ISMAUK Stress Management Awards 2026

Established in 2024 to mark ISMAUK's 50th anniversary, the ISMAUK Stress Management Awards recognise excellence in workplace wellbeing, psychological safety and stress reduction. They celebrate organisations, teams and individuals who demonstrate outstanding leadership, innovation and impact in reducing stress and promoting mental wellbeing at work.

Created to champion positive cultural change, the Awards highlight those who are shaping healthier, more productive and psychologically safe working environments. The Awards showcase achievements in workplace wellbeing, stress reduction, resilience-building, leadership and best practice, providing national visibility for organisations committed to meaningful, sustained improvement.

🎯 Why Enter?

✓ Demonstrate commitment to wellbeing
✓ Strengthen ESG credentials
✓ Gain national recognition
✓ Showcase best practice
✓ Highlight team achievements

💼 Eligibility

✓ Sole traders
✓ Small & large organisations
✓ Charities & social enterprises
✓ Practitioners & professionals
✓ All experience levels

📋 Application

✓ £75 application fee
✓ Multi-step form (15 mins)
✓ Download PDF to email
✓ Support available
✓ Results announced Nov 2026

Award Tiers

Selecting the right award level is important. The Awards are designed to reflect progression and maturity. Choose the category that most accurately reflects your current stage, not where you aspire to be.

🥉

Bronze

Starting Out

For Early-Stage Commitment

Taking meaningful first steps in wellbeing and stress management. Progress, not perfection.

Key Requirements:

Clear commitment to wellbeing
Active initiative underway
Honest reflection on impact
Intention to develop further

🥈

Silver

Established Practice

For Mature Programs

Well-established wellbeing programmes with clear leadership commitment. Embedded practice & maturity.

Key Requirements:

Regular, consistent initiatives
Visible leadership commitment
Evidence of positive impact
Psychological safety embedded

🥇

Gold

Strategic Excellence

For Strategic Leaders

Strategic, evidence-based integration of wellbeing. Excellence, not just activity.

Key Requirements:

Strategic integration org-wide
Evidence-based approach
Measurable impact & outcomes
Long-term sustainability plan

🥉 Bronze Award — Starting Out

Progress, Not Perfection

For Early-Stage Commitment

The Bronze Award recognises organisations and individuals who are taking meaningful first steps towards improving health, wellbeing, and stress management.

Who is Eligible

Sole traders working in health, wellbeing, coaching or related fields
Organisations at the early stages of their wellbeing journey
Small charities
Social enterprises (e.g. CICs)

Quality Requirements

A clear and genuine commitment to employee or personal wellbeing
At least one active wellbeing initiative or practice currently in place
Evidence of self-reflection — what is working and what could be improved
An articulated intention to develop and grow wellbeing practice further
Authentic responses that describe real activity, not aspirational statements alone

What Judges Value

Self-awareness and enthusiasm for impact
Genuine action underway and credible plans for development
Honest insight over polished metrics

Scoring Rubric

Score	Rating	What This Means
5	Excellent	Thoughtful, clear commitment and action demonstrated
4	Strong	Clearly explained with good reflection and examples
3	Adequate	Good explanation with some supporting detail
2	Weak	Brief explanation with limited depth or evidence
1	Poor	Weak, unclear or insufficient response

Total Marks: 20 maximum (4 scored questions × 5 marks each)

🥈 Silver Award — Established Practice

Embedded Practice & Maturity

For Well-Established Practice

The Silver Award recognises organisations and individuals with well-established wellbeing and stress management practices and a clear commitment to leadership, consistency and positive impact.

Organisations Eligible:

SMEs or larger organisations with an established wellbeing programme and active leadership involvement
Charities of any size with consistent, organisation-wide wellbeing provision
Social enterprises with a demonstrated commitment to employee or community wellbeing

Individuals Eligible:

Practitioners, coaches, consultants, trainers, therapists, HR professionals, occupational health specialists
Those with consistent, regular practice — not just isolated activity
Those whose work is making a positive, evidence-based difference
Note: Silver is about quality, consistency and impact of your current practice, not length of career

Quality Requirements

Regular, consistent wellbeing initiatives — not one-off events
Visible leadership commitment
Evidence of positive impact (qualitative or quantitative)
Communication practices that create psychological safety
Clear integration of wellbeing into day-to-day operations
A credible plan for continued development

Scoring Rubric

Score	Rating	What This Means
5	Strong	Consistent practice with clear professional commitment and demonstrated impact
4	Well-Explained	Well explained with practical examples or partial evidence
3	Adequate	Adequate, developing practice with some evidence of consistency
2	Limited	Limited depth, inconsistency or lack of clarity
1	Weak	Weak or unclear response

Total Marks: 25 maximum (5 scored questions × 5 marks each)

🥇 Gold Award — Strategic Excellence

Excellence, Not Just Activity

For Strategic Leaders

The Gold Award recognises organisations and experienced practitioners demonstrating strategic, evidence-based integration of wellbeing. Gold represents excellence, maturity and sustainability.

Organisations Eligible:

Organisations of any size with a fully integrated, strategic approach to wellbeing — embedded across the whole organisation
Organisations that use data, feedback or audits to inform wellbeing decisions and can demonstrate measurable impact
Organisations where senior leadership actively owns, champions and models the wellbeing agenda

Individuals Eligible:

Practitioners, coaches, consultants, trainers, therapists, HR professionals, occupational health specialists
Those with a strategic, structured approach — evidence-informed decision-making and clear methodology
Those who can evidence measurable, sustained impact through outcome data, case studies, client feedback, or professional recognition
Those investing in professional development with a long-term sustainability plan
Note: Gold recognises depth of expertise and strategic thinking — open to anyone at that level regardless of career length

Quality Requirements

A formal, strategic wellbeing approach — organisation-wide or underpinning professional practice
Regular use of data, audits, outcome measurement or benchmarking to inform decisions
Preventative approaches to stress — not only reactive support
Measurable positive impact on people, clients, organisational performance or community outcomes
A strong culture or professional ethos of psychological safety, inclusion and trust
A credible and documented long-term sustainability plan or professional development roadmap
Evidence of DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) embedded within wellbeing practice

Scoring Rubric

Score	Rating	What This Means
5	Excellent	Clear, strategic, evidence-based with measurable impact on clients or communities
4	Strong	Well explained with practical examples or partial evidence
3	Adequate	Good intent with some evidence, but limited depth or outcomes
2	Weak	Largely descriptive with unclear impact or outcomes
1	Poor	Minimal relevance, detail or evidence provided

Total Marks: 45 maximum (9 scored questions × 5 marks each)

Application Form

Complete the form below. Download as PDF and email to admin@isma.org.uk

Need guidance? What makes a strong application? Click here to find out more →

✓ Application downloaded successfully! Please email to admin@isma.org.uk

1. Category

2. Your Details

3. Application

4. Summary

Step 1: Choose Your Award Category

Select the tier that best reflects your current stage.

Which award tier are you applying for?

🥉 Bronze 🥈 Silver 🥇 Gold

Are you applying as...

Individual / Sole Trader Organisation / Charity

Step 2: Your Details

Full Name or Business Name

Contact Name (if different)

Email Address

Telephone

Address / Head Office

Website (optional)

Sector / Area of Expertise

0/100

Step 3: Application Questions

Answer honestly and specifically. Judges value genuine insight over polished language.

Step 4: Review & Download

Review your application below, then click "Download PDF" to save your application. Email it to admin@isma.org.uk before 30 September 2026.

Stress Management Awards 2026

🎯 Why Enter?

💼 Eligibility

📋 Application

Award Tiers

For Early-Stage Commitment

Key Requirements:

For Mature Programs

Key Requirements:

For Strategic Leaders

Key Requirements:

🥉 Bronze Award — Starting Out

For Early-Stage Commitment

Who is Eligible

Quality Requirements

What Judges Value

Scoring Rubric

🥈 Silver Award — Established Practice

For Well-Established Practice

Organisations Eligible:

Individuals Eligible:

Quality Requirements

Scoring Rubric

🥇 Gold Award — Strategic Excellence

For Strategic Leaders

Organisations Eligible:

Individuals Eligible:

Quality Requirements

Scoring Rubric

What Makes a Strong Application?

✓ Characteristics of Strong Applications:

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Application Form

Step 1: Choose Your Award Category

Step 2: Your Details

Step 3: Application Questions

Step 4: Review & Download