Setting the standard for the loyalty industry, the International Loyalty Awards (ILA) has been the premier global recognition program for loyalty industry since its inception in 2010. Now in its 18th year, the ILA is one of the most trusted and esteemed awards programs in the industry, dedicated to honouring excellence, innovation, and best practices worldwide.
Since 2010, the International Loyalty Awards (ILA) has recognised the people, organisations, programmes and initiatives setting the benchmark for excellence in customer loyalty.
Now in its 18th year, the ILA is a premier global awards programme celebrating innovation, creativity, pioneering loyalty strategies and customer-centric initiatives that deliver meaningful customer and commercial impact.
The International Loyalty Awards shine a global spotlight on exceptional loyalty , from major global programmes and established brands to innovative businesses, emerging talent and industry leaders.
A growing global awards community
Following phenomenal growth in entries from around the world, the International Loyalty Awards are expanding through a network of regional hubs, with the European Loyalty Awards launching as the first in 2025.
The regional hubs extend the reach of the Awards, while the International Loyalty Awards remain the global stage for recognising the very best in loyalty.
Recognising excellence across the loyalty ecosystem
With categories spanning loyalty programmes, strategy, innovation, technology, industry sectors, leadership and individual achievement, the Awards are carefully curated each year to reflect the evolving loyalty landscape.
Entries are welcomed from organisations and brands of all sizes, from global enterprises and established brands to SMEs and specialist loyalty organisations.
One global programme. Five regional awards. One benchmark for loyalty excellence.
The awards recognise outstanding loyalty programs, initiatives, strategies, teams, and individuals, regardless of the size of their program or budget. The focus is on celebrating standout innovation, creativity, pioneering loyalty solutions, and customer-centric initiatives that drive growth and profitability.
With a wide range of categories covering the full spectrum of the loyalty business, the awards are meticulously curated and updated annually to remain relevant to current trends and developments.
We invite entries from organizations and brands of all sizes – whether large enterprises or SMEs – across Europe (Western, Central, and Eastern), the Middle East, Africa, India, Asia, and the Americas. Any entity that engages directly with customers, whether operating on a local or global level, is eligible to participate and submissions are submitted online.
The International Loyalty Awards set a global benchmark for outstanding customer loyalty, honouring exceptional work from the past year and celebrating the entire industry. It is the premier event on the loyalty calendar, brimming with excitement, inspiration, and extraordinary talent.
Each category is evaluated by a distinguished panel of over fifty respected loyalty experts from diverse markets and sectors. With extensive experience in the field, our judges understand what it takes to excel and succeed in the competitive and ever-evolving loyalty landscape. Our judging process is rigorous, credible, and transparent, encompassing thorough shortlisting, pre-scoring, and a detailed judging session where each entry is meticulously discussed to determine the winners.
The International Loyalty Awards are presented by Zenith Marketing Global, a global loyalty business spanning events, awards, data & insights, and consultancy. We connect the loyalty community with the people, ideas and organisations shaping its future — creating platforms for recognition, insight, connection and growth. Led by Co-CEOs Marian Kelly and Eileen McGuiness, Zenith Marketing Global brings deep loyalty expertise and a global network to everything we do.
17 September 2026
Entry Closing Date: 5 th November
10 December 2026
21 January 2027
25th January
15 th April 2027, USA
Building on our pioneering partnership with Loyalty Connect Global, we are dedicated to fostering collaboration, sharing insights, and advancing the loyalty ecosystem to new heights.
In addition to attending the prestigious awards ceremony, all attendees have a compelling reason to participate in Loyalty Connect Global US 2027 which will take place on 15th of April
This event offers an exceptional opportunity to delve into the latest trends, innovations, and advancements in customer loyalty. Attendees will gain invaluable insights from industry leaders, explore cutting-edge developments, and learn from successful case studies and real-world examples.
Don’t miss this chance to enhance your understanding and network with key figures in the loyalty industry before celebrating the achievements at the awards.
Entry to the awards is open worldwide and open to companies of all sizes,
from SME to Blue Chip to Global Enterprise. Any loyalty initiative, project,
campaign, or innovation active during the last 12 months that interfaced
directly with the customer, is eligible for entry. While there are a small number of awards specifically tailored for SMEs (such as Retail & Long-Term Loyalty Program of the Year),SMEs are also strongly encouraged to review all the categories which may also be relevant and are not limited in terms of company size.
Agencies, service providers and programme managers may assist with the preparation and submission of an entry and may also be mentioned in that entry, but the entry form will need to include the contact details for a senior representative of the customer facing organisation or brand. The award will be presented to the customer facing organisation.
Early Bird closing date for entry is 5th November 2026.
Final closing date for receipt on your online application is 10 December 2026. Only for exceptional cases will an extension be granted.
Early Bird rate available from 17th September to 5th November
Global & Regional
Early Bird Rate – Global Regional Awards £500.00 (excludes VAT)
Standard Rate – £700.00 (excludes VAT)
Category & Industry Specific
Early Bird Rate – Single Category £355.00 (excludes VAT)
Standard Rate – Single Category £390.00 (excludes VAT)
SME
Standard Rate – Single Category £290.00 (excludes VAT)
Trailblazers
Rising Stars of Global Loyalty – Standard Rate – £100.00 (excludes VAT)
International Loyalty Awards 2025 Personality of the Year – Free to nominate
Yes, you can enter as many categories as you want. Just make sure that you meet the eligibility criteria for each category before submitting.
Enter is online via our entry portal. All entries must complete the necessary online entry information. There is an option to upload supplementary information to support your entry
Yes – all awards submissions are treated as highly confidential. Only the ILA Awards team and the judging panel will view them. All the judges are bound by an NDA and Code of Conduct covering confidentiality, conflicts of interest and contact with entrants.
Yes, Entrants may mark financial information or sensitive parts of their entry as ‘not for publication’. Please do so clearly by highlighting text or using a different colour and referring to it. This will be respected in all instances by the organisers. However, entries marked substantially or in their entirety as ‘not for publication’ will be refused. When submitting your entry, please ensure you have obtained permission to feature material from key stakeholders as necessary. Third parties or business partners should be made aware that the material may appear in print unless marked as ‘not for publication’.
The voting process
On being announced as a finalist the ILA team will send you a voting link which can be shared with your customers, clients and staff, when you invite them to vote for your loyalty program.
The technical stuff
The competition will be independently audited and will use an algorithm to align number of votes with size of membership, to ensure that irrespective of size, all programs have an equal chance of winning.
