Honour Awards

The following is a summary of the changes being made this year. For full details see the relevant section below.

• Virtual interviews will be conducted with a sample group of applicants.

These awards celebrate the best of the best in health, safety and environmental management, giving great companies the recognition that they deserve. 

Each year, those that have achieved a five-star result in one of the following audits are invited to apply: 

• Five Star Occupational Health and Safety Audit 
• Five Star Environmental Audit 
• Five Star Integrated Health, Safety and Environmental Audit 
• Combined Audit. 
• Five Star Process Safety Management 

With a direct link to the Five Star Audit report, these awards require a detailed and objective evaluation of occupational health, safety and environmental management system(s) and associated arrangements. 

Introduced in 2023, the Shield of Honour award recognises excellence in wellbeing. To be eligible for the Shield of Honour, applicants must have achieved five-stars in one of the following audits: 

• Five Star Wellbeing Audit 
• Five Star Wellbeing Supplementary Audit. 

Getting the five-star audit is just the start though, like the Sword and Globe awards, applicants need to demonstrate to an independent adjudication panel that they have a proven track record and culture of best practice for excellence in wellbeing, that runs throughout the organisation, from the shop floor to the boardroom. 

New for 2026, a sample of applicants will be randomly selected to validate the responses given on their application in a virtual interview. This selection will be made following the application submission deadline on the 23 September 2026 and the selected applicants will be notified with a MS Teams placeholder invite for the week beginning on the 29 September 2026. 

The Honour awards will culminate in the health, safety, wellbeing and environmental event of the year at the prestigious Drapers’ Hall in London on 27 November 2026. The ceremony will bring together hundreds of like-minded international leaders across sectors. 

The cost of the luncheon options are as follows: 

The Honour Awards Luncheon individual ticket £424  

The Honour Awards Luncheon package £1,734 

We are conscious that organisations are recognised for winning the Sword, Globe, Shield or Guardian of Honour but it is individuals who make this happen. For 2026, in recognition of this, we will again have staff trophies (designed to sit on someone’s desk) available to purchase. These individual trophies must be purchased at the same time as a main, full-size trophy. Full details will be available shortly. 

Successful Honour Award applicants demonstrate that they are among the 'best of the best' through the submission of a written application and achieving their Five Star audit. The awards give winners the opportunity to: 

• Promote their success with the winners' trophy, logo, certificate and press coverage 
• Add this achievement to tenders and corporate literature 
• Showcase your commitment to excellent health, safety, wellbeing and environmental management standards 
• Motivate your workforce to strive for higher standards 
• Benchmark yourself against others in your field. 

Organisations who have achieved the top grade in their Five Star audit will receive an email from [email protected] inviting them to apply for the scheme. The Sword, Globe and Shield of Honour application can be purchased, by paying via credit card or invoice. 

Watch our video on how to allocate licences: