Innovation Awards
Recognizing outstanding products and services that drive the electronic security and life safety industry forward. Manufacturers and service providers serving the channel with innovative end user offerings and tools that help dealers, integrators and monitoring professionals become more efficient and profitable are encouraged to apply.
Entry Qualifications
• Product or service entered must be either new or field tested and made available to the market after January 1, 2025 and prior to ESX 2026.
• Each company is solely responsible for the submittal process and presentation materials.
Award Benefits
EACH INNOVATION AWARDS ENTRANT WILL RECEIVE:
- Exposure on the ESX site
- An official Innovation Award Entrant tabletop sign for display at your ESX booth
- A listing in the ESX Preview Magazine (a print and digital publication sent to over 20,000 electronic security professionals. The brochure will also be included in select editions of industry trade media magazines).
WINNERS WILL ALSO BE:
- Awarded a trophy
- Featured in Security Nation Magazine
- Announced in an official ESX Innovation Awards press release to trade media
- Recognized at ESX in the Innovation Awards Showcase outside the Expo entrance
- Considered to compete in ESX TechVision Challenge
(Based on the judges’ discretion, a total of up to 8 companies will be selected from the field of Innovation Award category winners to compete in the TechVision Challenge, an interactive “Shark Tank” style competition that will be held live at ESX. However, being selected as an Innovation Award category winner does not guarantee entry into the TechVision Challenge as a finalist for Best of Show).
Award Categories
- Access Control
Door controllers, smart cards and readers, mobile credentials and readers, keypads/biometric readers, turnstiles/gates, visitor management systems, cloud platforms and software
- Cyber Security and Data Privacy
Endpoint protection, secure remote access gateways, VPN appliances, cybersecurity monitoring
- Video Surveillance Cameras
- Video Analytics
Object detection, facial recognition, license plate recognition, fall detection, cloud/edge/VMS analytics
- Intrusion Systems
Control panels, motion and glass break detectors, perimeter sensors, sirens/strobes
- Fire Detection and Life Safety Systems
Panels, smoke detectors, voice evacuation systems, notification appliances, emergency lightings
- Alarm Communications/ Transmissions
Cellular alarm communicators, dual-path communicators, IP alarm transmission modules, radio transmitters, LTE/5G communicators, backup communication devices, signal encryption technologies, network failover solutions
- Mobile App
Customer-facing control apps, technician service apps, remote system management apps
- Specialty Products and Services
- Structured Cabling, Connectivity and Power Supplies
Gunshot detection, aggression detection (audio analytics) environmental monitoring, elevator monitoring, panic/duress solutions, compliance services, niche vertical security solutions
Low-voltage cabling, fiber solutions, PoE switches, network racks and enclosures, patch panels, connectors, wireless bridges, batteries
- Business Operations Software
- Installation Services and Tools
- Monitoring Services
- Managed Services
CRM and ERP platforms, estimating/billing/RMR tracking software, service/field management platforms, compliance reporting, HR software
Testing equipment, installation hardware, mounting solutions, programming tools, system commissioning services, technician productivity tools
Alarm, video and fire monitoring, two-way voice verification, dispatch services, personal emergency monitoring
Cloud-hosted security platforms, remote system health monitoring, firmware management, hosted access control/video
- Smart Building Automation and Integration
- Smart Home Tech
- Digital Health/Wellbeing Systems
- Remote Guarding and Incident Response
- School Security
- Mobile Surveillance Trailers
- AI-Driven Detection
Integrated security platforms, building management systems (BMS), HVAC integration, lighting control integration, unified control dashboards
Smart locks, smart thermostats, connected lighting, video doorbells, residential automation hubs, voice assistant integrations
Air quality, fall detection, senior care and emergency response devices, lone worker protection and environmental solutions
Virtual guard services, event-based response services, video verification for law enforcement, lockdown automation
Vape detection, emergency communications, classroom panic devices and mass notification, lockdown systems, weapons detection, campus call boxes, visitor screening systems
Solar-powered surveillance trailers, rapid-deployment camera towers, cellular-enabled monitoring units, temporary jobsite surveillance systems
Machine learning-based threat detection, anomaly detection software, predictive analytics platforms, AI-powered monitoring tools
Judging Criteria
The awards program will be judged by a panel of industry professionals for the following criteria:
- Product Impact
- Design & Differentiation
- Interoperability
- Business & Revenue Growth
- Customer Retention
- Improves Efficiency
- Implementation
- Compliance & Standards Alignment
- Cybersecurity/Data Protection
- WOW Factor
Award entries must earn a minimum score to be considered for winning eligibility.
Entry Fees
INITIAL ENTRY
Exhibitor/Sponsor: $1,345
NonExhibitor/Sponsor: $1,845
EACH ADDITIONAL ENTRY
Exhibitor/Sponsor: $1,045
NonExhibitor/Sponsor: $1,545
ENTRY DEADLINE
APRIL 16, 2026
TECHVISION CHALLENGE
The top 8 products in the Innovation Awards program will be invited to compete head-to-head in a Shark Tank-style competition, before our integrator judges.