Entries are now officially open for the 2026 Innovation Excellence Awards, hosted by The Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers, celebrating outstanding innovation across the industries it represents.
The annual awards recognise excellence across sectors including communications, media, publishing, packaging and emerging technologies, bringing together organisations and individuals driving meaningful progress through innovation.
With a heritage spanning more than 600 years, The Stationers’ Company continues to champion forward-thinking ideas that shape the future of industry. The Innovation Excellence Awards serve as a flagship platform to spotlight pioneering work, encourage collaboration and elevate best practice across interconnected sectors.
Entries for the 2026 Awards are open across the following categories:
- Business Process
- Communications & Engagement
- Customer Experience
- Education Technology
- Product Design
- Start Up
- Manufacturing (NEW for 2026)
In addition, the judges will award an overall Innovator of the Year, selected from among the winners of the individual award categories. This final award will recognise the standout innovation that best exemplifies creativity and impact across the Stationers’ industries at the 2026 Innovation Excellence Awards.
Entries are open to organisations of all sizes, from startups to established enterprises, as well as individuals demonstrating exceptional creativity, technological advancement and commercial impact. All entries must be submitted by 8 June 2026.
Speaking on the launch, Kate Howell, Co‑Chair of the Innovation Excellence Awards and Liveryman of The Stationers’ Company, said: “We are delighted to open entries for the 2026 Innovation Excellence Awards. These awards celebrate the ideas, technologies and people that are driving progress across our industries, and we look forward to recognising the very best of innovation once again.”
Commenting on the introduction of the new Manufacturing category, Vida Barr‑Jones, Co‑Chair of the Innovation Excellence Awards, added: "Manufacturing innovation is shaping the future of our industries. From new materials to smarter production, it sits at the heart of many of the challenges we face today, particularly around sustainability and supply chains. This new category allows us to recognise the organisations doing the hard work and leading that progress.”
Businesses, entrepreneurs and innovators are encouraged to submit their entries and showcase their work to a prestigious audience of industry leaders.
For more information and to enter, visit: https://www.stationers.org/company/engagement-with-our-industries/innovation-excellence-awards-intro