The Pwnie Awards
Annual awards ceremony celebrating standout vulnerability research, major security failures, and community achievements.
Summary
Celebrating Excellence and Epic Fails
The Pwnies are an annual awards ceremony celebrating and making fun of the achievements and failures of security researchers and the wider security community. Every year, members of the infosec community nominate the best research and exploits they’ve seen. The Pwnie Award nominations are judged by a panel of respected security researchers and former pwnie award recipients – the closest to a jury of peers a hacker is likely to ever get. At this event DEF CON attendees will get a first person look at some of the most groundbreaking research and hacks in the cyber security community of the past year, and the winners get some well deserved recognition from the broader community for the great work they’ve done.
Related talks
Contests·37 min
Ian Roos · Mark Trumpbour
Ian Roos and Mark Trumpbour host the 2025 Pwnie Awards celebrating the year's greatest security achievements, best bugs, and epic fails.
Main Stage·2 hr 14 min
Official closing ceremonies, contest results, and community awards presentation from the final day of DEF CON 32.
Main Stage·1 hr 54 min
The Dark Tangent
The Dark Tangent and DEF CON senior staff close out DEF CON 31 with official event recaps, community statistics, and Black Badge awards.