Awards – INSSA

A wonderful opportunity to get recognised internationally for exceptional SRM skills.

Winners get a cash bursary.

APPLICATIONS CLOSED FOR 2025

Feel you have done something great? Apply here and Win!

Every Year, the INSSA-CSD Excellence Awards recognize and support excellence in the SRM field. Both INSSA and CSD are committed to distinguish SRM best practices,
innovation and true acts of heroism.

This year, it may be You!

In collaboration with the Centre for Safety & Development

Awards Categories

Rising Star

Security risk management (SRM) professionals of under 35 years of age or with less than five (05) years of NGO SRM experience.

SRM Innovator

SRM Professional who has displayed innovative SRM concepts or practices, introduced or developed new systems, or created SRM models that have successfully been applied at the community, country, or regional level.

Outstanding Achiever

SRM professional who has displayed superior SRM leadership in all essential SRM competencies, which are:(i) Risk Assessment/Principles; (ii) Policies and Protocols; (iii) Leadership, Management, and Implementation; and (iv) Critical Incident Response.

Rules & Eligibility

Rules

You must complete all required information on the Application Form and meet the Eligibility Criteria to be considered for an INSSA-CSD Excellence Award.
Applications must be submitted online or via email on or before July 31, 2025, at 23:59 UTC (Universal Time Coordinated).
There is one (1) Award per category in the amount of $1,000 (USD) each. You may apply for more than one Award category, but no applicant will be selected for more than one Award.
The Award recipients will be selected by a panel of judges.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a panel interview using the contact information provided in their Application Forms. The Award recipients will be announced by November.
All decisions are ﬁnal.
Failure to respond to any Award recipient notiﬁcation within 5 (ﬁve) days may result in disqualiﬁcation and selection of an alternate Award recipient.
Each Award recipient may be required to sign a Declaration of Eligibility and Release Form.
This Award programme is subject to all applicable laws, including tax laws that may require withholding of a portion of an Award to any non-U.S. recipient. Award recipients are responsible for all taxes that may be due on the Award. Award recipients should seek advice from a tax professional concerning the tax implications of this award.
This Award programme is not open to residents of any jurisdiction subject to U.S. comprehensive sanctions, including but not limited to Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria, and the Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions of Ukraine.
The application and submission forms are only available in English. All submissions and supporting documents must also be in English.
All applicants must be 21 years of age or older.
If part of your application is submitted through video or audio recording, please make sure the link shared allows access to the examiners to see it, that the image quality is appropriate, and the audio is clear and understandable.
By submitting your application, you agree to these Oﬃcial Rules and the INSSA Terms of Use Agreement and acknowledge INSSA and CSD’s privacy policies (here and here, respectively).
By submitting the Application Form electronically, you provide your digital signature certifying that your information and answers are your own work and that you have read the Eligibility Criteria and the Oﬃcial Rules.

Eligibility

To apply, the candidates must kindly ensure they meet all the following criteria:

You must be a current INSSA member, must be 21 years of age or older and must have held continuous INSSA membership for at least one full year at the time of application.
You must hold a valid Security Risk Management Professional (SRMP) Certiﬁcation at either the Country or Regional Level.
While current NGO employment is not mandatory, your application must be based on demonstrated professional security contributions at the community, country, or regional levels within the non-proﬁt NGO sector.
You must be willing and able to provide two professional references. If currently employed, one reference must be from your present supervisor.
You must not be a resident of any country or region currently subject to comprehensive U.S. sanctions. This includes, but is not limited to, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria, and the Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions of Ukraine.
You must be willing to complete all parts of the recruitment process (including the application and any interviews) in English.
You must read, understand, and formally agree to the Oﬃcial Rules listed below.

Guidance

This year, we are pleased to offer more flexibility in how you submit your application. You may choose one of the following methods, but please note that all applications must be in English:

Video recording (maximum 3 minutes) – You may record yourself using a webcam, smartphone, or any video device. Simple presentations or direct recordings are welcome. Please ensure you speak clearly and that your video is good enough to be understood.
Audio recording (maximum 3 minutes) – Recordings from a phone, computer, or other device are accepted. Please make sure the sound is clear, and that you introduce yourself at the beginning.
Written application (no more than 700 words) – Please ensure your writing is easy to follow and directly addresses the award criteria.

In your submission, explain why you should be considered for the award category you have selected. Please use examples, stories, and experiences that show your impact and achievements. You are welcome to apply for more than one award category using a single application form, as long as you meet the criteria for each category.

Kindly note:

Please do not copy and paste the same answers for different categories. Each award seeks different examples and skills.
Please do not use the same audio or video recording for different categories. The content must match the specific category to strengthen your application.
Only submissions in English will be reviewed. Thank you for your understanding.

We look forward to receiving your application and learning about your inspiring work.

If you have any questions, please write to comms.admin@ingossa.org

Previous Winners

Check Our Latest Podcast about INSSA-CSD Excellence Awards and get to know past winners!

2024 Winners & Finalists

2023 Winners & Finalists

"I am very honored and grateful for the recognition of my contributions in the field of Non-Profit NGO Security Risk Management. Thanks to INSSA, now, I feel stronger and more confident to achieve further milestones ahead. I believe that this award does not only belong to me, but to all youth professionals working in Security Risk Management. Let us work together, our efforts and contributions will definitely be rewarded. As Nelson Mandela once said, 'Safety and Security do not just happen, they are a result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear.'"

"Thank you so much for recognizing and honoring me with the INSSA - CSD Excellence Award (SRM Innovator) award. It is an incredible honour and I am extremely grateful for your recognition of my hard work. I am passionate about innovative and digitised security systems and this award has inspired me to continue striving for excellence in my work. I am thankful to have the opportunity to make a difference in the NGO world and I am humbled to have been acknowledged for my efforts. I encourage future applicants to work hard irrespective of their location in the world; good organizations like INSSA are looking to honour great talents and hard work."

"I am deeply grateful to INSSA & CSD for this recognition. I promise to continue pushing my professional boundaries, setting new industry standards, and meeting evolving humanitarian security needs. This achievement is a testament to the importance of Continuous Professional Development (CPD), professional collaboration, and networking as well as the effectiveness of mentorship by renowned global professional security leaders. These factors are crucial in the contemporary dynamic humanitarian landscape. INSSA & CSD provide exceptional online humanitarian security courses that members are encouraged to take advantage of in a timely manner. THANKS!"

"The INSSA-CSD Excellence Awards provided an exciting opportunity for me and other outstanding security risk management professionals to showcase all we have achieved and all we hope to achieve in the NGO security risk management field. It seems that awards of this caliber are often restricted to individuals with significant years of experience. I greatly appreciate the INSSA-CSD Excellence Awards offering the category of Rising Star as a way to honor the less experienced yet extremely driven individuals in our field. I sincerely value the time and dedication of the INSSA-CSD committee for speaking with all the finalists during the interview round. It was beneficial on my end as well, learning a bit from each individual during my interview. To be recognized as a finalist for the Rising Star category is deeply motivating and I am honored to stand amongst the top contributors in the NGO security risk management field."

"It was a pleasure to participate in the INSSA-CSD Excellence Awards and highly motivating being selected as a finalist. The process made me feel valued, inspired, and recognized. Thanks to INSSA and CSD for such amazing recognition program and I hope this shall inspire more safety and security professional in the coming days."

"It is a great pleasure for me to be among those who have had the opportunity to participate in the first INSSA-CSD NGO Security Risk Management Excellence Awards program. Though I didn't secure the top prize, I am proud of my achievement as a finalist. This boosted my ambition and confidence to build my skills, demonstrate my competence in security risk management and take the next step to achieve my certification at the regional level (SRMP-R). I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to the security risk management professionals who have secured the top prize, as well as the finalists."

"I am really pleased to have participated in the first INSSA-CSD Excellence Awards program and to have made it this far. Congratulations to INSSA, CSD, the winners and all finalists. Together we are raising the bar and making the NGO SRM sector truly outstanding, inclusive and impactful."