The Gift Card & Voucher Association (GCVA) has announced the winners of its 2026 Hall of Fame Awards, recognising the businesses, partnerships and individuals advancing the gift card industry. This year’s winners demonstrated achievements ranging from international expansion and effective marketing to fraud prevention and support for communities.
Held at The Underglobe on London’s Bankside on 17 September, the awards brought the industry together to recognise outstanding work across ten categories, alongside the contributions of emerging talent and established industry leaders.
Sainsbury’s Argos received ‘Best Industry Innovation’ for its work extending the use of gift cards among colleagues, customers and communities. Judges praised an approach that combined commercial growth with social impact by supporting school breakfast clubs, supported by strong stakeholder collaboration and senior board engagement.
‘Best Creative Marketing Campaign’ went to Lastminute.com, whose campaign used a 48-hour redemption window to encourage customers to act on a time-sensitive promotional offer. The campaign achieved a 65% redemption rate, a 285% increase in bookings and engagement with 250,000 members.
Merit Incentives won ‘Best B2B Product or Service’ for its digital wallet solution, enabling fast, secure rewards across multiple currencies and regions. Judges highlighted the technical complexity of the platform and growth that exceeded the team’s ambitious targets.
Tillo & Quidco took ‘Best B2C Product or Service’ for a gift card cashback proposition built on their ten-year partnership. Their entry showed that 96.8% of supermarket gift card purchases represented new spending rather than spending diverted from existing cashback claims. The proposition also reactivated 6,600 users and contributed to an 80% increase in transactions.
Tillo also won ‘Service Provider of the Year’, with judges recognising its digital development, international growth and clear evidence of results, alongside its engagement with customers and the wider industry.
‘Team of the Year’ went to GiftCards.Group, which expanded from three markets to 21 in just 18 months. Judges praised its country-by-country localisation and the operational discipline behind its international growth.
Certus Card Group received ‘Best Innovation in Gift Card Manufacturing’ for a solution designed to tackle fraud and tampering while improving the recyclability of gift card packaging. Its entry demonstrated extensive testing and collaboration to meet the needs of retailers, distributors, brands and consumers.
Mitchells & Butlers and BHN were named ‘Retailer/Issuer of the Year’ for making gift cards a year-round part of its commercial and marketing activity, supported by coordinated marketing across online, offline and social channels.
Zoe Pullinger of Prezzee was named ‘Rising Star of the Year’. In two years, Zoe has become a trusted member of Prezzee UK’s Partnerships team, helping to launch regional catalogues in France and Ireland ahead of the Christmas peak.
Glenn Sizer of Currys was recognised as ‘Honoured Industry Contributor’ for his leadership, mentoring and longstanding contribution to the sector, including his service as a former Executive Member of the GCVA Board and continued work as a panellist and adviser.
Hannah Shimko, managing director of GCVA, said: “This year’s winners show what can be achieved when good ideas are backed by strong execution. Their entries delivered clear results, whether through helping customers manage everyday spending, opening new markets or improving the security of physical gift cards. The awards recognise those achievements, as well as the people whose commitment and generosity continue to move the whole industry forward.”
