The Gift Card & Voucher Association published its 2026 Hall of Fame Awards shortlist on July 21, alongside an explanation of its judging process. The announcement covered ten categories spanning products, manufacturing, retailers, service providers and individual contributions. [S01]

Selected categories from the shortlist

Scroll left or right to see all columns
Selected categories from the shortlist

Category

Shortlisted entries

Best Industry Innovation

Amazon; Sainsbury’s and Argos; Thames Technology

Best B2B Product or Service

ASDA for Business and InComm Payments; Virgin Experience Days and Edenred Payment Solutions; Merit Incentives

Best B2C Product or Service

Edenred Payment Solutions, New Look and Voucher Express; Tillo and Quidco; Everup; Lifestyle Gift Cards

Service Provider of the Year

BHN; epay; Tillo

How the association described judging

For categories one to eight, the GCVA described panels of three or four judges. Judges could not assess a category entered by their own company, and two judges from the same company could not share a panel. Entries were scored on ambition, outcome, communication, involvement and value, followed by panel discussion. [S01]

The Rising Star and Honoured Industry Contributor categories followed a different route: an internal shortlist and a membership vote. [S01]

Reading the list as an industry signal

The selected categories show several joint entries, reflecting the combination of retailer, distribution and technology work behind a gift-card proposition. They are nominations, not a league table of sales, customer satisfaction or market share.

The July announcement scheduled the awards celebration for September 17 at the Underglobe in London. This article records the shortlist stage and does not infer the eventual winners. The full nomination list is available in the source. [S01]

For buyers researching the market, nomination can be a reason to examine a programme more closely. It does not establish that the same product is suitable for a different retailer, workforce or distribution channel. Implementation, coverage and commercial terms still need to be assessed for that particular use.