Power Player Awards 2026 Winners and Finalists Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Past Power Player Award Winners Congratulations to our 2026 Power Player Award Winners and Finalists. The Power Player Awards represent industry breakthroughs in grid resilience, load growth planning, global scaling, and leadership. Winners were announced on May 19, 2026 at the Power Player Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C. Explore this year’s Power Player Award Winners: 2026 Winners and Finalists Categories Grid Power Player Honors an initiative, project, or program that strengthens the reliability, resilience, flexibility, and performance of the electric grid. This category aligns with SEPA’s Grid strategic pillar and highlights efforts that modernize grid operations, enhance system resilience, and enable the reliable integration of new energy resources. Eligible initiatives may include (but are not limited to): Grid and customer-scale resilience solutions, including microgrids and resilience hubs Utility-scale or customer-sited energy storage supporting grid services Advanced grid technologies such as DERMS, ADMS, VPPs, or AI/ML applications Vehicle-to-grid or vehicle-to-X solutions that provide grid benefits Programs, partnerships, or infrastructure strategies supporting grid initiatives, including: Utility-led or multi-stakeholder programs focused on distribution system modernization, hosting capacity analysis, or advanced planning and forecasting Grid resilience and hardening strategies, including wildfire mitigation, extreme weather preparedness, and system recovery planning Partnerships supporting distributed energy resource integration, including DER management platforms, virtual power plants, or coordinated demand flexibility programs Energy storage deployment strategies designed to provide grid services such as peak shaving, frequency regulation, or non-wires alternatives Vehicle-to-grid or vehicle-to-X pilots that enhance grid reliability or operational flexibility Cross-functional utility initiatives that integrate advanced analytics, automation, or artificial intelligence into grid operations and decision-making Nominees should demonstrate innovation, collaboration, and clear potential for replication across the industry. Both individual and consortium nominations will be evaluated based on demonstrated outcomes and collaborative impact. Growth Power Player Recognizes an initiative, project, or program that enables responsible load growth, electrification, market expansion, and scalable adoption of energy technologies and services. This category aligns with SEPA’s Growth strategic pillar and highlights leadership in enabling new demand, expanding customer participation, and scaling solutions that support the evolving energy system. Eligible initiatives may include (but are not limited to): Transportation electrification and EV charging infrastructure Fleet electrification and vehicle-grid integration programs Beneficial electrification initiatives across residential, commercial, or industrial sectors Programs, partnerships, or infrastructure strategies supporting data center load growth, including: Utility–data center collaboration models Grid-ready siting and interconnection approaches Energy procurement or on-site generation strategies Demand flexibility, load management, or advanced planning tools Customer-facing or market-enabling emerging technologies with demonstrated scalability Nominees should demonstrate innovation, collaboration, and clear potential for replication across the industry. Nominees should clearly articulate how their initiative supports responsible load growth, scalability, long-term market impact, and system reliability. Both individual and consortium nominations will be evaluated based on demonstrated outcomes and collaborative impact. Globe Power Player Celebrates an initiative, project, or program that advances affordable, resilient energy systems by sharing, adapting, and scaling innovative solutions across regions, markets, and borders. Aligned with SEPA’s Globe strategic pillar, this category highlights leadership that ensures promising ideas — whether developed locally, nationally, or internationally — are translated, transferred, and applied more broadly to accelerate global progress toward affordable and resilient energy systems. Eligible initiatives may include (but are not limited to): Cross-border or cross-regional collaboration among utilities, policymakers, technology providers, or other stakeholders Efforts that adapt successful local or regional programs for broader national or global application Knowledge-sharing platforms, partnerships, or convenings that elevate global best practices for utility implementation Policy, regulatory, or governance frameworks designed to enable international learning, alignment, or replication Programs, partnerships, or infrastructure strategies supporting global initiatives, including: Cross-border or cross-regional utility partnerships designed to share lessons learned, technical approaches, or operational best practices Initiatives that translate successful domestic programs into models that can be adapted or replicated in other regions or international markets Knowledge-sharing platforms, peer exchanges, or convenings that elevate transferable solutions for utility implementation across geographies Policy, regulatory, or governance approaches that enable alignment, learning, or coordination across jurisdictions Collaborative efforts that connect utilities with international institutions, research organizations, or global networks to scale proven solutions Programs intentionally designed to test, refine, and scale innovations beyond a single market or service territory Nominees should demonstrate how their initiative extends impact beyond a single geography, contributes to shared global learning, and enables broader adoption of solutions that support affordable and resilient energy for all. Both individual and consortium nominations will be evaluated based on demonstrated outcomes and collaborative impact. Excellence in Leadership Power Player Honors an individual leader whose exceptional leadership, collaboration, and influence accelerate progress across SEPA’s strategic pillars. This standalone category elevates how impact is achieved by honoring individuals whose leadership has driven transformational outcomes, fostered collaboration, and created models others can follow. Eligible nominations may demonstrate: Visionary leadership guiding complex or cross-cutting initiatives Strong collaboration across utilities, partners, regulators, and communities Measurable impact across Grid, Growth, and/or Globe priorities Clear potential for replication and broader industry influence This award is not limited to a single technical domain and celebrates leadership that advances the evolving energy industry through strategy, execution, and partnership. Target Nominees Power Player Award nominees may include individuals, individual companies, or multi-stakeholder consortia, inclusive of utilities, technology providers, policymakers, regulators, research organizations, international partners, and other stakeholders collaborating to advance shared outcomes. Eligible nominations may reflect efforts to strengthen system planning and operations, enable scalable solutions, or share and adapt approaches across regions and markets. Award Acceptance: An executive or senior leader from the winning organization, or the individual awardee, must be present to accept the award at the Power Player Awards ceremony, held in conjunction with SEPA’s Energy Evolution Summit. For global nominees, a U.S.-based representative may accept the award on behalf of the organization or individual. Selection Process and Criteria Nominations are evaluated using three core criteria across the Grid, Growth, and Globe categories: Innovation Collaboration Replicability and Scalability Nominations are evaluated within the context of the category for which they are submitted. While all nominations are scored using the same core criteria, judges recognize that impact, innovation, and replicability may look different across categories and assess outcomes relative to each category’s intended purpose. For the Excellence in Leadership category, judges apply these same criteria to the individual’s leadership influence, collaboration, and demonstrated impact across Grid, Growth, and or Globe priorities, rather than to a single project or initiative. We look for nominations that demonstrate meaningful innovation, strong collaboration, and clear potential for broader industry impact. Award Criteria Innovation The degree to which the nomination demonstrates a novel or forward-looking approach to addressing challenges relevant to the category. Innovation may include new technologies, operational or planning strategies, partnership models, governance approaches, or leadership practices. The scoring scale ranges from 1 to 5, with 1 representing limited or incremental innovation and 5 representing a highly novel or forward-looking approach. Collaboration The degree to which the nomination reflects meaningful collaboration among internal teams, external partners, or multi-stakeholder groups, and how that collaboration contributed to outcomes. Judges consider the quality and effectiveness of collaboration rather than the number of partners involved. The scoring scale ranges from 1 to 5, with 1 representing minimal collaboration and 5 representing highly effective collaboration that materially strengthened outcomes. Replicability and Scalability The degree to which the approach, model, or leadership practice can be adapted, replicated, or scaled by others. Replicability may take different forms depending on the category, including operational models, planning frameworks, partnership approaches, governance structures, or leadership practices. The scoring scale ranges from 1 to 5, with 1 representing limited potential for replication and 5 representing clear potential for adaptation or scaling across organizations, regions, or markets. Judges The panel of judges, composed of selected energy industry experts and professionals, together with SEPA’s internal subject matter experts, is structured to ensure a fair, impartial, and consistent evaluation process.