HERMES AWARD 2027: HANNOVER MESSE LAUNCHES APPLICATION PHASE

<p>Deutsche Messe AG has opened the application phase for the <strong>HERMES AWARD 2027</strong> and the <strong>HERMES STARTUP AWARD</strong>. This marks the beginning of another search for the most innovative industrial solutions to be honored within the framework of HANNOVER MESSE 2027. The prize is internationally recognized as one of the most prestigious awards for technological innovations in the manufacturing industry.</p><h2>Application phase for coveted industrial award now open</h2><p>For HANNOVER MESSE 2027, Deutsche Messe AG is once again calling on companies and institutions to apply for the HERMES AWARD and the HERMES STARTUP AWARD. Both prizes honor products or solutions that combine a high degree of technological innovation with concrete market maturity. All companies and institutions registered as exhibitors of HANNOVER MESSE 2027 are eligible to apply. The application deadline runs until <strong>February 5, 2027</strong>. Interested parties can submit their entries via the official HANNOVER MESSE website.</p><p>The awards ceremony traditionally takes place during the festive opening ceremony of the world's leading industrial trade fair – this year on <strong>April 4, 2027</strong>. This ensures that the HERMES AWARD remains firmly anchored in the fair's event calendar and enjoys correspondingly high media attention.</p><h2>Evaluation criteria and jury deliberation process</h2><p>After the application deadline, an independent expert jury will examine the submitted innovations more closely. The chairmanship is once again held by <strong>Prof. Dr. Holger Hanselka</strong>, President of the Fraunhofer Society. The jury nominates three innovations each for the HERMES AWARD and for the HERMES STARTUP AWARD, from which the final winners are subsequently selected.</p><p>The evaluation incorporates multiple criteria that extend far beyond pure technical enthusiasm:</p><ul><li>Degree of technological innovation</li><li>Contribution to industry, environment and society</li><li>Economic viability of the solution</li><li>Current market maturity</li></ul><p>This holistic approach makes clear that the HERMES AWARD is not only about technical excellence, but also about how an innovation actually contributes to solving real industrial and societal challenges.</p><h3>Retrospective: The winners of the HERMES AWARD 2026</h3><p>A look at the previous year's award winners demonstrates the level of innovation the jury expects. The <strong>HERMES AWARD 2026</strong> was won by Schaeffler with a platform for highly integrated actuators used in joint points of humanoid robots. The actuator platform combines highly efficient servo motors, power electronics and encoders in a compact system and can be flexibly combined with two-stage planetary or shaft gearboxes.</p><p>The <strong>HERMES STARTUP AWARD 2026</strong> went to the young Swiss company BTRY. The jury was convinced by ultra-thin, fully flexible solid-state batteries. The technology enables fast charging, high temperature resistance and maximum safety – thereby significantly exceeding conventional lithium-ion cells in several performance dimensions.</p><h2>Significance for exhibitors and outlook for 2027</h2><p>For exhibitors of HANNOVER MESSE, applying for the HERMES AWARD offers an attractive opportunity to present their own innovative strength to an international specialist audience as well as the world's press. The award itself is not associated with prize money, but rather with considerable media visibility: the presentation takes place within the festive framework of the opening ceremony, accompanied by the official jury citation and corresponding press coverage.</p><p>Given the examples from the previous year – from highly integrated robotic components to groundbreaking battery technologies – it is possible to envision in which technology fields applications for 2027 might also be submitted: Robotics, energy storage, automation and sustainable production technologies traditionally count among the focus areas of submitted innovations.</p><p>Companies wishing to apply for the HERMES AWARD 2027 or the HERMES STARTUP AWARD should keep the February 5, 2027 deadline in mind. Those among the nominees can look forward to a prominent stage during the opening of HANNOVER MESSE on April 4, 2027 – and thus to one of the most visible platforms for industrial innovations worldwide.</p>