The ICF Coaching Impact Awards celebrate the best of the profession and ICF through categories that reflect the different facets of coaching. This globally esteemed program honors the success of high-performing coaches and organizations worldwide – whose positive impact through coaching is helping improve workplaces, transform lives, and contribute to global social change.
The nomination period for the 2024 ICF Impact Coaching Awards season is now closed.
Award winners will be notified of their status by the end of July. Winners will be publicly announced and recognized in October. Winner should save the dates of October 24-27 and will be contacted by ICF to make arrangements. ICF Coaching Impact Award Winners will also receive sustainable trophies from recycled materials.
The Coaching Education category recognizes coach educators and ICF accredited providers who are leading and innovating coach education. Candidates for each of the subcategories must be from or are ICF accredited provider with faculty or staff who have been ICF members in good standing for at least two years. Nominations for the Coaching Education category may be made by anyone.
The organizations category celebrates businesses and organizations that built strong coaching cultures and that demonstrate the positive effects of coaching. Nominations for the organization category must be made by an ICF-credential holder.
The Professional Coaches category honors individual coach practitioners who have made an impact in the profession and at ICF. Nominations for the Professional Coaches category may be made by anyone. You may nominate yourself or another coach for any of these subcategories.
The Social Impact category is a new category aimed at recognizing exceptional individuals and/or organizations that are making an profound contributions to society through the application of coaching principles. This innovative category goes beyond conventional recognition, diving into the heart of social impact, and celebrates those who have harnessed the coaching mindset to create lasting positive change. Nominations for the Social Impact category may be made by anyone.
Within the Social Impact category, we are please to introduced two distinct subcategories:
Membership and Affiliation: Candidates for the Coach Educator and Coaching Education Provider awards must be ICF members in good standing.
Qualifications: Distinguished Coach Educator candidates must be ICF members in good standing for at least five years and either hold an ICF credential or possess a minimum of eight years of experience teaching in coaching education programs. Emerging Coach Educator candidates must be ICF members in good standing for at least five years and either hold an ICF credential or possess a minimum of five years of experience teaching in coaching education programs.
Accreditation: For the Distinguished Coaching Education Provider award, the organization must have maintained an accredited program with ICF for a minimum of five years and currently hold accreditation.
Leadership and Integrity: Candidates for this category must demonstrate outstanding leadership qualities and uphold strong moral character.
Inspirational Influence: Candidates and organizations should have a positive image, reputation, and the ability to inspire fellow ICF members, with an emphasis on teaching and coaching excellence.
Contribution to the Profession: Candidates and organizations should maintain a substantial record of service to the coaching profession, including efforts to further educate fellow professionals and contribute to the advancement of coaching education.
Coaching Culture: Organizations must exhibit a strong coaching culture and demonstrate the positive effects of coaching within their operations.
A coaching culture is assessed based on impact, standards, strategy, and sustainability.
Impact: Assessing the effectiveness of coaching initiatives through workforce engagement, testimonials, return on expectations (ROE), return on investment (ROI), and workplace engagement data.
The impact criteria for evaluating an organization’s coaching culture requires broad engagement, with at least 70% of the workforce participating in coaching (or having participated already). The nomination must include over five employee testimonials, at least two ROE measurements, two or more financial outcomes demonstrating ROI, and more than three key employee indicators validating impact on workplace engagement and well-being.
Standards: Evaluating the adherence to coaching standards such as ICF credentials, code of ethics, coaching skills development, education/training, and mentor coaching/supervision.
Organizations must maintain high standards in coaching, including a mix of MCC, PCC, and ACC credential holders, ensuring confidentiality measures align with the ICF Code of Ethics, and providing coach-specific education for managers and internal coaches. Ideally, coaches should undergo at least 125 hours of accredited training, and participate in quarterly mentor coaching or supervision sessions to support ongoing professional development.
Strategy: Analyzing the clarity of coaching goals and objectives alignment with organizational goals, mapping to current objectives, resource allocation, and coaching evolution over time.
Organizations must strategically align coaching with organizational goals, demonstrating at least three examples. They should demonstrate direct support for current objectives, allocate resources accordingly, and illustrate coaching evolution over time with four examples.
Sustainability: Examining the sustainability of coaching efforts through budgetary commitments, coaching champions, positive changes in leadership styles, and integration into talent/organizational development strategies.
Organizations must demonstrate lasting impact through sustained initiatives. This includes establishing a dedicated budget line for coaching and impactful actions that advocate for coaching. Evidence of coaching’s positive influence on leadership styles must be provided in at least two instances, showcasing its ongoing effectiveness. Additionally, organizations must integrate coaching into talent and organizational development strategies in at least two instances, cementing its role as a long-term contributor to organizational growth.
Program Start Date: Coaching initiatives within the organization must have commenced on or before January 1, 2023.
Nominations: Only an ICF-credentialed coach may nominate.
Subcategories: The review panel will select winners for the “Distinguished Organization” and “Emerging Organization” subcategories based on the coaching’s impact within the organization, adherence to standards, sustainability, and alignment to strategy.
Eligibility: The awards are open to ICF members in good standing with a current ICF credential. Nominees must maintain active membership and credential status throughout the nomination, selection, and recognition process. Lapsed memberships or credentials may result in disqualification.
Nomination Process: Nominations may be submitted by the nominee themselves or by a peer, client, colleague, or other relevant party.
Evaluation Criteria: Nominees will be evaluated based on their demonstrated impact on the coaching profession, contributions to ICF, thought leadership, social impact, and adherence to credentialing standards.
Coaching Mindset: Nominees demonstrate an appreciation for and application of coaching principles to empower and support others in achieving their goals. They drive meaningful change, foster personal growth, and empower the communities they serve. They demonstrate the impact of their coaching approach on society and the community.
Collaborative Leadership: Nominees exhibit the ability to foster collaboration, inclusion, and diversity within their spheres of influence, creating environments that inspire growth and development among team members and stakeholders.
Impactful Change: Nominees implement strategies that lead to significant and positive outcomes within their respective domains, resulting in improved performance and overall well-being for individuals and communities.
Global Influence for Distinguished Coaching Catalyst: Nominees should possess influence and impact that extends beyond national boundaries, contributing to the advancement of coaching principles on an international scale.
Social Impact: Nominees demonstrate a strong commitment to addressing societal challenges or advancing the UN Global Goals, making a significant positive impact in the world.
Scalability and Replicability: Nominees’ approaches have potential for wider application, leading to greater positive impact.
Sustainable Vision: Nominees have a clear, long-term vision for continued growth and impact, with a commitment to sharing learnings with society or the community.
Anyone can nominate a Distinguished Coaching Catalyst and an Emerging Coaching Catalyst.
How many categories are offered for the ICF Coaching Impact Awards?
For the 2024 ICF Coaching Impact Awards cycle, there will be four categories:
When will the nomination period begin?
Wednesday, February 28.
When will the nomination period end?
Friday, April 26 at 11:59 p.m. (New York).
When will the winners be announced?
Winners will be notified by the end of July. The 2024 ICF Coaching Impact Awards will be recognized in October. Winners should save the dates of October 24-27. Winners will be contacted by ICF to make any arrangements.
Are self-nominations allowed?
Yes. Not only are they allowed, but they are also encouraged.
Can one nominee be entered in more than one category?
All ICF Coaching Impact Award nominees can only be entered in one category per season.
Can a nominator enter more than one submission?
Absolutely!
Do all the nominations need to be made by ICF members?
No. Here are the details per category:
What is the review process?
The ICF Coaching Impact Awards nominations are scored by a panel of volunteers.
The winners of the ICF Coaching Impact Awards are selected based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes a review of the nominee’s qualifications, experience, and impact on the coaching profession, an organization, the ICF community, and beyond.
Are the trophies still made of sustainable material?
Yes! We work with experts in sustainable plastics products to create elegant and impactful trophies and plaques for our award winners. They use the principles of circular economy. All trophies are beautifully designed and made of recycled plastic.
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