September 17, 2026
Start
Sep 17, 2026 at 3:00 PM
End
Sep 17, 2026 at 5:00 PM
The Internet Infrastructure Coalition, better known as i2Coalition, will host the 2026 Internet Leadership Awards and Cocktail Reception on Thursday, September 17, 2026, at CTA Innovation House in Washington, D.C.
The reception takes place at the close of the i2Coalition Congressional Fly-In, bringing together Internet infrastructure companies, policy professionals, domain industry leaders, hosting providers, registrars, registries, cloud companies, data centre operators, and invited guests for an evening of recognition and networking on Capitol Hill.
The Internet Leadership Awards recognise individuals whose leadership, entrepreneurship, public service and technical innovation have helped strengthen the Internet and the ecosystem that supports it. For DNForum members, the 2026 honorees are especially relevant, with several award recipients having made major contributions to the Domain Name System, ICANN community, registrars, domain marketplaces and digital identity industry.
2026 award honorees include:
Event details:
This event should be of interest to DNForum members who follow Internet infrastructure policy, domain name governance, registrar and registry issues, ICANN, hosting, cloud services, and the wider digital identity industry. It is also a useful networking opportunity for those who will be in Washington, D.C. during the i2Coalition Congressional Fly-In.
The reception takes place at the close of the i2Coalition Congressional Fly-In, bringing together Internet infrastructure companies, policy professionals, domain industry leaders, hosting providers, registrars, registries, cloud companies, data centre operators, and invited guests for an evening of recognition and networking on Capitol Hill.
The Internet Leadership Awards recognise individuals whose leadership, entrepreneurship, public service and technical innovation have helped strengthen the Internet and the ecosystem that supports it. For DNForum members, the 2026 honorees are especially relevant, with several award recipients having made major contributions to the Domain Name System, ICANN community, registrars, domain marketplaces and digital identity industry.
2026 award honorees include:
- Emmit McHenry - Special Lifetime Achievement in Internet Infrastructure Award. As co-founder of Network Solutions, Emmit McHenry helped transform the Domain Name System from a technical function into one of the foundations of the commercial Internet.
- James Bladel - Ron Yokubaitis Internet Community Leadership Award. James Bladel is being recognised for more than two decades of service across GoDaddy, ICANN and wider Internet community initiatives, including work supporting the multi-stakeholder model and responsible Internet governance.
- Ray King - Karl Zimmerman Internet Entrepreneur Award. Ray King has founded or co-founded companies including SnapNames, AboutUs, Top Level Design, ICANNWiki and Porkbun, helping shape how businesses and individuals discover, acquire and build value around digital identities online.
- Champion of Internet Freedom Award - The final honoree is expected to be announced separately.
Event details:
- Date: Thursday, September 17, 2026
- Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM ET
- Location: CTA Innovation House, 21 D St SE, Washington, D.C., USA
- Format: In-person awards ceremony and cocktail reception
- Ticket price: $35, including refreshments
- Registration: Eventbrite registration page
This event should be of interest to DNForum members who follow Internet infrastructure policy, domain name governance, registrar and registry issues, ICANN, hosting, cloud services, and the wider digital identity industry. It is also a useful networking opportunity for those who will be in Washington, D.C. during the i2Coalition Congressional Fly-In.
