CHARGE Awards marks a decade of change in the energy space

The CHARGE Energy Branding Awards marked its tenth year with a glittering celebration by the banks of the Bosphorus in Istanbul tonight (13 October), coinciding with the annual CHARGE Europe conference. The event has become a reference point for how energy firms have articulated purpose and built credibility in a sector defined by transition.

Hosted at the Peninsula Hotel and supported by SOCAR Türkiye, the awards recognises established utility firms, emerging challengers and communications specialists that understand the role of brand as a statement of strategy.

Norway’s Statkraft was named World’s Best-Established Brand, while Icelandic utility Orkusalan took World’s Best Green Brand. Green Riders was recognised as World’s Best Challenger Brand, and EDP received Energy Sector Employer of the Year for its approach to employee engagement.

The Energy Game Changers category acknowledged individuals and companies influencing how energy is understood and discussed, including ZOEX Energy’s Ash Penley, the American Solar Energy Society’s Carly Rixham and organisations such as Vattenfall, Arven and Smart Energy Water.

The founder of CHARGE, Dr Fridrik Larsen said the winners reflected the idea that “brand is not just a logo or a slogan – it’s a leadership strategy.” His comment pointed to a wider trend: that the energy transition is as much about how companies communicate reliability and responsibility as it is about technological change.