Uniting the Global Community to Celebrate the Best & Brightest of ADC Excellence
Alongside groundbreaking readouts and approvals into first-line metastatic indications and early-stage settings, the new era of ADCs are starting to enter the clinic and attract dealmaking attention, solidifying ADCs as the modality to redefine the future standard of care in oncology and beyond.
As the community reunites at the 17th World ADC San Diego, it remains important to reflect and recognize the upcoming pioneers, novel and innovative programs, and long-term contributors who have gone above and beyond in 2026 to forge ADC innovation into differentiated and meaningful patient outcomes.
Open to all attendees at World ADC San Diego, the 13th Annual World ADC Awards gala is the perfect opportunity to celebrate extraordinary individual work, incredible ADC performance, and successful collaborations to deliver the continued success and future direction of the field.
Award nominations will open on Monday, July 13 and close on Friday, August 7.
2026 Awards Timeline
- Monday, July 13: Nominations open – cast your vote in each category using the online submission form
- Friday, August 7: Nominations close and votes counted
- Monday, August 17: Shortlisted nominees with the most votes per category are published
- Shortlisted nominees are contacted with criteria to submit proposals to the award judges
- Friday, September 11: Proposal submission deadline for shortlisted nominees
- Mid-September: The judging panel meets to decide the 2026 winners and runners up
- Proposals are individually scored by judges according to published award category criteria
- Judges are blocked from scoring in categories with direct involvement or affiliation to a nominee
- The winner and runners-up are selected with the highest cumulative score
- We are delighted to again include members of the ADC Honor Society* in the scoring process, who collectively will contribute as two additional judges in the scoring process
* The ADC Honor Society is reserved for the individuals who have attended World ADC San Diego at least 5 times. Please note that Honor Society members are from drug developer companies, independent professionals, and academic individuals only. Representatives from partner organizations are not included.
2026 Judging Panel
Each year, the World ADC Awards team works alongside a panel of 11 judges, representing long-standing ADC researchers, technical specialists, and KOLs.
Here's a snapshot of our judging panel:
Partnership Opportunities
Partner with the World ADC Awards to stand behind the leaders and visionaries who are being recognized by industry experts for their contributions, innovation, and dedication to the ADC field.
From promotion and brand awareness to networking opportunities and increased reputation in select portions of the community, being an ADC Award sponsor has many benefits that you may not have even thought of.
About World ADC San Diego
The World’s Longest Standing & Definitive ADC Forum
Attendance to the award's gala is complimentary for attendees of the 16th World ADC San Diego. Touted as the most influential event in the industry, this is THE week to fully immerse yourself in all things antibody-drug conjugate, spotlighting the cutting-edge innovation empowering industry to develop differentiated ADCs that show clear advantages against standard of care therapies with clinically meaningful patient benefit.
With 7 streams of end-to-end content, spanning discovery chemistry, discovery biology, preclinical, translational medicine, clinical lessons, process and analytical development, and manufacturing and supply chain: this is your one-stop ADC shop to bring yourself up to speed with the fundamentals, get answers to the problems hindering your R&D, and identify emerging trends to ensure you stay ahead of the curve.
About the World ADC Event Series
The World ADC team ploughs its collective energy into sourcing the insights you need. We investigate the most challenging problems facing the industry; source the leading experts who have game-changing solutions; and distil this into accessible formats of information exchange for you. From globally leading conferences to webinars and industry reports, whatever the information you need, World ADC can offer you the insights you need to accelerate your ADC programs.
The value World ADC provides you is the power of insight and connections. Not artificial, and not short-lived. We nurture the right environments in which people can communicate problems and solutions; share novel data and forge networks across the industry that will make each of your endeavours more informed and more robust.
We share a common belief with the industry – that the potential of antibody drug conjugates is enormous. In the war against cancer, ADCs can be a game-changer and we know that the right insights and connections can sharpen the weapons that are in your arsenal.
Join us at the heart of the ADC community to improve your programs and be part of the mission to develop better antibody drug conjugate drugs.
Explore World ADC San Diego's Agenda
Discover the latest industry breakthroughs and insights to be shared at the biggest ADC event, ahead of the awards' gala.
Partner With Us
Position yourself in front of the pioneers trailblazing ADCs to standard of care treatments.
View the 2025 Shortlisted
Have a look at the shortlisted candidates to be recognized this year because of their exceptional work propelling the ADC field to new heights.