Marca Awards – Best Innovation Product

1. PARTICIPATION CATEGORIES

Candidate products must fall into one or more of the following thematic categories: 

  1. Sustainability: 
    • Environmental
    • Social
    • Economic
  2. Wellness food (including pet-food)
    • Mediterranean diet
    • Health and preventive diet
    • Vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian, reducetarian diets
    • Personalized diet
  3. Indoor & outdoor non-food wellness (indoor, outdoor, for people and pets)
    • Purification
    • Hygiene and cleaning
    • Natural furniture and kitchen products
    • Water consumption
    • Protection of good sleep
  4. Origin, provenance, supply chain and transparency
    • Made in italy
    • Products from other countries and cultures of the world
    • Transparency
  5. Tech
    • Sustainability
    • Affordance
    • Service

If there are more than one types of innovation, the prevailing one must be highlighted. This evidence will allow, in communication and exhibition, even during the fair, to correctly place the product with the description provided.

2. APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Interested companies shall:

  • Fill in and return the Marca Awards 2026 application form to be requested at the bottom of the page, entering a maximum of three innovative products, just launched or to be launched.
  • Access the section “Marca Awards 2026” in your reserved area for:
    1. Insert candidate products (max 3)
    2. Upload at least two HD images for each product and a detailed description of them
    3. Select from the drop-down menus the scope you belong to, the relevant subcategory and the dimensions of the candidate product
  • Physically deliver a mock-up of the candidate products on January 13, 2026, from 8.30 am to 1.00 pm, to the BolognaFiere Service Center.

The products will then be retained by BolognaFiere for shipping to any other potential international initiatives organized by Marca by BolognaFiere.

In the case of delivery of products not in the form of mock-ups, even in the case of perishable or fresh products, shipping to foreign events may not be guaranteed.

3. EVALUATION COMMITTEE

The selection process includes:

  • Technical pre-selection by PL experts from the IPLC network and journalists from PL Magazine
  • Final evaluation by a jury of international buyers involved in the International Buyers Program

4. EVALUATION CRITERIA AND METHODS

Candidate products will be evaluated through two distinct stages:

  1. Technical pre-selection
    A jury of experts made up of consultants from IPLC Italy and journalists from PL Magazine will analyze all the candidate products and select 15 finalists, i.e. 3 for each thematic category.
  2. Final selection of winners
    On January 13 2026, during the International Buyers Preview, a jury composed of international buyers will evaluate the finalist products, assigning one vote per category. The products with the highest scores will be proclaimed winners for innovation.

The product exhibition will be set up in the Marca Trend area, with high visitor traffic, with a thematic itinerary among the innovation categories. The space will be manned and animated, offering photographic opportunities and visibility to the managers of the participating companies.

During the days of the event, there will be an official award ceremony with recognition plates given to the winners