World Opex Awards winners

Operational excellence recognized on evidence

The World Opex Awards recognize organizations and practitioners that show measurable operational excellence: a disciplined approach, meaningful results and improvement that lasts. The 2026 results are announced on November 27, 2026. From that day, this page is the official public record of the 2026 awards, listing every rated entry by category with its rating and the jury’s citation.

Nov 272026 results, at the virtual awards ceremony
9award categories
4ratings, plus a Certificate of Participation
3special recognitions from the Founding Advisory Council
Rated, not ranked

Every entry earns the rating its evidence supports

Independent evaluators score every eligible entry against the published World Opex framework. Two organizations can both be Diamond.

Diamond

90 to 100 points
Outstanding performance against the framework, with strong evidence across method, impact, scale, innovation and sustainability.

Gold

80 to under 90
Strong operational excellence, meaningful results and a well-developed improvement approach.

Silver

70 to under 80
Effective use of operational excellence methods with meaningful, documented improvement.

Bronze

60 to under 70
A structured improvement approach with measurable operational benefit.

Certificate of Participation

Under 60
The entry was evaluated but did not reach the score needed for Bronze.

Why ratings instead of rankings?

There is no first, second or third place. An entry does not need to beat another entry to earn an award; it needs to meet the published standard for that rating. So a category can have several Diamond entries, several Gold entries, only Silver or Bronze entries, or no Diamond or Gold at all. The number of entries in a category never decides a rating.

How the results are determined

One published framework for every entry

Each entry is scored on five dimensions, from 0 to 10 each, and weighted into a total out of 100 points. The total decides the rating.

20%Methodology rigor30%Results and impact20%Scale and complexity15%Innovation and originality15%Sustainability and transfer

Methodology rigor · 20%

01
Was the approach suitable, systematic and applied with discipline?

Results and impact · 30%

02
What measurable improvement was achieved?

Scale and complexity · 20%

03
How significant was the challenge, and what made it hard?

Innovation and originality · 15%

04
What was distinctive about the approach?

Sustainability and transfer · 15%

05
Have the results lasted, and has the learning spread?
What the results will show

The official results appear here on November 27, 2026

All 2026 results are released together on the day of the virtual ceremony. Entrants also receive their own results by email. For every rated entry, this page will show:

Recipient

The organization or practitioner that received the rating.

Category

The category in which the entry was evaluated.

Rating

Diamond, Gold, Silver or Bronze.

Jury citation

A short explanation of the achievement and the evidence behind the rating.

Winner profile

With the recipient’s permission, more about the organization and the initiative.
2026 winners by category

Results pending until November 27, 2026

On declaration day, the Diamond, Gold, Silver and Bronze entries in each category and their jury citations are listed here.

Lean Transformation Excellence

Category 01
Results pending · November 27, 2026

Six Sigma Excellence

Category 02
Results pending · November 27, 2026

TPM and Asset Excellence

Category 03
Results pending · November 27, 2026

Digital Operations & Industry 4.0

Category 04
Results pending · November 27, 2026

GBS & Shared Services Excellence

Category 05
Results pending · November 27, 2026

Supply Chain Excellence

Category 06
Results pending · November 27, 2026

SME Excellence

Category 07
Results pending · November 27, 2026

Opex Practitioner of the Year

Category 08 · Individual
Results pending · November 27, 2026

Young Opex Leader Under 35

Category 09 · Individual
Results pending · November 27, 2026
Special recognitions

Selected by the Founding Advisory Council

These three honors are separate from the nine categories and cannot be applied for. Council members nominate and vote, and the recipients are announced with the 2026 results.

Lifetime Achievement in Operational Excellence

For a career whose contributions shaped the discipline, developed generations of practitioners and left a lasting legacy. 2026 recipient: announced November 27, 2026.

World Opex Pioneer Award

For an individual or organization that introduced a new method, framework, technology or approach that significantly advanced operational excellence. 2026 recipient: announced November 27, 2026.

Founding Year Hall of Fame

A one-time honor for 2026, the founding year, for individuals and organizations with many years of sustained, exceptional commitment to operational excellence. 2026 inductees: announced November 27, 2026.
What winners receive

Recognition that lasts beyond the ceremony

Trophy and certificate

Every winner receives a World Opex Awards trophy and certificate, free. The trophy is shipped to the organization after the ceremony.

Winner seal and kit

The official rating seal for your website, proposals, presentations, email signature and press releases, with a press release template and a LinkedIn kit. Used under the seal guidelines for as long as the rating stands.

A permanent winner page

A public record on this site with the recipient, category, rating, jury citation and approved profile, kept online after later seasons are added.

Winner showcase

Diamond and Gold winners are invited to present in the free Winner showcases webinar series from December 2026. A rating does not guarantee a slot.
See the series

Evaluated by experienced practitioners

Entries are scored by an international jury of senior practitioners against the published framework. Jurors declare conflicts of interest and do not score an entry where they have one, so every entry is judged consistently and independently on its evidence.

Every winner has a story

Behind every rating is a problem that had to be solved

The citation explains what the entry achieved and why the jury found the evidence strong enough for its rating: more reliable equipment, less process variation, a transformed supply chain or a stronger improvement culture. After the results, selected winners’ stories become World Opex case studies and webinar sessions, with the recipient’s permission.

Key dates

The 2026 awards calendar

Five dates to plan around. Entries are judged on the evidence submitted, and the ceremony is online so every finalist can attend.
DoneEntries openJune 1, 2026Submissions accepted from this date
DoneEarly-bird deadlineJuly 31, 2026Last day for the early-bird entry fee
DoneFinal deadlineAugust 31, 2026No entries after this date
NextJudgingOctober 2026Independent jury reviews every entry
UpcomingVirtual ceremonyNovember 27, 2026Winners announced online
FAQ

Questions about the World Opex Awards results

On November 27, 2026, at the virtual awards ceremony. Every rated entry is announced the same day.

On this page, by email to each entrant, in the winners press release and on the World Opex LinkedIn page.

Yes. Entries are rated against an absolute standard, not ranked against each other. If several entries meet the Diamond standard, all of them receive Diamond.

Yes. A rating depends only on the score against the published framework, not on how many entries a category receives.

They are ratings against the World Opex standard, not first to fourth place. Each entry earns the rating its evidence supports.

An international jury of senior practitioners, scoring each entry against the published framework. Jurors declare conflicts of interest and do not score entries where they have one.

Yes. Every qualifying entry receives written feedback after evaluation. This page shows a shorter jury citation for each rated entry.

Yes. Every winner receives the official seal and guidelines, and can use it on company and professional materials for as long as the rating stands.

No. The trophy, certificate, seal and winner kit are free for every winner. The trophy is shipped to the organization after the ceremony.

Yes. The 2026 results stay on this page when later seasons are added. This page becomes the permanent archive of World Opex Awards results.

Yes, with the organization’s consent. An entry already documents the problem, the work and the results, which makes it a strong starting point for a published case study.

Diamond and Gold winners are invited to the Winner showcases webinar series from December 2026. Winners and entrants may also be invited to other webinars and to the practice segment of the World Opex Conference. An invitation depends on the program, so a rating does not guarantee a slot.

Yes. Link to this page or to the winners press release, and describe each result by its rating and category, as rated rather than ranked.

The 2027 season opens on declaration day, November 27, 2026. Its categories, requirements, fees and deadlines are published on the awards page.

Not a winner yet?

Build your next entry around evidence

The awards recognize work that can show what changed, how it changed and why it matters. Start by knowing the framework and the evidence you already have.

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