HbbTV Opens Entries For 2026 Awards Ahead Of Barcelona Symposium

The HbbTV Association has begun accepting entries for the HbbTV Awards 2026, inviting providers of HbbTV applications, services, technologies and solutions to put forward their best work.

This year's competition will be staged during the 14th HbbTV Symposium and Awards on 18-19 November 2026 in Barcelona, Spain, co-hosted by the HbbTV Association and 3Cat, Catalonia's public media corporation. The event will take place at the Catalonia Barcelona Plaza Hotel and bring together leaders from across the connected TV ecosystem. The awards ceremony is scheduled for the evening of 18 November, the opening day of the conference.

Submissions are free and can be made via the online form at forms.gle/rLrfLJH1P5dgSPwY7, which also provides further information for entrants.

Reflecting current market trends, the HbbTV Association has refreshed its categories for 2026, introducing Excellence in HbbTV Audience Measurement & Analytics to acknowledge the growing role of HbbTV-powered audience insights, improved measurement accuracy and advanced analytics. The topic also features in this year's Symposium conference programme and aligns with the recently formed HbbTV Audience Measurement Application Interest Group: www.hbbtv.org/news-events/hbbtv-launches-audience-measurement-group-to-accelerate-innovation-across-the-tv-ecosystem/.

The 2026 categories are:
- Excellence in HbbTV Audience Measurement & Analytics
- Outstanding HbbTV Advertising Campaign
- HbbTV Application Innovation Award
- HbbTV Enabling Technology Award
- HbbTV Rising Star Award

Companies may submit multiple entries but only across a maximum of two categories, with a separate form required for each submission. An independent jury of industry experts will evaluate entries against criteria such as innovation, technical merit, execution, impact and overall contribution to the HbbTV ecosystem.

The HbbTV Rising Star Award, formerly the "HbbTV Newcomer of the Year" Judges' Award, is now a standard category. Organisations can nominate themselves or third parties, including customers, partners or suppliers. The award recognises companies that are relatively new to HbbTV and have demonstrated exceptional innovation, technical excellence, market impact or a strong commitment to ecosystem growth.

The deadline for entries is 18 September 2026. A shortlist of finalists will be selected for review by the expert panel, which will choose the winners.

"The HbbTV Awards have become an important platform for recognising innovation and excellence across the connected TV ecosystem. The updated categories reflect the evolution of the market, including the growing importance of audience measurement, advanced advertising, innovative applications and the technologies enabling new services. I encourage all companies developing HbbTV-based solutions to submit their achievements and compete for recognition at the HbbTV Symposium and Awards in Barcelona," said Vincent Grivet, Chair of the HbbTV Association.

Examples of innovative HbbTV applications, including past entries, finalists and winners, can be explored in the HbbTV Application Showcase: developer.hbbtv.org/showcase_app/.

At the HbbTV Awards 2025 in Istanbul, winners included 3Cat, TVekstra, Everyone TV and BCi Digital for achievements spanning accessibility, advertising, technology innovation, content discovery and HbbTV service delivery.