Category 01
SOC & Defensive Security
SOC analysts, incident responders, SIEM engineers, threat hunters, blue team members who defend organizations against cyber threats every day.
Who should apply
- SOC analysts and engineers monitoring and triaging alerts
- Incident responders leading forensics and containment
- SIEM/SOAR architects building detection pipelines
- Threat hunters proactively finding adversaries
- Blue team leads running detection-as-code
What judges look for
- Meaningful reduction in mean-time-to-detect (MTTD) or mean-time-to-respond (MTTR)
- Novel detection rules or playbooks that caught real threats
- SOC automation that freed analyst time for higher-value work
- Threat hunting discoveries with business impact
- Clear metrics showing security posture improvement
Eligibility
Universal criteria
Experience & leadership
3–5+ years in technology, mid-tier (non-CXO) roles, proven leadership and impact.
Innovation & creativity
Demonstrated problem-solving and creative solutions within your field.
Growth & mentorship
Continuous learning plus developing others through mentorship or training.
Adaptability & resilience
Proven resilience through crises or significant organizational change.
Ethics & responsibility
High ethical standards, diversity & inclusion, community and sustainability work.
Candidates
Nominees in SOC & Defensive Security
Common questions
FAQ
I work at an MSSP — am I eligible?
Yes. If you manage SOC operations for clients, you qualify. Describe the scope and scale of the environment you defend.
We use a managed SIEM — can I still apply?
Absolutely. The award is about outcomes and leadership, not whether you built the tool yourself.
Know someone who deserves this?
Urge them to apply or nominate someone you know
Help us find the best talent. Apply yourself or nominate a colleague — every great candidate starts with someone who believes in them.
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