Design excellence took center stage as the winners of the 36th annual Best of NeoCon Awards were revealed at a lively breakfast celebration at The Mart on Monday, June 8. The highly anticipated awards program honored groundbreaking products from exhibiting brands that are pushing boundaries and shaping the future of design.
This year, 274 entries were evaluated by a jury of 45 architects, designers, specifiers, enterprise clients, facility managers, and top business media. A total of 71 products were awarded across 40+ categories for Gold, Silver, Sustainability, Innovation, and Business Impact.
“The breadth of this year’s nominees demonstrates how dynamically NeoCon exhibitors are designing for the human experience and responding to real-world challenges with solutions that thoughtfully balance aesthetics and performance,” says Eileen McMorrow, Director of Best of NeoCon. “From meaningful advancements in workplace, healthcare, hospitality, education, and lighting, the ingenuity and innovation celebrated by the competition are always exciting to see.”
The Best of Competition-winning Cognetic Technology by KI stood out for its intuitive, human-centered design. The patented innovation was developed to fundamentally rethink how the body interacts with seating. The gravity-powered, multi-axis motion system continuously responds to subtle natural body movement, supporting posture variability, fluid movement, and effortless balance without requiring constant conscious adjustment. Jurors praised the solution for its ability to encourage natural movement and adapt seamlessly to the user, noting that it “moves with your body and how you want to move,” creating a more dynamic and comfortable sitting experience. “We are very excited to see this technology get specified on projects,” the jury added.
One of the most notable developments in this year’s competition is the expansion of lighting categories coinciding with the launch of Illuminate at NeoCon. The show-within-a-show exhibition and newly established classifications elevate the visibility of lighting manufacturers, reinforcing the critical role lighting plays in shaping the built environment. Among the manufacturers recognized with Best of NeoCon awards for lighting solutions were Arktura, Axis Lighting, Baresque, BIOS Lighting, BuzziSpace, Focal Point, JLC-Tech, Koncept, and RBW — demonstrating advancements in performance, control integration, energy efficiency, and visual impact.
Pushing the boundaries of technical execution, manufacturers including Armstrong World Industries, Bernhardt Design, BIOS Lighting, Boss Design, DARRAN, HALCON Furniture, Haskell Education, KI, Levitask, and Prostoria USA earned Innovation Awards for products introducing breakthrough technologies, novel applications, and inventive approaches to contemporary design challenges.
Spotlighting achievements in circular design, responsible material sourcing, manufacturing innovation, and environmental stewardship, Sustainability Awards were presented to products from Andreu World, Boss Design, CF Stinson, Davis Furniture, Flora Materials, Impact Acoustic, Mohawk Group, Model No., Okamura, and RESEAT.
Now in its fourth year, the Business Impact Awards recognized solutions that drive measurable organizational outcomes — from workflow efficiency and space optimization to user experience, wellness, and cost savings. This year, 26 finalists were selected, with ten products ultimately earning Business Impact Awards: AIS’ Reshape; Armstrong World Industries’ Templok Energy Saving Ceilings; BIOS Lighting’s BIOS SkyView Tile; BuzziSpace’s BuzziTent Light; Cisco’s Plug-n-Play Rooms, Cisco Spaces, and Workspace Designer; DARRAN’s Limousine; Haskell Education’s Pathmaker Table Series; Haworth’s Haworth Gallerie; Momentum’s Mirage with SpinFix; and Silen’s Silen Space Gen 2.
See the full list of winners here.
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