And the winner is…

Hollywood just handed out the Oscars for excellence in film. Now it’s the security industry’s turn to showcase its finest.

The next few weeks will be jam-packed with awards presentations for security professionals and companies that go above and beyond protecting people and assets.

Let’s take a sneak peek at what’s in store on the security awards docket for the rest of the month and into early April. First, the Security Industry Association (SIA) will reveal the 2025 SIA Women in Security Forum (WISF) Power 100 on International Women’s Day on March 8.

This annual initiative, now in its fourth year, honors 100 women in the security industry whose outstanding accomplishments and success stories are breaking barriers, redefining the faces of leadership and showcasing the innovative contributions women bring to the industry, as the association states. The Power 100 honorees will be recognized during the SIA Women in Security Forum breakfast on Friday, April 4, during ISC West.

Next up, yours truly will be taking the stage at PSA TEC in Denver next week as Security Systems News will be presenting the fourth annual Integrator of the Year/Bill Bozeman Awards, in partnership with PSA Security Network.

Awards will be given in three categories broken down by size – small (up to $5 million), medium ($6 million-$25 million) and large (over $25 million) integration companies – as well as an overall winner, which will be honored with the Bill Bozeman Award.

I must say it is truly an honor to present the Integrator of the Year/Bill Bozeman Awards each year, seeing the smiles on the faces of the winners whose responsibility is to ensure that security systems are installed properly and to the satisfaction of their customers.

Stay tuned on March 11 as we announce the Integrator of the Year and Bill Bozeman Award winners on our site, www.securitysystemsnews.com, as well as on our social media channels.

There will be no shortage of awards handed out at the showcase industry event of the year, ISC West, taking place March 31-April 4 in Las Vegas at the Venetian Expo.

Let’s start with what has become an institution at ISC West, the SIA New Products and Solutions (NPS) Awards, formerly the SIA New Product Showcase. These awards recognize innovative physical security products, services and solutions that are used in the protection of life and property in residential, commercial and institutional settings.

The SIA NPS Awards program recognizes winners in several product and service categories and presents the Judges' Choice and Best New Product awards. This year’s NPS Awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday, April 2, at 3:30 p.m. PDT on The Bridge stage located on the show floor.

It could not be a completely fulfilling ISC West experience for the SSN team without the annual Mission 500 Security 5K/2K, which takes place on Thursday, April 3, at 7:30 a.m. PDT. We will be honored again this year to help set up the gazebos, registration tables and signs for the annual run/walk that benefits children and communities in need across the U.S.

It’s really not about who crosses the finish line first; everyone who runs, walks and sponsors the 5K/2K are truly winners!

Later that afternoon, Mission 500 will honor the top runners in each category at the Security 5K/2K during its awards ceremony. In addition, the winners of the Mission 500 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Humanitarian Awards will be announced.

The Mission 500 Corporate Social Responsibility Award recognizes companies in the security industry that demonstrate outstanding commitment to helping those in need, while the Humanitarian Award honors an individual within the security industry for his/her significant contributions to humanitarian causes focused on helping children in need.

It's truly inspiring to see companies and individuals honored for going above and beyond in their efforts to make a positive difference in the lives of children. The ceremony will be held at The Bridge - Booth #25059 - from 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. PDT.

Whew! That’s a lot of hardware being handed out in the coming weeks. It’s all good – the security industry’s best deserve to be recognized for all they do to protect us and keep us safe each and every day. The envelope, please.