Project of the Year Awards.
Celebrating Bold Innovation and Groundbreaking Solutions
Awards Ceremony: 10 a.m. on Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Honor customers by nominating completed real-world end-user projects delivered in 2025.
Nominations for 2026 awardees are now open!
Categories | Deadlines | Fees | Rules

Official Awards Ceremony and Reception*
10 a.m. Wednesday PST, April 22 | Main Stage
Winners will be announced during the award ceremony and reception. Nominees do not need to be present to win. Tickets are required.
*Please note the new date and time. The awards ceremony was previously held on Tuesday night and will now take place on Wednesday morning.

Submit your application by 11:59 p.m. EDT on April 1, 2026, for a chance to be honored on the Main Stage at the 2026 NAB Show!

Lori H. Schwartz, CEO and founder of Storytech, will host this year’s award ceremony.
About NAB Show Project of the Year Awards
The NAB Show Project of the Year Awards provide an opportunity for technology vendors and service providers to celebrate and honor their customers by nominating completed real-world end-user projects delivered in 2025.
At its core, the program honors the teams behind the work, recognizing end-user–led projects and the practical application of technology and services that enabled their successful completion.
The program celebrates end users: broadcasters, media companies, content creators, production teams and organizations whose projects addressed clearly defined challenges or objectives and delivered meaningful results. Submissions should focus on the project itself, detailing the goals, scope, complexity, timeline and key decisions that shaped its delivery.
Vendor technology and services should be presented in context, explaining how and why they were selected and how they supported execution, improved workflows, enabled new capabilities, or helped teams overcome technical or operational constraints.
Projects will be evaluated by a panel of industry peers, with winners named in four key categories. There may be more than one winner per category:
- Acquistion
- Production
- Operations
- Distribution
Why Participate
As the only official show awards program honoring project innovation, participants receive multiple forms of recognition that set their projects apart. Benefits include:
- Recognition across the content creation industry.
- Use of the official Project of the Year Awards logo on marketing collateral and product packaging.
- Recognition in press releases issued by NAB and NAB Show.
- Opportunity to network with industry peers and stakeholders during the official awards ceremony and reception. Tickets are required.
Project of the Year Categories:
Projects will be evaluated by a panel of industry peers, with winners named in four key categories. There may be more than one winner per category:
- Acquisition
- Production
- Operations
- Distribution
Deadlines
The 2026 NAB Show Project of the Year Awards close at 11:59 p.m. EDT on April 1, 2026. All entries must be received by the entry deadline.
Nomination Fees and Tickets
The nomination fee is $495 per entry/project. Companies may nominate more than one project in one or multiple categories. However, each project requires a separate, paid entry form. Entry fees are nonrefundable.
Every entry includes five tickets to the awards ceremony. Additional tickets may be purchased for $99 each. Winners will be announced during the ceremony. Nominees do not need to be present to win.
Official Rules
- To be eligible for an award, nominated projects should be submitted by companies scheduled to exhibit at the 2026 NAB Show.
- This is an independently judged awards program recognizing product innovation. Participation is optional for National Association of Broadcasters Show exhibitors.
- All questions on the entry form must be answered fully to help judges understand the project and its innovation. Failure to fill in required fields or submission of incorrect information may result in disqualification.
- Entrants may submit nominations for as many projects and categories as they choose. Each entry covers one project in one category and requires a separate paid entry form.
- All decisions made by the judging panel are final.
- Submission requirements include:
- Project description: A summary of the project, approximately 300 words, must be included as part of submissions and address:
- A summary description of the project or installation.
- Details explaining what makes the project unique and pioneering.
- Notes outlining the hardware and/or software used.
- Names and titles of key stakeholders that should be recognized.
- Video and imagery: Professional-quality, high-resolution photography must be submitted with each completed entry form. By submitting photography, entrants grant NAB the right to publish the images free of charge. Any copyright owner or photographer fees or usage rights are the responsibility of the entrant:
- A minimum of two images or diagrams per project is required.
- Each photo must be 300 DPI in resolution and under 5 MB.
- Multiple views/angles and technical information/specification sheets are encouraged.
- Accepted file formats are .JPG .PNG and .GIF.
- Project description: A summary of the project, approximately 300 words, must be included as part of submissions and address:
- By submitting video clips or photography, entrants (a) represent and warrant that they own the exclusive rights to the images or have obtained all necessary third-party permissions; (b) grant NAB and its designees, licensees and affiliates a fully paid, worldwide license to use, distribute, display, reproduce, publish, republish and create derivative works of the entry in any media now known or hereafter developed, including but not limited to print or digital publication in NAB publications and websites (c) agree to indemnify and hold harmless NAB and its partners, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising agencies, agents and their employees, officers, directors and representatives from any and all third-party claims arising from the submission or use of the images.
- Employees of NAB and its contractors, affiliates, subsidiaries and agents, as well as their immediate family members (spouse, parent, child, sibling and their respective spouses, regardless of where they live) or persons living in the same households of such individuals, whether or not related, are not eligible to enter.
- Entrants must be at least 18 years of age as of the date of entry.
- Participation is voluntary. By participating, entrants release and agree to hold harmless NAB, its subsidiaries, affiliates, advertising and promotion agencies and all of their respective directors, officers, employees, representatives and agents from any and all liability for any injury, loss or damage of any kind to persons (including, without limitation, death) or property, arising directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from or in connection with the acceptance, possession, use or misuse of any prize, participation in this competition, or any competition-related activity. NAB is not responsible for lost, late, stolen, incomplete, illegible, ineligible, inaccurate, undelivered, delayed or misdirected entries. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that the preceding release is determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid or void for any reason, the entrant agrees that, by entering the competition, (I) any claims, judgements and awards shall be limited to action out-of-pocket costs incurred, but in no event attorneys’ fees; and (II) under no circumstances will any entrant be permitted to obtain any award for, and entrant hereby waives all rights to claim, any other damages, including but not limited to punitive, incidental or consequential damages.
Judging Criteria
To be eligible for an award, nominated projects must have been delivered in 2025. Entrants may only submit a single project with each entry, not a series of projects. Judges reserve the right to reassign projects to other categories if necessary. Decisions by the judges are final. All questions on the entry form must be answered.
Entries must be accompanied by a summary of the project (approximately 300 words). If external links to the project information (press releases, site entries, articles, etc.) exist, please include those. Summaries should include:
- A summary description of the project or installation.
- Details explaining what makes the project unique and pioneering.
- Notes outlining the hardware and/or software used.
- Names and titles of key stakeholders that should be recognized.
Entries will be judged by a panel of industry professionals after the contest is officially closed. Judges will base their decisions on a variety of criteria, including: innovation, real-world usage and technical advancement.
Winners Announcement
The winners will be announced at the 2026 NAB Show award ceremony, in a press release post event and featured on the NAB Show website. There are no monetary prizes.
By entering this awards program, entrants agree (a) to be bound by these Official Rules and (b) that the decisions of the judges and NAB are final on all matters relating to the 2026 NAB Show Project of the Year Awards.
Governing Law
By entering, entrants agree that all issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of entrants and Sponsor in connection with the competition, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the substantive laws of the District of Columbia without regard to its conflicts of law provisions. All entrants hereby consent to the jurisdiction and venue of the Courts of the District of Columbia.
Contest Sponsor
The sponsor of the 2026 NAB Show Project of the Year Awards is the National Association of Broadcasters, 1 M Street SE, Washington, DC 20003.
Does Your Project Have What It Takes to Win?
Submit your application by 11:59 p.m. EDT on April 1, 2026, and find out!
Meet the 2025 Honorees
These awards spotlight the most innovative and forward-thinking new products showcased in 2025 and projects delivered in 2024.
