Hall of Fame Awardee Success Story
Here is my story of being on the one of the Hall of Fame Awardees :
You can visit my award page at EC Council Web site via the link below:
https://www.eccouncil.org/ceh-hall-of-fame-winner-erdal-ozkaya/
Every year, EC-Council honors a select group of our CEH certified members by inducting a group into the CEH Hall of Fame. It is our chance to honor the best and brightest among our global community. This is a by invitation-only recognition program.
This coveted honor is not for the mediocre. Only current EC-Council members who scored at least 90% on the CEH exam are invited to apply for the Hall of Fame.
EC-Council has a growing alumni of certification holders who have used their education excellence and experience to not only become successful, but to positively contribute to society. We believe that positive role models are extremely important in today’s world and that our best and brightest should be held up for others to emulate.
Candidates are invited to apply annually and applications are presented to the CEH Hall of Fame selection committee. The committee carefully reviews the applications based on their accomplishments, contribution to society, their career transformation story, and their role in the organization where they are employed. The 2021 inductees into the CEH Hall of Fame will be featured on the CEH Hall of Fame Leader board.
To see my other awards click here
What is the CEH Hall of Fame?
The EC-Council’s Hall of Fame is an award designed to recognize distinguished cybersecurity professionals who are certified ethical hackers for their contribution to the cybersecurity industry.
Hall of Fame Awardee Success Story : Dr Erdal Ozkaya
CISO Insight
Recognition in cybersecurity carries the most weight when it comes from peers and institutions that understand the discipline deeply. The value of any award lies not in the trophy itself but in what it represents — a body of work that has genuinely contributed to advancing security practice, educating the community, or protecting organisations from real threats.
The Role of Industry Recognition in Cybersecurity
Industry awards and recognition serve several important functions in the cybersecurity ecosystem. For individuals, they validate expertise and sustained contribution to the field. For organisations, they signal that their security leadership is respected by the broader community. For the profession as a whole, they highlight the practitioners and organisations whose work others should learn from and emulate.
The cybersecurity awards landscape ranges from highly credible peer-reviewed recognition to pay-to-play marketing exercises. CISOs and security professionals should be discerning about which recognitions they pursue and how they evaluate others. The most meaningful recognitions come from communities of practitioners who evaluate contributions based on impact, technical depth, and sustained engagement rather than marketing spend or self-nomination.
Building a Lasting Professional Reputation
Awards are markers along a career journey, not destinations. The most respected security leaders build their reputation through consistent contribution over years — writing, speaking, mentoring, contributing to open-source projects, and sharing lessons from both successes and failures. Professional recognition follows naturally from this sustained effort. Practitioners who focus on genuine contribution rather than trophy collection build reputations that endure beyond any single award cycle.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a cybersecurity award credible?
Look for awards with transparent evaluation criteria, peer-reviewed selection processes, and a track record of recognising genuine contributors rather than the highest bidders. Awards from established professional communities (like the Microsoft MVP programme, EC-Council Hall of Fame, or ISC2 recognition) carry more weight than vendor-sponsored awards with opaque selection processes.
How important are awards for CISO career progression?
Awards contribute to professional visibility and can open doors to advisory roles, speaking opportunities, and board positions. However, they are supplements to — not substitutes for — demonstrated operational experience, leadership capability, and a track record of building effective security programmes. Hiring managers and boards value what you have built more than what you have been awarded.
Related reading: For career development guidance, visit our CISO Career Hub or explore the Become a CISO roadmap.