ISH Designplus Award Opens Entries for HVAC and Water Innovations
The award will recognise outstanding products and solutions across water efficiency, HVAC technology, smart controls, design and sustainability, with entries open until 22 January 2027.
The ISH Designplus Award has opened its call for entries, inviting ISH 2027 exhibitors to submit innovative products and solutions for the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and water sectors. Under the motto “The Power of Solutions”, the award will highlight developments that combine design quality with technological progress.
Established in 1995, the Designplus Award has recognised outstanding industry developments for more than three decades. It serves as a benchmark for innovation and professional recognition across the sector. Exhibitors can submit their entries until 22 January 2027.
An independent jury of experts from industry, design and architecture will evaluate the entries. The award recognises both the quality of the solutions and the teams behind their development.
Award-Winning Solutions to Feature in Guided Tours
The winners will receive their awards during a ceremony on the first day of ISH 2027. This edition will also introduce a Guided Tours programme.
Instead of a separate special exhibition, trade visitors and members of the press will be able to discover the winning solutions directly at the exhibitors’ stands. They can explore the products in the trade fair setting and discuss the concepts with manufacturers.
Stefan Seitz, Director ISH Brand Management, says: “As the world’s leading trade fair, we see it as our responsibility to showcase innovation and help drive it forward. The Designplus Award reflects the current direction of the sector: the winning solutions show how companies are responding to key challenges related to water, heating and air. This gives trade visitors and members of the press at ISH an overview of current developments and approaches to solving these challenges,”
Six Categories for Innovation
The Designplus Award includes four main categories and two special categories.
Main categories
- Water & Efficiency +: Recognises solutions that improve water efficiency by reducing consumption and losses, protecting drinking water hygiene, and monitoring or controlling water use.
- HVAC & Resource Efficiency +: Focuses on energy-efficient heating and air-conditioning technologies that integrate renewable energy, reduce CO2 emissions and support a healthy indoor climate.
- Smart & Control +: Covers intelligent control and networking of building services and systems. It highlights demand-based automation and solutions that improve energy use and comfort.
- Design & Innovation +: Recognises products that combine design quality with innovative technology, including new materials, processes, functions and sustainable use concepts.
Special categories
Entry to the two special categories is free of charge.
- Young Innovators +: Open to participants in the ISH Startup and Scaleup Area. It recognises new ideas, technologies and business models.
- Sustainable Exhibition Stand +: Recognises exhibitors whose stands use environmentally friendly materials and resource-efficient construction methods, from planning to operation.
Independent Jury to Review Entries in February
The independent jury will meet in mid-February 2027 to assess all submissions. The evaluation will consider design quality, technological innovation, sustainability and relevance to the future of the sector.
Winning entries will receive industry recognition and additional visibility through ISH’s communications channels. The Designplus Award is organised in cooperation with Stylepark, a magazine focused on architecture and design.
Exhibitors can find further details and submit their entries through the official Designplus Award website.
ISH 2027, the leading international trade fair for HVAC and water, will take place from 15 to 19 March 2027 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
