HERMES AWARD 2026
Who is shaping the future of industry? Experience live at HANNOVER MESSE 2026 how groundbreaking innovations are honored - and gain insights into technologies that are changing the entire industry. The 23rd HERMES AWARD ceremony will take place during the opening ceremony of HANNOVER MESSE on April 19, 2026. Information on how to apply will follow shortly.
Application
You can apply now! We look forward to receiving your application.
Who can participate?
The call for entries is aimed at all companies and institutions from Germany and abroad that exhibit at HANNOVER MESSE 2026 or participate in other ways in terms of content.
The participation fee is 250 euros plus VAT.
Which solutions can be submitted?
Eligible for participation are products, technological innovations or solutions that will be exhibited at HANNOVER MESSE 2026, have a high degree of maturity in application and can be judged as particularly innovative in terms of their technological and economic implementation.
Added value for the award winner
In addition to the attention in front of an international reputation, the award winner receives an attractive PR package worth around 100,000 euros. This includes comprehensive advertising activities that guarantee the award winner maximum visibility at HANNOVER MESSE.
HERMES Start Up AWARD 2026
Deutsche Messe AG also presents the HERMES Start Up AWARD, which is open to young companies that have been in existence for a maximum of five years. There is no participation fee.
The Jury for the HERMES AWARD 2026
President, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
Director of the Fraunhofer IWU
Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Thyssenkrupp AG
Vice President Outreach at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg
Director of Fraunhofer IAF
Director of the Fraunhofer IML
Head of Digital Design Manufacturing and Services der Airbus SE
Vorstand der VolkswagenStiftung
Business Editor of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
Chief Editor der VDI Nachrichten
Chief Editor Industrieanzeiger
Chief Editor MM MaschinenMarkt
Head of the Institute for Electrical Process Engineering at Leibniz University Hannover
Head of University Cooperation at the Fraunhofer Society
HERMES AWARD Gewinner 2025
This year's prestigious HERMES AWARD goes to Siemens in recognition of its AI-powered "industrial copilots"; these provide assistance covering the entire industrial value chain. An independent jury chaired by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Holger Hanselka, President of the Fraunhofer Society, selected the winner from among three nominated companies. The award was presented during the official opening ceremony of HANNOVER MESSE on 30 March 2025, by Cem Özdemir, Germany’s Federal Minister of Education and Research.
The award-winning solution centers around AI-driven "industrial copilots" designed to enhance workforce efficiency by eliminating repetitive tasks and boosting productivity. For instance, the industrial copilot for Siemens' TIA Portal engineering framework – used by over 120,000 professionals worldwide – enables engineers of all experience levels to write precise, reliable code significantly faster.
Siemens offers a suite of copilots tailored for industrial use, covering the entire value chain from design and planning to engineering, operations, and maintenance. This solution makes generative AI accessible to a wide range of companies. Both cloud-based and on-premises versions are available, with the latter operating directly on the shop floor to meet diverse requirements.
HERMES Startup AWARD Winner 2025
This year, a young Munich-based company has clinched the coveted HERMES Startup Award. The award-winning product, the ecoplanet Cockpit, is an AI-powered platform designed to help businesses analyze their energy consumption in real time, optimize the use of dynamic pricing, and maximize the integration of renewable energy sources. The platform enables companies to reduce energy costs by up to 20 percent while significantly cutting their CO₂ emissions. Additionally, this comprehensive solution automates energy monitoring, procurement processes, and grid fee optimization, offering businesses greater transparency, improved planning capabilities, and a clear competitive edge.
Additionally, this comprehensive solution automates energy monitoring, procurement processes, and grid fee optimization, offering businesses greater transparency, improved planning capabilities, and a clear competitive edge. Jury Chairman and President of the Fraunhofer Society, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Holger Hanselka, stated: "Intelligent energy monitoring is a crucial component of our energy transition. When companies succeed in optimizing their consumption, they can save substantial amounts of energy, significantly reducing both CO₂ emissions and operational costs.
ecoplanet is a startup company that supports businesses in this endeavor with its remarkable AI-based platform: within just three years, it has demonstrated measurable cost savings for its customers. ecoplanet focuses particularly on small and medium-sized enterprises, helping them reduce greenhouse gas emissions. On behalf of the entire jury, I sincerely congratulate them on their well-deserved award."
HERMES AWARD
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