2026 IoT Sustainability Solution of the Year

Submission overview

The 2026 IoT Sustainability Solution of the Year recognizes an outstanding connected solution that reduces environmental impact while delivering practical operational or economic value.

Eligible entries may address energy consumption, emissions, water use, material waste, asset efficiency, environmental monitoring, resource management, equipment performance, transportation, agriculture, infrastructure, or other sustainability challenges.

Strong submissions will provide credible and transparent evidence of environmental outcomes. Entrants should explain the original baseline, the connected technologies deployed, the measurement methodology, the results achieved, and how the solution can be replicated or scaled.

This award is a great fit if…

• Your solution measurably reduces energy use, emissions, water consumption, material waste, or another form of environmental impact
• Your technology uses connected devices, data, analytics, monitoring, or automation to improve resource efficiency
• Your deployment connects sustainability improvements with cost savings, resilience, compliance, or operational performance
• Your solution has produced documented results through customer deployments, pilots, audits, certifications, or field validation
• Your approach can be expanded across additional assets, sites, facilities, fleets, customers, regions, or industries

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 sustainability objective, connected solution, deployment context, measurement methodology, and results.

• Solution overview: Describe the connected technology, its intended users, the sustainability challenge it addresses, and where it has been deployed
• Baseline and objectives: Explain the original environmental or resource-use conditions and the improvements the project was intended to achieve
• Technology and implementation: Describe the devices, connectivity, data, analytics, automation, integrations, and operational processes involved
• Environmental evidence: Include energy savings, emissions reductions, water savings, waste reduction, asset-efficiency gains, environmental measurements, or other quantified outcomes
• Measurement methodology: Explain the measurement period, data sources, calculations, assumptions, verification methods, and comparison baseline used
• Operational and economic value: Describe cost savings, productivity improvements, resilience, compliance support, maintenance benefits, or other business outcomes
• Supporting materials: Provide relevant dashboards, audits, certifications, case studies, reports, architecture diagrams, customer references, or deployment examples

Optional supporting materials may include a sustainability report, demonstration video, technical brief, third-party validation document, or customer testimonial.

Judging criteria

• Evidence and Measurable Impact, 40%: Strength, transparency, and credibility of the documented energy, emissions, water, waste, resource, environmental, or operational outcomes
• Execution and Scalability, 25%: Deployment quality, reliability, security, integration, manageability, and ability to replicate or expand the solution
• Innovation and Differentiation, 20%: Originality and effectiveness of the connected technology, automation, analytics, monitoring, or system design
• Category Fit, 10%: Clarity and strength of the case that the solution produces meaningful sustainability benefits through IoT
• Leadership and Industry Contribution, 5%: Potential to strengthen sustainability practices, encourage responsible IoT adoption, or provide a model for broader environmental progress

Eligibility

• Open worldwide to companies, organizations, startups, teams, municipalities, utilities, public-sector entities, and individuals operating within the Internet of Things
• The solution must have been launched, updated, deployed, validated, expanded, or materially advanced during the 2026 calendar year
• Products, platforms, services, customer deployments, pilot programs, and at-scale implementations may be entered
• Entries must include credible evidence of energy, waste, water, resource, emissions, environmental, or related operational impact
• Estimated results may be included when the underlying assumptions, data sources, and calculation methodology are clearly documented
• Organizations may enter multiple solutions or categories when each submission represents a legitimate fit

Confidential customer or performance data may be summarized or redacted, provided the submission includes enough information for judges to evaluate the claimed results fairly.

Submission process

1. Select the IoT Sustainability Solution of the Year category in the 2026 Best of IoT Awards application.
2. Complete every required field and clearly explain the solution’s environmental and operational impact.
3. Upload or link to supporting evidence, measurement details, and relevant solution materials.
4. Submit the application and pay the applicable entry fee before the deadline.

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