The 12th International Best Practice Competition (IBPC 2026) has successfully concluded with the official announcement of winners across all awards and categories on Thursday, 5 November 2026.

We are delighted to share this special occasion with you as we recognise the achievements of teams from around the world and celebrate their contributions to advancing organisational excellence and setting new benchmarks for performance.

The award winners and other recognised organisations demonstrate how outstanding best practices can deliver meaningful results, create lasting impact and inspire progress through innovation, benchmarking, learning and continuous improvement.

Through a structured assessment process, IBPC recognises outstanding practices across diverse sectors and areas of excellence, using IBPC’s Best Practice Certification Scheme, with 7 Stars signifying an International Best Practice (Role Model, World-Class, Wow!) – the pinnacle achievement.

IBPC 2026: The Process, Participation and Major Achievements

IBPC 2026 featured 165 qualifying entries from 12 countries: Australia, Colombia, Jordan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States. After submitting the best practice applications in Round 1, the qualifying organisations presented their best practices during the Round 2 Best Practice Sharing Extravaganza, held online from 3 August to 21 September 2026 across 33 curated webinar sessions focussing on IBPC’s 27 categories of excellence. Following a rigorous assessment process by distinguished international jury panels, 24 finalists progressed to the Best of the Best – Awards Spectacular Final Sessions, held on 20 and 22 October 2026.

Among the major achievements of IBPC 2026, 14 best practices received 7-Star recognition, while 18 best practices achieved 6-Star ratings.

IBPC 2026 – Official Awards Announcement of All the Winners

Watch the official announcement celebrating the IBPC 2026 winners and recognition recipients across all award categories

Recognising Excellence Across Multiple Awards and Categories

The IBPC 2026 Awards Announcement recognised achievements across a range of awards and categories, reflecting different dimensions of organisational best practices and excellence, innovation, benchmarking and sustainability.

The awards announced included:

• 8^th Organisation-Wide Innovation Award (OWIA)
• 11^th GBN Global Benchmarking Award
• 5^th ESG Excellence Award
• 12^th International Best Practice Competition Awards, including:
  • New Zealand Best Practice Competition Awards
  • IBPC Small Organisation Best Practice Award (50 or less employees)
  • IBPC Rising Star Best Practice Award
  • Honour of Distinction in International Best Practices
  • Pioneer in Excellence Prizes
  • IBPC Category Awards for 27 Categories of Excellence
  • 6-Star Best Practices
  • 7-Star Award Winner(s) Announcement (Pinnacle Level of Recognition)

Several organisations were also recognised through the IBPC Category Awards across 27 Categories of Excellence, covering areas such as Leadership, Environmental Sustainability, Strategy Deployment and Execution, Financial Resource Management, AI-led Transformation and many more.

Introduced for the first time in 2026, the IBPC Rising Star Best Practice Award recognises innovative and inspiring practices rated 4 Stars or below that demonstrate value and exceptional potential for wider learning, adaptation and impact.

What Makes an Award-Winning Best Practice?

What distinguishes an award-winning best practice is not simply its innovative approach, but also how effectively it has been implemented, the results it has achieved and the evidence supporting its success. The IBPC Best Practice Certification Scheme considers these and other important factors through six assessment criteria, as illustrated in Figure 1 below.

Figure 1: The jury assesses the submitted practices against the six IBPC Best Practice Certification Criteria

Celebrating Achievement and Best Practice Sharing

We congratulate all IBPC 2026 award winners on their achievements and extend our appreciation to every participating organisation for sharing their best practices and experiences throughout the competition. Their participation has enriched the global business excellence community and reinforced the value of sharing knowledge and advancing best practices to inspire excellence across organisations, industries and societies.

We also express our sincere gratitude to the esteemed international Jury members for their invaluable expertise, time and commitment to a fair assessment process, and to the supporters and patrons whose unwavering conviction in IBPC’s mission of achieving success through shared knowledge played an instrumental role in making IBPC 2026 a resounding success.

Looking Ahead: 13^th International Best Practice Competition 2027

Inspire others through your success story.

As we set our sights on IBPC 2027, we invite organisations across the world to be part of the next chapter in this global movement of best practice and organisational excellence. If your organisation has a successful practice, an innovative initiative or a transformative approach delivering measurable results, this is your opportunity to bring your achievements to the international stage.

Showcase what you do exceptionally well and what you are proud of. Share what others can learn from. Benchmark your achievements against global excellence.

Start preparing your best practices for IBPC 2027 and take your place among organisations shaping the future of excellence. We would be delighted to hear from you and support you on your journey.

To explore participation opportunities and learn more about IBPC 2027, please contact Dr Robin Mann, Chairperson, IBPC. Email: r.s.mann@coer.org.nz.

IBPC Website: https://bestpracticecompetition.com/