2026 IoT Hardware Product of the Year

Submission overview

The 2026 IoT Hardware Product of the Year recognizes an outstanding physical product or component that enables reliable, scalable, and effective Internet of Things deployments.

Eligible entries may include sensors, gateways, modules, boards, embedded devices, edge systems, connected equipment, and other hardware products supporting data collection, connectivity, automation, monitoring, control, or intelligent operations.

Strong submissions will demonstrate thoughtful engineering, reliable performance, deployment readiness, security, interoperability, and measurable customer or operational value. Products may serve industrial, commercial, public-sector, infrastructure, healthcare, agricultural, transportation, consumer, or other connected environments.

This award is a great fit if…

• Your company developed a sensor, gateway, module, board, device, edge system, or other physical IoT product
• Your hardware improves connectivity, data collection, automation, monitoring, control, or equipment intelligence
• Your product demonstrates strength in reliability, durability, power efficiency, security, interoperability, or ease of integration
• Your hardware enables a new IoT use case or materially improves an existing deployment
• You can provide field results, benchmarks, certifications, customer adoption, or other credible evidence of performance

Entry schedule

• Entries Open: Tuesday, December 1, 2026
• Early Bird Deadline: Friday, January 15, 2027
• Final Entry Deadline: Friday, February 12, 2027
• Winners Announced: Tuesday, March 9, 2027

Entries must be completed and paid by the applicable deadline.

Entry fees

• Early Bird Entry: $395 through January 15, 2027
• Standard Entry: $495 through February 12, 2027

Each category submission is treated as a separate entry.

What to submit

Your submission should give judges a clear understanding of the hardware product, its engineering, its intended use, and its demonstrated value.

• Product overview: Describe the hardware, its intended users, its deployment environments, and the problems it addresses
• Design and engineering: Explain relevant design decisions involving durability, power consumption, form factor, connectivity, data quality, manufacturability, or ease of installation
• Technical differentiation: Identify the features, components, architecture, performance, or engineering choices that distinguish the product from existing alternatives
• Security and lifecycle support: Describe device protection, identity, firmware updates, maintenance, resilience, and long-term product support
• Evidence and results: Include benchmarks, certifications, reliability data, field results, customer adoption, deployment outcomes, ROI, or operational improvements
• Supporting materials: Provide relevant product photographs, datasheets, technical diagrams, product pages, case studies, deployment examples, or customer references

Optional supporting materials may include a demonstration video, technical brief, integration guide, testing report, teardown overview, or reference contact.

Judging criteria

• Evidence and Measurable Impact, 35%: Strength of the benchmarks, certifications, reliability data, field results, customer outcomes, adoption evidence, or deployment value
• Innovation and Differentiation, 25%: Originality and technical significance of the product’s design, capabilities, components, or engineering approach
• Execution and Scalability, 25%: Reliability, durability, manufacturability, usability, security, interoperability, deployment readiness, and ability to support wider adoption
• Category Fit, 10%: Clarity and strength of the case that the entry represents an exceptional IoT hardware product
• Leadership and Industry Contribution, 5%: Contribution to improved hardware practices, new connected applications, stronger deployment outcomes, or broader IoT adoption

Eligibility

• Open worldwide to companies, organizations, startups, teams, and individuals operating within the Internet of Things
• The hardware product must have been released, updated, validated, adopted, or materially improved during the 2026 calendar year
• Commercial products, production-ready hardware, and independently validated preproduction products may be entered
• Entries should include credible evidence of performance, customer adoption, certifications, field testing, deployment outcomes, or technical validation
• Organizations may enter multiple products or categories when each submission represents a legitimate fit

Confidential design, manufacturing, or intellectual property details may be summarized or redacted, provided the submission includes enough information for judges to evaluate the product fairly.

Submission process

1. Select the IoT Hardware Product of the Year category in the 2026 Best of IoT Awards application.
2. Complete every required field and clearly explain the product’s engineering, differentiation, and value.
3. Upload or link to supporting evidence and relevant product materials.
4. Submit the application and pay the applicable entry fee before the deadline.

Multiple entries are permitted, although each hardware product or category submission requires a separate application and entry fee.