Stuttgart Surface Technology Prize 2026 announced

From October 6, 2025 up to and including February 20, 2026, it will once again be possible to apply for the Stuttgart Surface Technology Award "The Surface". Both individuals and organizations that have played an innovative role in shaping the surface technology industry, whether in electroplating, painting technology, thermal spraying or other industrial areas related to surface technology, are invited to take part in this competition.

Jury evaluates entries for the Stuttgart Surface Technology Award

In addition to sustainability, the three-member jury also assesses the degree of innovation, the characteristics of the technology or application as an enabling technology and its industrial feasibility. "Innovation starts on the surface - small and medium-sized companies in particular are driving the development of entire industries with their ideas. Making such companies visible and promoting them is always our motivation for this special award," says juror Martin Metzner, Head of the Surface Processes, Technology and Materials Research Division at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA. In addition to Metzner, the interdisciplinary and independent expert jury also includes Martin Riester (VDMA Surface Technology) and Michael Hilt (Research Association for Pigments and Coatings). The Stuttgart Surface Technology Prize "Die Oberfläche" is awarded every two years and will be presented for the tenth time in 2026. The award ceremony will take place on May 5, 2026 at the specialist forum of the international trade fair Surface Technology Germany in Stuttgart, registration documents can be found online.