Ready to revolutionize aviation design? Get inspired by the 2026 Crystal Cabin Award and stay ahead of the latest developments in cabin excellence.
Get ready to be part of aviation history: The Crystal Cabin Award, the global beacon of brilliance in aircraft interior innovation, is back for 2026. Our mission? Fuel innovation, spark creativity, and elevate the passenger experience to new heights. From recently launched products to futuristic concepts, the Award entries showcase the future of aircraft cabins, helping to make air travel an unforgettable experience.
Since its inception in 2007, this esteemed award celebrates exceptional cabin products and concepts, aiming to fuel innovation in passenger comfort. The award ceremony is hosted annually in Hamburg during Aircraft Interiors Expo, the world’s biggest trade show for the aircraft cabin. We're calling on innovators, dreamers, and pioneers to join us in pushing the boundaries of passenger comfort. Join the Crystal Cabin Award 2026 and let's revolutionize air travel together!
From high-tech cabin systems to sustainable products, from next-generation connectivity solutions to inspiring blue-sky concepts: the Crystal Cabin Award spans eight categories, each rewarding a different area of innovation. Find out more below!
This category recognizes innovations that improve accessibility in the aircraft cabin, creating a more inclusive and comfortable experience for all passengers, including those with disabilities or reduced mobility. Submissions may include advances in seating, lavatories, cabin layout, assistive technologies, or other design elements that remove barriers and enable equal access.
This category is dedicated to young companies that bring fresh ideas, bold concepts, and innovative technologies to the aviation industry. Eligible participants are start-ups that were founded no more than seven years ago. Submissions may include products and concepts across any area of the industry, provided they demonstrate a high degree of innovation, creativity, and impact. The focus lies on visionary approaches that challenge the status quo and open new perspectives for airlines, manufacturers, suppliers, or passengers.
Dedicated to complete cabin concepts that are already in existence or at a market-ready stage, this category includes products that integrate multiple elements into a coherent overall product, using design and technology to elevate the passenger experience. This category is open to airlines, manufacturers, and design companies alike.
This category encompasses individual technical components, materials, or products such as galleys, lavatories, trolleys, air-conditioning, electrical systems, safety devices, waste and potable water systems as well as acoustics. These cabin elements deliver significant benefits to airlines and/or passengers. Excluded are complete digital systems (see IFEC & Digital Cabin Systems) and solutions primarily aimed at passenger comfort (see Passenger Comfort).
The category highlights innovations in in-flight entertainment, connectivity, and digital cabin systems that advance the vision of a truly connected cabin. Eligible submissions include next-generation entertainment platforms, connectivity solutions such as antennas and Wi-Fi, and digital services that enhance the passenger journey or airline operations. The scope also covers integrated software concepts for a “smart cabin,” leveraging data, automation, and connectivity.
Passenger comfort remains a decisive factor for airline success. Entries in this category must clearly demonstrate how they improve the onboard experience for a broad group of travelers. Solutions with a wide impact are more likely to positively impress the jury. Eligible innovations include, for example, seating, overhead bins, partitions, and other cabin elements designed to enhance comfort.
The aviation industry has committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Reaching this goal demands innovation across all aspects of air travel, including the cabin and passenger experience. At the same time, travelers are increasingly attentive to sustainability, creating additional pressure on airlines and manufacturers to act. The Sustainable Cabin category honors entries that make a demonstrable contribution to reducing aviation’s environmental footprint and accelerate the transformation toward climate-neutral air travel.
This category invites college and university students to share their visions for innovative products and concepts in aircraft interiors. The emphasis is on forward-thinking ideas that deliver genuine value and impact, while questions of feasibility, certification, or technical implementation play only a minor role in the evaluation. Participation offers students valuable exposure and the chance to build important connections within the industry, opening doors for their future careers.
Do I meet the criteria for entry? Who are the judges? When will the winners be announced? Check out the most frequently asked questions around the Crystal Cabin Award
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.