Any corporation, airline, scientist, university, institution or individual natural person related with the civil aviation industry or airports may present an entry to participate in the Crystal Cabin Award.
The Crystal Cabin Award Association charges a submission fee of EUR 380.00 per entry (plus 19% VAT according to the legislation of the German Government for applicants based in Germany or for applicants based in the EU, who do not provide a VAT number within the application form).
Entries in the University category are free of charge. Student status must be verified by providing a valid student ID from the current year.
An entry has to fulfil the general criteria of the category to which it has been entered (see category descriptions).
Entries should be viable for implementation within approximately two years, and the concept or product itself should not be older than one year. An exception are the categories University and Breakthrough Start-Ups, where the factor of feasibility plays only a minor role.
For the 2026 Crystal Cabin Award season, ending with the award ceremony on April 14, 2026, the following eight categories have been determined: Accessibility, Breakthrough Start-Ups, Cabin Concepts, Cabin Technologies, IFEC & Digital Systems, Passenger Comfort, Sustainable Cabin and University. We reserve the right to adjust the categories and move submissions to a different category until the shortlist is announced.
Members of the Crystal Cabin Award Association and experts from the Judging Panel may not participate in the competition. Companies associated with members of the Judging Panel may participate in the competition. However, their associate will not be allowed to vote for their product, to make sure the scoring is completely neutral and unaffected by company loyalties.
Moreover, military and defense products are excluded from the contest. Only civil aviation products or concepts are allowed to be entered for the Crystal Cabin Award.
The Crystal Cabin Award is the first and only international accolade dedicated exclusively to excellence in aircraft interior innovation. Founded in 2007 by the cluster agency Hamburg Aviation as a non-profit initiative, it has since gained international recognition.
The competition provides companies and institutions with the opportunity to showcase their innovative products and concepts to the global aviation industry, while also fostering valuable connections with decision-makers across the entire supply chain. Winners are granted the right to use the Award’s logo and title for promotional and marketing purposes.
The Judging Panel consists of international aviation experts, including engineers, high-ranking corporate executives and scientists. About one third of the panel members are nominated from the international airline industry. The judges remain neutral and independent.
The evaluation process consists of three stages.
In the first stage, all entries are reviewed by the Crystal Cabin Awards Association pre-selection committee. Submissions that do not comply with the Award rules will be excluded. The committee will then compile a shortlist of all valid entries.
During the second stage, the judging panel evaluates each entry solely based on three criteria: degree of innovation (50%), operator benefit (25%), and passenger benefit (25%). For each award category, the three entries with the highest scores will be announced as finalists.
In the final stage, the finalists present their innovations to the judging panel at the Final Viewing in Hamburg on April 13, 2026, the day before the Aircraft Interiors Expo. Winners are determined by a secret vote of the judges following the presentations.
In 2026, the award ceremony will take place at the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, April 14, alongside the Aircraft Interiors Expo.
The winners of each category are announced live at the Crystal Cabin Award ceremony at the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. All winners get a certificate and the coveted Crystal Cabin Award Trophy.
Moreover, they will be featured in a multi-channel media campaign, including LinkedIn posts, an entry in the printed finalist folder (being distributed at the AIX), a display on the wall of our AIX exhibition booth, a dedicated slot to present their innovation at Cabin Space Live at the AIX, and various mentions by our external media partners.