It’s back for 2026 — the Best of Show awards program that celebrates the best custom installation and home entertainment technology launches at CEDIA Expo! Residential Systems, TWICE, and What Hi-Fi? will once again have judges on-site to examine each entry and bestow honors on the most deserving.
Here is what you need to know to participate:
Award Benefit Highlights
There are a whole host of benefits for entering the Best of Show Awards at CEDIA 2026. Below are just a few that you will receive, both as a nominee and as a winner:
- All entries will receive a fully licensed nominee badge to use in both digital and print promotions.
- Dedicated editorial coverage across participating brands. As a winning entry, you will receive promotional coverage across social media, websites, newsletters, and magazines from the official award brands – Residential Systems, TWICE, and What Hi-Fi?
- Winner marketing assets to further promote your success. You will receive an official award winner’s badge, fully licensed for use with your winning product both domestically and overseas at no additional cost, in addition to a winner’s social assets.
- Crystal glass trophies to display your win. Individual trophies will be sent directly to winners after CEDIA, so you can continue celebrating your success after the show!
Past Winners
Want to know whose company you will be in if you win a Best of Show at CEDIA Expo? Here are the winners from the past three years.
2025 Winners List – 2025 Winners More Detailed
2024 Winners List – 2024 Winners More Details
2023 Winners List – 2023 Winners More Details
Tips on Creating a Winning Entry
Each year, there are thousands of new products introduced at CEDIA. Thousands. After all the effort you have put into bringing your product to market, how can you stand out? Winning a Best of Show Award from Residential Systems, TWICE, and What Hi-Fi? (or even all three) goes a long way to differentiating your product from a crowded market and putting a spotlight on the hard work that led up to its release.
Each entry is judged by an industry professional. We’re keeping them secret so they can visit your CEDIA Expo booths anonymously, but there is a (very) good chance you’ve seen them in the pages (both web and print) of the brands they represent.
We are often asked how a product can improve its chances of winning, and here are three ways to catch our judges’ eyes:
- Tell your story. Your entry form is a blank slate — use it for more than specs, although include those as well! This is your chance to tell the judges the thought behind the creation and building of a product. Make sure you point out exactly what makes this an award-worthy piece of gear.
- First Impressions. Have you had any residential integrators beta-test the product? Provide any kind of feedback? Offer any impression on how your product performs? Make sure to include it.
- Life Changing. What kind of impact do you intend this product to have on the installer and the end user? What sets it apart from similar products? You know why it’s better than everyone else’s — make sure the judge knows why, too.
Get more information by visiting https://www.residentialsystemsbestofshow.com/cedia2026.
