The JUSTYS:
Cellebrite’s Digital
Justice Awards
Honoring the unsung heroes who protect communities, nations and businesses through digital investigations.
JUSTYS 2026 Recap video
WHEN
Tuesday, April 13, 2027
WHERE
Hilton Anatole, Dallas
HOSTED BY
Jesse Weber, Law&Crime Network
What Is
the JUSTYS?
The JUSTYS is Cellebrite’s annual Digital Justice Awards program, held during the annual Cellebrite C2C User Summit.
It honors the people and teams that protect their communities, nations and businesses: delivering justice to victims and survivors, holding wrongdoers accountable and exonerating the innocent.
Every day, professionals across law enforcement, government and the private sector work behind the scenes to make the world safer. The JUSTYS recognizes the work of those who prevent harm, advance investigations, mentor others or innovate technology and make a meaningful impact.
How the JUSTYS Works
01
Nominate
Nominations close at the end of October. Each nomination names an award and explains why the nominee deserves it.
02
Judging
A panel of leading industry experts, including former JUSTYS Case of the Year winners, judges every nomination across three pillars: Digital Forensic & Investigative Excellence, Investigative Impact and Integrity and Ethics.
03
Finalists and ceremony
Finalists are announced by the end of December, ahead of the C2C User Summit. The JUSTYS will be presented on Tuesday, April 13, 2027, in Dallas, with Law&Crime Network anchor Jesse Weber hosting.
2027 JUSTYS
Award Categories
Case of the Year
Crime-specific awards for cases that concluded between Jan. 1, 2025, and July 31, 2026.
Crimes Against Children & Human Trafficking
Honors investigators who stand between predators and the most vulnerable, where digital evidence was central to identifying, arresting and prosecuting a perpetrator and/or human traffickers. Please outline the direct, measurableimpact on the outcomes (i.e.a child protected, a networkdismantled, additional victims identified, further harmprevented). Entry should explain the effective forensic andinvestigative techniques used. Additionally, please call out any collaboration with other agencies or organizations. Case must have been adjudicated/closed between January 1, 2025 and July 31, 2026.
Narcotics
Recognizes digital investigations for a significant narcotic investigation. Entry should discuss specific outcomesincluding drug seizures, arrests, disrupted narcotic supplychains, human impact, etc. Judges will look at scale of the network disrupted and complexities navigated during the investigation. Case must have been adjudicated/closed between January 1, 2025 and July 31, 2026.
Major Crimes
Honors investigations that brought closure to the most serious crimes against persons and society — homicide, robbery, organized crime — where digital evidence had a large impact on the criminal case. Judging weighs the significance of the public safety impact, complexity and expertise of documented digital investigative work. Case must have been adjudicated/closed between January 1, 2025 and July 31, 2026.
Protecting Nations
Recognizes digital investigations that protect nations and those who serve them, where digital intelligence played a decisive role in a mission-critical outcome. Nominations are expected to be fully anonymized given sensitivity; judging considers threat scale, analytical sophistication under constraints and cross-agency coordination. Investigations should have been finalized between January 1, 2025 and July 31, 2026.
Cellebrite Excellence Awards
Excellence in Digital Forensics – Examiner
Recognizes a specific, documented investigation where the use of Cellebrite solutions was central to the outcome. Judges look for advanced or creative use beyond standard workflows and a measurable result, such as a case resolved or a gap closed.
Excellence in Investigations – Detectives/Analysts
Honors detectives or analysts who used Cellebrite tools to drive a documented investigative outcome. Criteria emphasize creative application beyond routine use and a measurable, case-specific result.
Excellence in Intelligence – D&I
Recognizes excellence in the defense and intelligence sector, centered on a specific case where the platform was key to the mission outcome. Judges weigh advanced use of the technology and a measurable impact, such as a threat identified.
Excellence in Evidence Management & Collaboration
Recognizes outstanding use of Cellebrite’s evidence management tools to support collaboration across an investigation. As with the other Excellence awards, judges look for advanced application and a measurable result such as time savings.
Career and Community Awards
Rising Star Award
Recognizes an emerging digital forensics professional, within their first one to three years in the field, who has already shown measurable impact rather than just potential. Judges look for a specific contribution to a case or process, commitment to professional development and proof of a changed outcome.
Mentor of the Year
Honors a professional who has shaped the careers and capabilities of others through inspiration, time investment and community — not just instruction. Criteria include documented impact on a mentee, evidence of knowledge transfer and leadership extending beyond the immediate team.
Champions for Kids, Presented by NCMEC
Presented by Cellebrite’s key partner, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, this award recognizes critical work that directly protects children, delivers justice for child victims and/or supports survivors. Judges look for documented impact on a child’s safety, whether that’s through advocacy or investigative results.
Private-Sector Awards
Excellence in eDiscovery
Recognizes outstanding achievement in eDiscovery, where volume, complexity and stakes are most demanding, bringing forensic rigor to the corporate and legal world. Judges consider measurable outcomes involving navigation of large, complex data environments, use of advanced technology and best practices in chain of custody.
Enterprise Investigation of the Year
Celebrates a private-sector individual or team who had a meaningful digital investigative outcome. Entrants should clearly explain the problem/issue/case that needed to be solved and the digital investigative steps taken to achieve the positive outcome.
Cellebrite Partner of the Year
Honors the channel or design partner that stood out most, through product feedback or partnership and collaboration.
Past JUSTYS Winners
Meet every JUSTYS winner, from local police departments
to national agencies and private forensic firms.
Celebrate the 2027
JUSTYS in Dallas
Join the digital investigations community in Dallas on Tuesday, April 13, to honor this year’s nominees. The JUSTYS awards dinner is included with C2C User Summit registration.
