About the new MyData Award

What is the award presented for?

The MyData Awards are given in recognition of meaningful contributions made towards realising the MyData Declaration in practice. Past and current activities with a potential for ongoing impact are eligible. We will reward activities in one or more of these four key areas:

1. Technology – developing, innovating and implementing personal data infrastructure, empowerment technology, or other usable technologies that help individuals or organisations towards the human-centric and empowered future we seek.
2. Governance – creating and implementing enactable regulatory policies, administrative rules, standards, codes of conduct, laws and other governance mechanisms that bring us closer towards the human-centric vision of the MyData Declaration.
3. Business – operating financially sustainable businesses or service models that create economic or social value through personal data and prioritise individual empowerment and a better and more holistic data future. 
4. Thought Leadership – advancing understanding about the nature and importance of a human-centric approach, through education, research, advocacy, sense-making, thought leadership and influence among policy-makers, business leaders and the general public.

Who can receive an award?

• Nominations were open to any individual, collective or organisation; not just specialist data intermediaries or MyData enthusiasts, but researchers, journalists, lawmakers, activists, entrepreneurs, futurists, innovators, charities and any other individual or group you can think of.
• To be eligible to receive an award, a nominated individual, collective or organisation must be a MyData Global member in good standing. Therefore, awardees who are not members are encouraged to join, so that they might be recognised for their achievement.
• There was no award application fee. The only charge is the membership fee. For more details on fees for your organisation to join click here (or to join as an individual click here).
• Eligible, validated nominees will be presented the Award if they are considered to have satisfactorily met the criteria.
• There is no limit to the number of individuals or organisations that can be granted an Award. Each organisation or individual receives only one Award, potentially for multiple reasons or in multiple categories.

What process is being used?

• Anyone, whether a member of MyData or not, was able to nominate themself or any individual or organisation inside or outside of the membership for consideration on the basis of activities undertaken.
• This was done by completing a nomination form, explaining the activity to be considered and providing justification (in up to four categories) for why the nominee’s activity has or is having impact and is worthy of recognition.
• Nominations are being reviewed, with the form response being supplemented by additional information gathering where needed.
• Candidate awardees (those nominations deemed satisfactory in staff pre-checks) are to be evaluated by judging panels (made from staff and member volunteers) against established criteria.
• Awardees will be recognised and celebrated at a winners ceremony in June 2025.

What are the benefits of receiving the award?

Awardees will be able to show their award as either a “MyData Award 2024” or “MyData Award 2025” badge, depending on their needs. This will validate their organisational brand or personal reputation and be a valuable branding asset in any publicity.

All recipients will receive the same award badge, but may earn it through different categories, establishing their achievement as (for example), a:

• MyData-aligned technology
• MyData-aligned governance model
• MyData-aligned business, or
• MyData-aligned thought leader.

By what criteria were applications judged?

The MyData Awards recognise achievements, progress and impact towards the more human-centric world in the MyData Declaration. We seek 3 shifts, namely: 

• Making digital and data rights more actionable
• Empowerment and protection of individuals through personal data
• Moving from closed to open ecosystems

We approach these shifts through the pursuit of the following principles:

• Human-centric control – where you decide how your personal data is used, by being given visibility and control over data and data-based algorithms and decisions
• Individual as the point of integration – being given a joined-up, holistic and accurate view of your data from different sources
• Empowered individuals – where we are free and autonomous agents with agency and initiative over our digital lives
• Portability – where your data can be accessed and re-used however you like, and lock-in is avoided so that your data relationships are portable too
• Transparency and Accountability – where data holders are open about how they collect and use personal data, explain their decisions so that people can understand and make informed decisions.
• Interoperability – where common business practices and technical standards allow personal data and information to flow freely, with individual consent and control

To be successful, judges need to see (from objective evidence) how a nominee advances one or more of these shifts and objectives. All those applicants judged (by staff and community judges) to have made significant impact towards any of the three shifts and the six principles above will qualify for the Award. These shifts and principles are detailed in full in the Declaration. 

What is the timeline for the awards?

Award nominations: Nominations for the 2026 awards will open 1st July 2025.

Review period: After the nomination period closes (likely around end of August 2025), a review period will take place. If a nomination is approved by the Evaluation Panel, the nominee will need to become a member of MyData to receive the Award. This involves pledging to support the vision of the MyData Declaration, and registering in the membership portal. Member fees are negotiable.

Awarding period: Awardees who are signed-up members have been notified in April. Those who go on to become members will be named and profiled on the MyData website in May. There will be an awards ceremony in June. Resources allowing, a report on the state of the art, based on awardees’ qualifying work, will follow.