These categories will recognize the world's best employers since the beginning of 2024. Stevie® Award winners will be determined by a unique blending of the votes of employees and the general public, and the scores of industry experts. Nominees in these categories will receive instructions about how to encourage their employees, customers, fans, and followers to vote for them.

Nominations that won in the 2025 Stevie Awards for Great Employers may be resubmitted for consideration in the 2026 awards. If they have been updated with recent achievements, they may be submitted to the same categories in which they won. If they have not been updated, they must be submitted to categories different from those in which they won.

Stevie winners in the Employer of the Year categories will be determined through a unique blending of the ratings of our professional judges and the votes of your employees, customers, and the general public. Public voting will run from June 11 to July 9. Nominated organizations in the Employer of the Year categories will be given tools they may use to encourage their communities to vote for them.

Information to be submitted online for entries in these categories in the 2026 competition include

1. Written answers to the following questions, describing the nominated achievements since January 1 2024, OR a video of up to five (5) minutes in length that answers all of the same questions:
a. Briefly describe the nominated organization’s employee-relations: its history and past performance (up to 1,300 characters) Required
b. Outline the achievements since the beginning of 2024 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 1,600 characters) Required
c. Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible, compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the organization’s past performance (up to 1,600 characters). Required
d. Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 1,500 characters). Optional

2. Optional (but highly recommended), add to your entry up to 10 webpage links and/or document uploads to support your case to the judges.These might be press articles, press releases, videos, work samples, internal or external reviews, or employee feedback, for example.

A01. Employer of the Year - Advertising, Marketing, & Public Relations

A02. Employer of the Year - Aerospace & Defense

A03. Employer of the Year - Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning (New Category for 2026)

A04. Employer of the Year - Automotive & Transport Equipment

A05. Employer of the Year - Banking

A06. Employer of the Year - Business & Professional Services (includes accounting, consulting, legal and other services)

A07. Employer of the Year - Computer Hardware

A08. Employer of the Year - Computer Services

A09. Employer of the Year - Computer Software - More Than 250 Employees

A10. Employer of the Year - Computer Software - Up to 250 Employees

A11. Employer of the Year - Conglomerates

A12. Employer of the Year - Consumer Products - Durables

A13. Employer of the Year - Consumer Products - Non-Durables

A14. Employer of the Year - Consumer Services

A15. Employer of the Year - Cybersecurity (New Category for 2026)

A16. Employer of the Year - Diversified Services

A17. Employer of the Year - E-Commerce (New Category for 2026)

A18. Employer of the Year - Education (K–12, Higher Ed, Continuing Ed)

A19. Employer of the Year - Electronics

A20. Employer of the Year - Energy

A21. Employer of the Year - Events, Exhibitions & Experiences

A22. Employer of the Year - Financial Services

A23. Employer of the Year - Fintech

A24. Employer of the Year - Food & Beverage

A25. Employer of the Year - Health Products & Services

A26. Employer of the Year - Healthcare Providers (New Category for 2026)

A27. Employer of the Year - Hospitality & Leisure

A28. Employer of the Year - Industrial (including chemicals, materials & construction, metals & mining and other heavy industries)

A29. Employer of the Year - Insurance

A30. Employer of the Year - Logistics, Supply Chain & Fulfillment (New Category for 2026)

A31. Employer of the Year - Manufacturing

A32. Employer of the Year - Media or Entertainment

A33. Employer of the Year - Non-Profit or Government Organizations

A34. Employer of the Year - Other Industries

A35. Employer of the Year - Pharmaceuticals

A36. Employer of the Year - Real Estate

A37. Employer of the Year - Research Institutes/Think Tanks (New Category for 2026)

A38. Employer of the Year - Retail

A39. Employer of the Year - Sports, Fitness & Recreation (New Category for 2026)

A40. Employer of the Year - Telecommunications

A41. Employer of the Year - Transportation

A42. Employer of the Year - Utilities