One of my most pleasant and inspiring responsibilities is coordinating the annual Enterprise Architecture (EA) awards. These awards have been an institution since 2010 and, as of last year, are now conducted in partnership with The Open Group. Last year, we had a record 29 entries across the globe and noted a number of key trends impacting EA:

  • The shift from project to product.
  • The decline of architecture review.
  • Increasing focus on platform engineering.

The Forrester Enterprise Architecture Award is the only global awards program dedicated to recognizing excellence in enterprise architecture. We continue our partnership with The Open Group — author of the TOGAF® Standard, developed by The Open Group Architecture Forum — to co-judge the EA Award category this year.

The recipients of this award can demonstrate their EA practice’s material contribution to their firms in managing risk, driving cost efficiency, improving customer experience (as well as employee experience), and increasing revenue (or supporting mission outcomes for nonprofit, governmental, and military organizations). They may also demonstrate:

  • An EA roadmap that contributes to the high performance of its technology organization and the entire business.
  • EA practices that drive change, growth, and differentiation through timely yet strategic decisions.
  • An EA organization that embodies the six foundational priorities: valuable, influential, agile, accountable, innovative, and collaborative.
  • EA metrics that focus on customer outcomes and experiences.

This year, we also have two special awards categories: genAI and IT4IT architecture (see the packet for details).

We encourage all companies that have achieved success in outcome-driven EA practices to participate in the Forrester Enterprise Architecture Award.

Who Should Apply?

Nominations are open to organizations with 1,000 or more employees in sectors other than software or professional services that are executing a high-performance IT strategy and/or pursuing outcome-driven architecture as defined by Forrester. Technology leaders, including chief information officers, chief technology officers, chief digital officers, and enterprise architects, across three regions — North America, EMEA, and APAC — are encouraged to apply.

Last year’s winners were U.S. Bank in North America, Schneider Electric in EMEA, and Union Bank of the Philippines in APAC.

You can find more information about the award categories, plus detailed submission packages and instructions, on the websites for our three Technology & Innovation Summits below. Please choose the appropriate link for your region:

North America

EMEA

APAC

Submissions close on May 20, 2024, for North America; June 20, 2024, for EMEA; and July 9, 2024, for APAC. We will notify finalists by the end of July 2024. At that time, we will ask for additional information. We will then announce finalists and award recipients ahead of Forrester’s Technology & Innovation Summits in North America, EMEA, and APAC.

Spread the word, and if you’re entering, good luck!