Sixty-one years ago, the very first ACE Awards were launched. Six decades on we’ve made a step change to ensure their legacy continues stronger than ever.
Our reimagined 2026 ACE Awards are future fit. At their heart is the delivery of game-changing consulting services by ACE member firms that shape our future.
We’re celebrating the agility, creativity and excellence of the businesses and people who lead our sector, strengthen partnerships and deliver outstanding work that creates real value for clients and communities.
As anticipation mounts ahead of the opening of expressions of interest next month, we talk to ACE Awards Convenor David Bridges about the why the 2026 awards are the beginning of an exciting and vital new chapter in consulting history.
What is the focus of the 2026 ACE Awards?
“Great consulting is front and centre of the new awards, which also feature a renewed focus on sector leadership and partnership with Māori. People centric and societal, the awards celebrate culturally competent practice and strong client relationships across Aotearoa.
“Instead of focusing on the bricks and mortar, the storytelling and celebration showcase the business of consulting and delivery. It’s about taking technology and creating sustainable and enduring buildings and a safer environment for people to live, work and play in.
“Historically we’ve celebrated outstanding projects but, as knowledge has become democratised, consultants’ value lies higher up the chain. We must think beyond bricks and mortar if we are to deliver outstanding consulting services, and we need to be telling our stories. The really smart consultant adds value for the client and the wider community – it becomes a win-win for everyone.”
These new awards recognise all firms, regardless of size. Why is this important?
“Many of our members do really great consulting, but they see this as BAU – they don’t see what they’re doing as something that makes a real difference, is outstanding or elevates outcomes. The 2026 ACE Awards will celebrate the essential role every individual and team plays in shaping a larger, more complex picture.
“Regardless of how small a piece of the jigsaw puzzle you are, if you’ve played a key role in the successful consulting and uplift of the industry, we want to hear about it.
“An example of award-worthy work is a subconsultant on a multi-storey high-end development that changed the process for getting GIB up to the various floors. This took multiple weeks off the project timeline and, more importantly, created a new norm for delivering GIB to multi-storey high-rise developments. This is 100 per cent award-worthy and was achieved by a subconsultant doing a small facet of a multi-disciplinary project.
“So, tell us about those little lightbulb moments that make a step change in how something is done, how outcomes are delivered, or how wellbeing is affected.”
How are the new award categories future fit to better reflect today and tomorrow?
“Impact, collaboration, innovation, relationships, sustainability and value. These components sit at the heart of the new 2026 ACE Awards categories and reflect the awards new symbol, the puzzle piece. Great work, just like completing a puzzle, emerges when each element aligns.
“There are also awards specific to your business size – small, medium or large – to counter any misconception that awards are just for big companies and big projects.
“Consulting is about precision, collaboration and the ability to see how every component – strategy, execution, client relationships, innovation – fits together to deliver outstanding outcomes. We want to hear about the impact of the services provided, the collaboration and innovation involved, the relationships developed, sustainability outcomes and the value created.
“The new awards categories celebrate the delivery of consulting services which elevate the status of consultants and make a measurable difference to our clients and the communities in which we live, work and play.”
You say storytelling is essential for the health of the consulting profession. Why is this more important now than ever before?
“People take it for granted that a consultant will be right, but we don’t celebrate the successes enough. Consultants’ stories provide exemplars for the profession to share with clients and decision makers to show them what outstanding consulting services look like, and the accompanying benefits.
“Telling our story also creates awareness within the wider industry, community and stakeholders of the huge difference consultants make to our communities. But we can only do this if ACE members tell us what they’re doing, why they’re proud of it and what impact it makes.
“AI also occupies a rapidly growing role in our work. Only by bringing the underlying knowledge and wisdom of all the information that sits underneath the AI will we elevate consultants and ensure that we’re still in business in 10 years’ time. If we don’t operate in this knowledge and wisdom space and deliver exceptional value, we will cease to exist.”
Why should ACE members be excited about entering the 2026 ACE Awards?
“Great outcomes don’t come easily. Consultants’ roles in shaping a larger, more complex picture to create outstanding outcomes deserve to be celebrated, regardless of the size of the role played.
“We enhance and encourage appreciation of the true value that consultants bring to their clients and communities by sharing stories, celebrating and showcasing the essential roles that individuals and teams play in creating a step change. So, let’s shout about them from the rooftops!”
For more information about each award, including the assessment criteria and submission guidelines, visit the ACE Awards platform.