IoT Breakthrough of the Year

About this award

The IoT Breakthrough of the Year Award celebrates the innovations that push the boundaries of what is possible in connected technologies. This recognition highlights a decisive leap forward, whether a product, deployment, architecture, or methodology that introduces new capabilities and delivers tangible value beyond incremental improvement.

Breakthroughs stand apart from ordinary advances because they fundamentally change expectations in the industry. They might enable new types of data collection, dramatically improve reliability, lower barriers to adoption, or open opportunities that previously seemed out of reach. This award honors the organizations and teams that bring these breakthroughs to market and prove their impact in real-world environments.

This category spotlights the visionaries redefining what IoT can achieve, with recognition grounded in customer adoption, pilot programs, technical validation, or measurable business outcomes. Winning entries demonstrate originality, technical depth, and a clear path from idea to scalable solution.

What this award recognizes

• New capabilities, architectures, or methods that shift expectations in IoT
• Breakthrough products, platforms, deployments, or technical approaches with real-world validation
• Clear advantages over prior methods, incumbent systems, or traditional connected technology models
• Innovation that creates meaningful new opportunities for customers, industries, or ecosystems

Who should enter

Entries are welcome from organizations introducing breakthrough connected technologies, technical models, product capabilities, or deployments that represent a meaningful step forward for IoT.

Judging criteria

• Originality: Novelty, technical depth, and differentiation from existing approaches
• Proof: Evidence from pilots, benchmarks, customers, field deployments, or third-party validation
• Impact: Magnitude of improvement compared with the prior state or incumbent solutions
• Adoptability: Practical feasibility, deployment readiness, and ability to scale
• Strategic value: Potential to influence future IoT products, architectures, markets, or use cases

Eligibility

• Open worldwide to companies, organizations, teams, and individuals operating in the Internet of Things
• The breakthrough must be released, publicly demonstrated, validated, or materially advanced within the applicable award year
• Entries should include evidence of results, benchmarks, customer validation, technical progress, or market relevance
• Confidential details may be summarized or redacted for judging, with references provided when possible

What to submit

• Summary describing the breakthrough, why it matters, and how it advances IoT
• Evidence of impact, such as data, benchmarks, pilot results, deployment outcomes, or customer results
• Supporting materials, including product pages, technical documentation, screenshots, media coverage, or validation references
• Optional demo, video, whitepaper, research paper, or technical brief

Best of 2026 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