The shortlist for the 2026 Belfast Telegraph IT Awards in partnership with Telefónica Tech has been revealed.
Nearly 70 firms and individuals have made the grade across 16 categories including Best Place to Work in IT, Cybersecurity Project of the Year and Mobile App of the Year.
The awards will be presented at Belfast’s The Mac Theatre on the evening of Friday, November 13.
Winners will also be unveiled for the three non-entry categories of IT Professional of the Year, Outstanding Contribution to the IT Sector, and Overall IT Team or Company of the Year.
Ellen Dickson, VP of enterprise health services at Telefónica Tech, said: “Congratulations to all those who have progressed to the next stage of the Belfast Telegraph IT Awards, in partnership with Telefónica Tech.
“The volume and calibre of entries this year made judging a challenging process, which is a real testament to the innovation and drive of IT companies here.
IT Awards logo
“The standard was incredibly high, and entries were received from all areas within the sector, reflecting the strength and diversity of the industry.
“At Telefónica Tech, we are proud to continue our long-standing partnership with the Belfast Telegraph, which is all about celebrating success and rewarding excellence.
“We look forward to celebrating with all the winners at the award ceremony next month.”
Martin Breen, executive editor of Mediahuis in Northern Ireland, said: “We are delighted to announce the shortlist of the 2026 Belfast Telegraph IT Awards today, and are grateful to our panel of judges for their work in sifting through this year’s entries.
The judging panel in the 2026 Belfast Telegraph IT Awards (from left) Claire Nixon, Scott Armstrong, Erin Allison, Peter Russell and Ellen Dickson
“We are now looking forward to a fantastic night of recognising the achievements of the IT sector in Northern Ireland on November 13.
“Congratulations to everyone on today’s shortlist, and we look forward to seeing you all at The Mac next month.”
The judging panel was chaired by Peter Russell, managing director of PR Business Growth Services.
The panel also included Scott Armstrong, head of Expleo NI; Claire Nixon, founder of Adepta Partners; Ellen Dickson, Telefónica Tech; Neil Hutcheson, CEO, Software NI; Professor Chris Nugent, Ulster University; Erin Allison, acceleration manager at Ulster Bank; and Claire McBride, social value manager at Fujitsu.
For tickets to the awards ceremony on November 13, please contact Nicola McGarvey on nicola.mcgarvey@mediahuis.co.uk. The dress code for the event is business casual
2026 IT Awards Shortlist
AI Project of the Year (sponsored by Fujitsu)
Allstate Northern Ireland
Adoreboard Limited
GCD Technologies and Kingsbridge Healthcare Group
BT Ireland Innovation Centre
Data Intellect
Best Place to work in IT (over 100 employees)
Options Technology
Allstate Northern Ireland
9Fin
Vyta
Best Place to work in IT (under 100 employees)
Salt Communications
Farmdrive
Covernet
Inclutech
Development Team of the Year
Obbi Club
Adoreboard Limited
Farmdrive
Inclutech
Salt Communications
Best Public or Third Sector IT Project (sponsored by Allstate Northern Ireland)
Bytes Digital Innovation
Invest Northern Ireland
Salt Communications
Cybersecurity Project of the Year
BT Ireland Innovation Centre
Inclutech
Salt Communications
ESG Excellence Award
Options Technology
Vyta
Inclutech
Excellence in Workplace Health & Wellbeing
Fujitsu
Options Technology
Rakuten
IT Project of the Year (sponsored by Ocho People)
ASOS
Options Technology
Inclutech
Ubloquity
Invest Northern Ireland
IT Services Company of the Year
Leaf IT
Options Technology
Ionic
Data Intellect
Precept IT
IT Team or Department of the Year (sponsored by TCS)
Fibrus
Lowe Rental
Salt Communications
9Fin
Mobile App of the Year (sponsored by Options Technology)
Pitchside Lineup
Farmdrive
Inclutech
Salt Communications
Rising Star Award (sponsored by APCOA Parking)
Zamena Jaffer, Adoreboard Limited
Nicole Heron, Salt Communications
Cara Greene, Inclutech
Jordan Donaghy, Ionic
Karen Tang, Cranmore Consulting
Lewis Loane, Denotec
Aoife McCloskey, Data Intellect
Johnny Boyd, Allstate Northern Ireland
IT Supplier of the Year
Options Technology
Salt Communications
Covernet
Leaf IT
Women Leadership Award
Aislín Cathcart, Adoreboard Limited
Eimear McVeigh, Rakuten Blockchain Lab
Nicole Heron, Salt Communications
Alwyn Craig, Reward
Nicola Moloney, Options Technology
Cliona O’Boyle, BT Ireland Innovation Centre
Data Scientist of the Year
Aoife McCloskey, Data Intellect
Dr. Federico Cruciani, BT Ireland Innovation Centre
Dr. Zhi Chen, BT Ireland Innovations Centre