The 2026 Global Digital Accessibility Awards
Announced on Global Accessibility Awareness Day
Every day, technology shapes how billions of people access information, services, and opportunities. These awards celebrate our customers’ teams that champion accessibility as a core part of their digital strategy, proving that the most inclusive digital experiences are also the most visible in an AI-driven world.
About the awards
a measurable, strategic, and lasting priority. These are the teams embedding accessibility into their workflows, their culture, and their vision for the future, and leading the way on Siteimprove.ai in the age of AI.
Award criteria
Winners were selected by Siteimprove's in-house accessibility experts and executive leadership team, and evaluated on the following criteria:
- Positive and measurable impact on the business and its users
- Stories that inspire, influence, and help advance the wider accessibility community
- Innovative strategies and use of AI to improve the accessible experience for all
- A demonstrated commitment to sharing knowledge publicly with peers and the industry
Meet the 2026 winners 🏆
Best of Healthcare
Kristen Shock
Senior Web Manager
Sally Moncreif
Senior Quality Assurance Analyst
Corey Thomas
Senior Web Marketing Specialist
"We have made accessibility a consistent, measurable part of our workflow, driving meaningful improvements for our consumers. In an era where agentic AI is reshaping how patients discover and navigate healthcare digitally, we are ensuring every touchpoint is equitable, inclusive, and performing. Accessible experiences are not just good practice; they are an expression of who we are."
Kristen Shock, Senior Web Manager
Best of Manufacturing
Giulia Miotti
Senior Manager Content and Experience
Nicolai Falkenberg
Digital Project Advisor and Scrum Master
Felip Felbar
Senior Digital Designer
"Accessibility is essential to creating meaningful digital experiences. With Siteimprove.ai, we’ve been able to embed it into our daily workflows and continuously improve how users engage with our content. With Siteimprove's agentic content intelligence platform, what once took hours of manual analysis now surfaces as clear, prioritized actions in minutes: ensuring our digital presence stays inclusive and performs in today's AI-driven search landscape. This recognition reflects an ongoing commitment to making our digital presence more inclusive for everyone."
Giulia Miotti, Senior Manager, Content and Experience
Best of Banking
Paul Smyth
Director of Digital Accessibility
Abi James
Digital Accessibility Delivery Lead
Curt Holst
Senior Digital Accessibility Consultant
"At Barclays, digital accessibility is all about how we ensure our digital services and content are easy to see, hear, understand, and use for all customers, clients, and colleagues. We set clear standards aligned to WCAG 2.2 AA, with clear accountability and evidence so teams can prevent barriers at scale. We back this with role-based training and central expertise with local ownership, helping more customers and colleagues use our services with confidence."
Paul Smyth, Director of Digital Accessibility
Best of Capital Markets
Irfan Ali
Global Head of Digital Innovation, Transformation & Accessibility
"In any investment or fintech organization, digital inclusion and operational excellence reinforce each other. The challenge is execution – sustaining accessibility through large-scale legacy migrations, meeting legal and client-driven timelines, and scaling across secure, complex platform environments. By moving from reactive remediation to an accessibility‑by‑default model, supported by strong governance, cross functional expertise, and sustained investment in tooling, organizations can achieve measurable accessibility improvements, reduce recurring defects, and build a mature, scalable program that delivers consistent, defensible outcomes."
Irfan Ali, Global Head of Digital Innovation, Transformation & Accessibility
Best of APJ
Gabby Rothery
Senior Digital Officer - Web & UX
Jill Gorman
Digital Officer - Web and UX
Joel Smith
Analyst and Developer
Jonathon Hoff
Project and Team Leader
"At CQUniversity, we've always believed accessibility should be built in from the start, not treated as an afterthought. Our goal is to be Australia's most accessible university, and that shapes every decision we make. Reaching WCAG 2.2 Level AA compliance and being named Education Website of the Year by the Centre for Accessibility, Australia were real milestones, recognition that the work we're doing is making a genuine difference. Siteimprove has changed the way we work. Combined with AI-powered tools and the dedication of the people behind this work, we're able to reach more students and keep raising the bar on what inclusive digital access looks like."
Jonathan Powles, Vice President, Student Success
Best of Pharmaceuticals
Darryl Clews
Strategy Lead Omnichannel Marketing
Jason Correia
Marketing Automation Manager, Omnichannel
Alex Carrara
Tech Business Partner
"At GSK Canada, digital accessibility is a business imperative. By embedding digital accessibility into our Omnichannel operations, governance, and agency standards – and tracking WCAG conformance through Siteimprove.ai – we have raised Level AA compliance across our sites to over 90%. Accessible design strengthens trust, reduces risk, which improves outcomes for patients and healthcare professionals."
Darryl Clews, Strategy Lead, Omnichannel Marketing
Best of Higher Education
Kyle Shachmut
Sr. Director, Digital Accessibility Services
Janell Sims
Manager, Digital Accessibility Services
"Digital accessibility is foundational to the future of education, and inclusive technology is essential to learning. At Harvard, our goal is to ensure the teaching and research mission of the university is available to everyone. This work is only possible because of our immensely talented Digital Accessibility Services team, many colleagues across the university's schools, and the strong support from university leadership. When we embed accessibility into our digital environments, we build a culture where everyone can fully participate. Thank you to Siteimprove for this meaningful recognition."
Kyle Shachmut, Sr. Director, Digital Accessibility Services
Best of Public Sector
Omar Vidskjold Khan
Product Owner
Knut Arve Pevik
Head of Search and SEO
"At Posten Bring, our vision is to make everyday life easier and the world smaller – and this promise must also apply digitally. With more than 12,500 employees serving millions of people across the Nordic region, accessibility cannot be an afterthought; it is built into the core of our design system. Siteimprove gives us better insight and consistency in our work on continuous improvement, and the results speak for themselves: our Digital Certainty Index has increased by 17 percent since 2019, and the accessibility score is now close to 91 out of 100. As artificial intelligence changes how people find and use digital services, we know that inclusive digital experiences are not only the right thing to do – they are how we reach everyone we exist to serve."
Omar Vidskjold Khan, Product Owner
Best of Oil and Gas
Tomasz Abramowicz
Head of Digital Solutions
Samiksha More
Digital Excellence Lead
Jurish Aguinaldo
Digital and Social Excellence Advisor
"Digital accessibility is not a standalone compliance activity for Shell; it is a strategic enabler of trust, inclusion, and performance. Operating across a large and diverse portfolio of digital properties, we require solutions that can be scaled effectively. Our collaboration with Siteimprove, alongside platform modernization and accessible-by-design practices, has helped us strengthen our approach to accessibility, streamline processes, and enhance the quality of our digital experiences for both users and the business. In today’s AI-accelerated world, where content is created and consumed faster than ever, embedding accessibility into our digital foundation from the outset is an important part of how we continue to evolve and work towards more inclusive digital experiences."
Tomasz Abramowicz, Head of Digital Solutions
Best of Higher Education (Canada)
Nathalie Blanchard
Digital Marketing Manager
Karin Brault
Digital Strategist
Alin Ticlea
Senior Web Developer
Maida Bashir
COOP Student
Isabelle D'Amours
Digital Strategist
Adriana Granieri
User Interface and Experience Designer
Stephanie Jackson Mackenzie
Digital Strategist
"At the University of Ottawa, we see digital accessibility as a continuous responsibility to remove barriers and ensure equitable access to information and services for all. It is fundamental to enabling full participation in our community and beyond. With Siteimprove's agentic content intelligence platform and as part of its AI (beta) program, we have transformed hours of analysis into actionable insights in minutes, helping us optimize our websites and ensuring that content is accessible, inclusive, and performs for SEO and AEO in today’s search landscape."
Nathalie Blanchard, Digital Marketing Manager
Runners up
This year's submissions set a new bar for what digital accessibility leadership looks like. Recognizing a winner from among them was no small task, and these organizations made it harder! An honorable mention from the Global Digital Accessibility Awards is a distinction earned by the very few who came closest to the top:
- Georgia Technology Authority
- Danske Bank
- The PHOENIX Group eCommerce Europe
- Maricopa Community Colleges
- eMoney
- Department of Customer Service
- University of Texas Arlington
- Mass General Brigham
- City of Austin
"With over 1.3 billion people worldwide living with permanent disabilities, digital accessibility can no longer be treated as an afterthought. It must be a core requirement from product ideation through its launch. AI is shifting search as every brand's new home page, so it's essential that AI answer engines and web content start with an accessible digital experience to build and maintain trust," said Joe Devon and Jennison Asuncion, the Co-founders of Global Accessibility Awareness Day. "The Siteimprove.ai client award winners have exemplified what it means to place accessibility as a core requirement and drive meaningful impact in inclusive digital experiences."