The Formnext Awards are back. With submissions now open for the 2026 edition, Mesago Messe Frankfurt is once again inviting the additive manufacturing community to put forward its most compelling innovations, emerging companies, and standout individuals, ahead of the show in Frankfurt this November.
Running for a third consecutive year, the Awards span six categories: the AMbassador Award, Design Award, (R)Evolution Award, Rookie Award, Start-up Award, and Sustainability Award. Together, they cover a broad spectrum of what progress in AM actually looks like, from technical breakthroughs and design thinking to community building and measurable environmental impact.
As Sascha F. Wenzler, Vice President Formnext, noted: “The Formnext Awards demonstrate where Additive Manufacturing is already delivering tangible value today, technologically, economically, and socially.”
In an industry where noise often outpaces proof, these Awards remain one of the few structured mechanisms designed to surface what is actually working, oftentimes at scale, in practice.
The jury has been partially renewed for 2026, bringing a mix of established expertise and fresh perspectives from institutions including MIT, BMW Group, Baker Hughes, TU München, and ASTM International.
Deadlines vary by category: Start-up Award submissions close on 31 July 2026, while all others remain open until 31 August. Winners will be recognized at the official ceremony during Formnext (17–20 November), with finalists also featured on-site and through public voting.
We’ve been following these Awards since their first edition. If you want to revisit how the program was introduced, how the 2024 and 2025 editions unfolded, and who took home the trophies, our previous coverage is a good place to start: Formnext Awards on 3D ADEPT Media.
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