Messe Frankfurt has announced the call for entries for the Designplus Award powered by Light + Building, recognising outstanding design solutions in lighting, electrical engineering, and building automation. The award highlights innovations that combine technical excellence, creativity, and sustainability, with winners celebrated at the world's leading trade fair for lighting and building services technology, taking place from 8 to 13 March 2026.
© Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH / Petra Welzel
In collaboration with Stylepark, a platform and magazine for architecture and design, the award offers exhibiting companies the opportunity to submit their products for consideration. Winners benefit from an exclusive award ceremony, digital presentation formats, and a communication programme to promote their innovations.
The 2026 competition has expanded from four to six categories, including two special awards, offering a larger platform for creative and sustainable solutions:
- Sustainability & Future Energy + – energy-efficient systems, renewable heating solutions, and circular economy concepts.
- Smart & Connected Solutions + – products leveraging IoT, AI, BIM, or smart networking to enhance efficiency.
- Lighting Design & Atmosphere + – luminaires, lighting systems, intelligent controls, and design tools.
- User Experience & Integration + – solutions that foster new working and living environments with people at the centre.
- Young Innovators + – for start-ups and young companies supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.
- Sustainable Exhibition Stand + – recognising exhibitors with particularly sustainable stand designs.
An independent expert jury will eval§uate submissions in a two-stage process, focusing on innovations that make a decisive contribution to a sustainable building sector. Both nominees and winners will be showcased in online galleries and digital info hubs at the exhibition, gaining visibility and strengthening market positioning beyond the trade fair.
All exhibitors at Light + Building 2026 are invited to register their innovative products for the award by 19 January 2026, with the jury convening on 4 February 2026.
More information:
Light + Building
www.light-building.com
