The Card & Payments Awards offer organizations

• Credit, debit, prepaid, and charge card issuers, their cobranded affinity or retail card partners, merchant acquirers, payment processors, other payments companies, and retailers 
• The unique opportunity to showcase their latest card and payments related initiatives and programs to the industry.
• The awards will recognize, highlight, and celebrate the contributions and successes of those entries that demonstrate strong product development, best practices, innovation, and customer service excellence.
  

• Credit, debit, prepaid, and charge card issuers
• Cobrands, merchant acquirers, payment processors, retailers,
• Payments companies worldwide that offer programs or initiatives within or from the US markets.
• There is a range of categories covering key disciplines, offering organizations the opportunity to showcase all their achievements. 
  
• Entries must be in the name of the organization that has the direct interface with the end ‘payer’ or the merchant offering the service.
• Entries may be prepared by suppliers and other members of the value chain; however, the Award nomination must be in the name of the end consumer or B2B brand and must be authorized by that brand.
  

Please note that the judges reserve the right to reclassify your entry into a different category if they believe it is more suitable.

The inaugural Card & Payments Awards US will be held in September 2026 in Manhattan.

Venue TBC

The timings are as follows (but subject to slight change):

• 18.00 Champagne Reception
• 19.30 Guests seated for dinner
• 20.30 Awards Ceremony
• 23.00 End of Awards

• The Awards is strictly a black-tie event.
• This means formal dinner suits for men and formal evening dresses (or similar) for women.
• No one under the age of 21 is permitted to attend the awards. 

The winner of each category will receive:

• A finalist seal to share on social media - for use for 1 year only from the awards date
• Social media tile for unlimited usage - for use for 1 year only from the awards date
• Digital email seal for unlimited usage - for use for 1 year only from the awards date
• A digital certificate - upon request
  
• A physical Winner's trophy presented on the evening at the Awards
• A magnum bottle of champagne presented on the evening of the Awards, by our Prime Sponsor, FIS
• Inclusion in the Winner's list on the website
• Listed in the digital winners' magazine shared via mailing and on the website
• Dedicated posts on social media (Instagram & LinkedIn)
• If you would like to use your Awards Winner seal after your first free year, you will need to purchase a license from us to do so, which you can do below ($350).

Establish that your organization meets the eligibility criteria to enter The Card & Payments Awards US.

In addition, please note the following:

• Entries must relate to existing or new activity in the US market between 1 Sept 2024 and 31st March 2026 (except Best Payments Industry Newcomer and Industry Achievement Award - see below).
• Submissions for the Best Payments Industry Newcomer category must come from organizations that commenced operating no earlier than 36 months prior to 1 April 2026.
• Nominations for the Industry Achievement Award come from our judges are are not open for submission.
• Entries must be submitted by the organization that has the direct interface with the end payer or the merchant offering the service.
• Judges will be looking for significant developments or additional objectives and results in the period where existing projects are referenced and submitted.
• The Organization entering MUST include evidential documents (such as a PowerPoint presentation) and valid metrics, the entry will not be validated without these.

All entries must be submitted online via the entry form(s). Entry fees can only be paid by a debit or credit card online. If you require assistance,  please contact us.

• To enter, add the appropriate categories to your basket, you will then need to create an account or login to your existing account, then proceed to complete the entry forms 
• Please read through the form and check what you need to supply before starting
• It is best to prepare your entry in advance and ensure that you gain approval prior to submitting
• Note the word limits for each section – the form will automatically limit your word count
• Information can be copied and pasted from a text editor, such as Word
• Once submitted, you will receive an automatic response confirming that we have received the entry. A member of the team may contact you with any queries. 

Key Dates

ENTRIES OPEN - March 1, 2026

ENTRIES CLOSE - July 17, 2026

SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED - August 31, 2026

AWARDS DINNER - November 17, 2026

• All material will remain confidential to the judges.
• We do recommend that you provide as many metrics as possible with your entries. You can flag any commercially sensitive elements of your entry with the wording 'Not For Publication' (we recommend the use of footnotes for this purpose). The organizers will ensure that this flagged information is not published in any form.
• Note that the 250-word entry description may be published so should not contain any sensitive information or anything you do not wish to be shared publicly.
• The organizers strongly recommend that when submitting entries all appropriate permissions from key stakeholders have been obtained. Third parties or co-branded card partners should be made aware that the material may appear in print in publications and articles associated with the Awards.
  

Entry fees are $500 (not including taxes) per entry.

We accept payment by credit or debit card. If you require assistance with payment, please contact us.

Fees are non refundable in the event an entry is withdrawn or ineligible. The entry fee includes the total cost of handling your entry and the full judging process. For more details on what the entry fee includes, please visit our FAQs.

The category entry fee does not include entry to the Awards Ceremony (please review the information on table packages).

The Judging panel is made up of independent judges and industry experts who all sign up to our Code of Conduct at the start of the process. You can find a complete list of judges here.

The judges are chaired by an Industry Senior Leader. A selection of the judges review and score all the qualifying entries and compile a shortlist in each category. Entries are judged against the criteria specifically detailed on this website.

The judges rely exclusively on the information provided by the Award entrants in the standard question and answer format and not on any prior knowledge that they may have. All judges meet for a final judging day and vote for the overall winners of each award. The judges’ decision is final and there will be no opportunity for appeal, discussion or correspondence.

Need some help putting together your entry? Contact us and we'll be pleased to provide assistance.