Rana
Principal AI Architect, HeadstormAI
Mitchell Filby
Managing Director, First Rock Consulting
Mohamed Latib
Chief of CX, CX University
Mollie Holland
Corporate Vice President of Customer Experience, DevRev
Muhammad Uzzam Khan
Sr. Enterprise Architect Manager, NEOM
Muhammed Sabeeh
Senior Accountant and Admin, Innovative Glass & Aluminium LLC
Mukesh Kumar
Co-founder & Head of CX, SeeResponse
Narendhira Chandraseharan
Product Lead, TikTok eCommerce, TikTok (Bytedance)
Navnish Bhardwaj
Head of Marketing, Manras Technologies
Nikki Gensmer
Sn Content and CX Manager, Titan Health Corp DBA The Learnery + Elemental Perspective
Nixalkumar Patel
Sr. Product Manager, LG Electronics
Nyada Nyenke
Director, SEPCO
Nyree Williams
Executive Director, The Attitude 2 Empower
Olivier Bigirimana
Student, African Leadership University
Owen Chamberlain
Senior Education Alliance Manager, Trimble Inc
Paromita Sarkar
VP Product Development, PCS Technical Services Inc.
Patty Radford Henderson
Founder & CEO, Annum
Paul Smith
Principal, Quinn Growth Advisors
Piyush Shrivastava
VP Product Management, MileStone Inc.
Prashant Dhume
Consultant (Former Senior MD), Freelancer (Former Senior MD Accenture)
Praveen Satyanarayana
Senior Director, Tredence
Priya Dharshini Kalyanasundaram
Technical Program Manager, Amazon
Rashmi Bhambhani
Head of Product Marketing, Support Ninja
Richa Malhotra
Team & Executive Coach, The Ideas Team Inc.
Richard Butler
Principal: Technology Business Analysis, AT&T
Rick Miller
Director, Anchor Computer
Robert Jacobi
Founder and Strategist, Warbi, Inc.
Rohinee Mohindroo
Technology Advisor & Mentor, dyjit LLC
Rovena Aga
Professor, York University
Ryan Mayes
VP, Service Delivery and Operations, PDI Technologies
Saffy Johnson
Member Change Experience Strategist, Blue Shield of California
Sakti Mishra
Principal Data and AI Solutions Architect, Amazon Web Services
Sallie Oliver
Marketing Communications Coordinator, Technology Services Industry Association
Samuel Ojode
Teacher, Gagra
Sandra Thomas-Comenole
Fractional CMO, International Consulting Firm
Sara Hanley
SVP of Marketing, ASAPP
Sherin Sunny
Marketing Consultant, Shermain Jeremy Marketing Consulting
Stephan Sigaud
CMO, Phase 5
Steven Howard
Principal Director, Accenture Organizational Analytics
Steven Keller
Managing Partner, Keller C/X Partners
Steven Manifold
CMO & MD, Tayona Digital Ltd
Sue Duris
Principal Consultant, M4 Communications
Susan Flood
Consultant, Self
Suzanne Benjamin
Director, Marketing and Communications, Dwellworks
Suzie Dieth
Senior Director of Customer Experience, NRG Energy, Inc.
Tiffany Glass
Chief Digital & Technology Officer, 1-800-PACK-RAT | Zippy Shell
Tirumala Rao Chimpiri
Senior Programmer Analyst, Stony Brook University
Tom Spano
VP, Customer Experience, MNTN
Tracey Joseph
CEO & Executive HR Consulting, Executive HR Consulting Services
Trina Helm White
Business Information Security Officer, Ascensus LLC
Trish Wethman
Chief Experience Officer, Pontem Tech Partners
Uddhav Phondba
Director, EPAM Systems India Private Limited
Vaishali Dialani
Independent CX Strategist, Independent
Vien-An Friedel
Technical Services & Project Management Senior Manager, See’s
Vigneshwaran Jagadeesan Pugazhenthi
Technology Architect, Cognizant Technology Solutions
Yurii Biriukov
Release Manager, Delivery Manager, Adonis AS