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Outstanding leadership award

Bluetooth Support

The outstanding leadership award recognizes a Bluetooth SIG Chair or Vice Chair who has demonstrated significant leadership over the past year. It is one of the SIG's annual member awards, voted on by the membership and presented at the annual September Bluetooth SIG Member Summit reception.

Who this applies to: Any individual at a Bluetooth SIG member company in good standing. 

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What the outstanding leadership award is

Where the outstanding contributor award recognizes any member's significant contribution, outstanding leadership specifically recognizes the work of leaders: the people running Working Groups, committees, expert groups, and task forces. Leading a SIG group is demanding work, and this award exists to acknowledge the leaders who do it especially well.

One outstanding leadership award is selected each year.

Who is eligible

To be eligible, the nominee must currently serve, or have served within the past 12 months, as a Chair or Vice Chair of any of the following:

  • Working Groups
  • Committees
  • Expert Groups
  • Task Forces

The nominee must be at a SIG member company in good standing.

Not eligible:

  • Members of the Bluetooth Special Technical Standards (BSTS) team
  • Current SIG staff
  • Current SIG Board members

Who can nominate

Any individual at a SIG member company may submit a nomination. There is no restriction on which membership level can nominate.

Self-nominations are not accepted for this award.

What "outstanding leadership" means

For this award, "outstanding leadership" means leadership performance in the 12 months immediately preceding the opening of nominations that has visibly improved an issue that blocked the development of Bluetooth technology development, or member collaboration.

The exact dates of the 12-month window are stated in each year's nomination announcement.

Strong nominations point to specific, verifiable leadership outcomes. Examples include:

  • Driving a Working Group to deliver a major specification or milestone
  • Navigating a difficult technical or interpersonal dispute to a workable resolution
  • Significantly improving a group's process, cadence, or output
  • Mentoring new chairs or building leadership depth on the group
  • Successfully launching or restructuring a group, expert team, or task force
  • Sustained, visible effectiveness running a group through a demanding cycle

Long records of leadership over many years belong in other categories such as lifetime achievement. outstanding leadership is about the past 12 months.

What to include in a nomination

A nomination must include:

  • Nominee's name and the SIG member company they work for
  • Their leadership role (e.g., "Chair, LE Audio Working Group" or "Vice Chair, Mesh Test Task Force")
  • Justification: a brief statement (a few sentences) explaining why this leader stands out
  • Specific examples of leadership performance from the past 12 months, including what they did, when, and what the impact was on the group

Vague nominations rarely win. Voters read many nominations, and the ones with concrete examples (named milestones, specific outcomes, observable changes in the group) are easier to evaluate and easier to choose.

How the award is decided

  1. Nomination period: Nominations open on 3 June 2026 and will run for four weeks.
  2. Voting period: Once nominations close, voting opens for four weeks. Voting is open to Associate and Promoter member companies, with one vote per member company.
  3. Board approval: The vote result is reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors.
  4. Announcement: The winner is announced at the annual Member Summit reception.

Conflict of interest

Voting is anonymous, and member companies are not restricted from voting for leaders at their own company. However, voters are expected to consider all qualified nominees on their merits, not based on company affiliation.

What the winner receives

  • A plaque or comparable physical recognition
  • Public announcement at the Bluetooth SIG Member Summit reception and in SIG communications
  • Acknowledgment on the Bluetooth SIG's member awards page

FAQ

There is no formal restriction on winning in multiple years, but the award recognizes leadership demonstrated in the 12 months immediately preceding the nomination period. A repeat win requires a fresh leadership record within that new window.
Yes. There is no restriction on nominating someone at your own company.
Yes. Multiple nominations from the same company are allowed.
The nominee must have served as a Chair or Vice Chair at some point during the 12-month window. Someone who stepped down from a chair role partway through the year is still eligible based on their service during that time.
If the role is functionally equivalent to a Chair or Vice Chair (running a group's meetings, owning the group's deliverables, formally appointed), the nominee is eligible. If the role is purely informal or advisory, it does not qualify.
Outstanding contributor is open to any member, in any role. Outstanding leadership specifically recognizes Chairs and Vice Chairs of Working Groups, Committees, Expert Groups, and Task Forces.

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