
Category 1 | Climate protection
The aspects of environmental protection, resource conservation, sustainability and circular economy now form the basis of every construction project. At the manufacturer of machines and plants as well as at the construction company, in every production hall and on every construction site. In order to achieve the goals of the European Green Deal, every sector must make its contribution. This task has a high social and political relevance, so that the Innovation Award would like to award special developments and achievements in a separate category and present them to the public. Companies that demonstrably advance climate protection with their product or service are eligible to apply. These include: Manufacturers of machinery for the construction industry, building materials plants, mining technology and their suppliers, as well as producers of building materials and construction companies.
Exhibitors at bauma 2022 are admitted.
Evaluation criteria (without ranking):
- Energy efficiency
- Sustainability
- Resource conservation, life cycle assessment
- Alternative drives and fuels
- Degree of innovation
- Benefit for the user
- Economic potential

Category 2 | Digitalisation
Digitalisation has become so important for the construction industry that the Innovation Award is offering a separate category for it. Digitisation of machines, construction sites and the entire process chain from raw material extraction to building material production is a key driver for economic efficiency, occupational safety, globalisation and competitiveness. In most cases, successful digitalisation also benefits environmental protection because processes simply become more efficient.
Exhibitors at bauma 2022 are admitted.
Evaluation criteria (without ranking):
- Automation potential
- System permeability
- Degree of networking
- Degree of innovation
- Benefit for the user
- Humanisation of the workplace
- Economic potential

Category 3 | Mechanical engineering
In this category, companies can apply that offer new developments of mobile or stationary machines and systems that are used in the construction industry, the building trade, the building materials industry or in mining, or with which building materials can be manufactured, processed, transported or packed.
New, modified or additional functionalities in components are one of the decisive factors in whether a machine establishes itself on the market or not. You can also apply in this category if you have developed new components for construction, building material and mining machines that improve their functionality. This category includes in particular classic components such as drives, controls and sensor technology.
Exhibitors at bauma 2022 are admitted.
Evaluation criteria (without ranking):
- Degree of innovation
- Practical orientation, benefit for the user
- Humanisation of the workplace
- Design (aesthetics and optics, combination of form and function, ergonomics and emotionality)
- Economic potential

Category 4 | Building
The demands placed on structures are constantly increasing. Therefore, construction methods and processes are constantly being optimised and further developed. New and further developments in building materials continue to be among the innovation drivers in construction.
In this category, companies from the construction industry as well as the building materials industry and their development partners can apply that contribute to innovative construction through the production of innovative structures, new construction methods, modified construction processes or new or further developed building materials.
Member companies of the HDB, ZDB and BBS building associations are admitted.
Evaluation criteria (without ranking):
- Degree of innovation of the structure, construction methods, construction processes and building materials
- Economic potential
- Degree of digitisation
- Contribution to climate protection (energy efficiency, sustainability, resource conservation)
- Aesthetics and appearance of the building (shape, function and form, long-distance effect, embedding)
- Construction of the building (implementation, degree of difficulty)
- Realisation requirements of the structure (demands on logistics, construction methods, construction sequence)

Category 5 | Research
Without research there would be no technical progress and without this progress companies cannot survive on the world market. This category is about practical research results that have already been successfully implemented in the development of products related to construction or can be implemented in the near future.
This primarily addresses research institutes and universities that are active in the field of construction and building material machines or in construction technology. Research-based companies that are eligible to apply in categories 1 - 3 can also apply.
All universities and research institutes are admitted.
Evaluation criteria (without ranking):
- Degree of innovation
- Practical orientation, benefit for the user
- Humanisation of the workplace
- Contribution to environmental protection, energy and/or resource efficiency
- Economic potential