Each year the categories of the CIPD Ireland HR Awards are designed to reflect the areas core to the work of the people profession, as well as current trends affecting what we do.

For 2025 we have revised the SME category (less than 150 employees) to put the emphasis on HR Success in SMEs, how good people management practices or specific initiatives are being embedded to sustain the business model and improve the customer/employee experience.​

As the focus on sustainability continues to grow, we have set up a new category specifically to showcase how entrants are integrating a sustainability lens onto their people practices. The strategic change category is now focussed on Strategic transformation and change.