Categories
Five categories, five opportunities.
You can enter and win in the following categories:
- Climate protection
- Digitalisation
- Mechanical engineering
- Building
- Research
It is important that the innovations submitted have a connection to the construction, building materials, mining machinery, construction industry or building materials industry. The jury primarily assesses the future viability and practical relevance of the innovation. Additional attention will be paid to the significance for climate protection.
You can find the conditions of participation under Participate.
The evaluation criteria can be found directly in the category description.
Category 1: Climate protection
The aspects of environmental protection, resource conservation, sustainability and the circular economy now underpin every construction project. For manufacturers of machinery and equipment as well as construction companies, 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, which is why the Innovation Award would like to cherish special developments and achievements in a separate category and present them to the public. Companies that demonstrably promote climate protection with their product or service are eligible to enter the competition. These include manufacturers of machinery for the construction industry, building material plants, mining technology and their suppliers as well as producers of building materials and construction companies.
Exhibitors of bauma 2025 and member companies of the construction associations HDB, ZDB and bbs are admitted.
Evaluation criteria (without ranking):
- Energy efficiency
- Sustainability
- Conservation of resources, life cycle assessment
- Alternative drives and fuels
- Degree of innovation
- Benefits for the user
- Economic potential
Category 2: Digitalisation
Digitalisation has become so important for the construction industry that the Innovation Award has created a separate category for it. The digitalisation 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 of bauma 2025 and member companies of the construction associations HDB, ZDB and bbs are admitted.
Evaluation criteria (without ranking):
- Automation potential
- System permeability
- Degree of cross-linking
- Degree of innovation
- Benefits for the user
- Humanisation of the workplace
- Economic potential
Category 3: Mechanical engineering
This category is open to companies that offer new developments in 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 produced, processed, treated, transported or packaged.
New, modified or additional functionalities in components are one of the decisive factors in whether or not a machine succeeds on the market. Companies can also enter in this category if they 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, control systems and sensors.
Exhibitors of bauma 2025 are eligible.
Evaluation criteria (without ranking):
- Degree of innovation
- Practical orientation, benefits for the user
- Humanisation of the workplace
- Design (aesthetics and appearance, combination of form and function, ergonomics and emotionality)
- Economic potential
Category 4: Building
The demands placed on buildings are constantly increasing. Construction methods and processes are therefore constantly being optimised and further developed. New and further developments in building materials are also among the drivers of innovation in construction.
In this category, companies from the construction industry and the building materials industry can enter alone or in cooperation with their partners (exhibitors at bauma 2025). Entries in this category contribute to innovative construction through the production of innovative structures, new construction processes and construction technology products, modified construction processes and system solutions or new or further developed construction materials and building materials.
Member companies of the construction associations HDB, ZDB and bbs are eligible to exhibit alone or together with an exhibitor at bauma 2025 (note: individual applications from exhibitors are not permitted).
Evaluation criteria (without ranking):
- Degree of innovation in construction, construction methods, construction system solutions, construction processes, construction technology products, construction materials and building materials
- Economic potential
- Degree of digitalisation
- Contribution to sustainable construction (climate protection, resource efficiency, etc.)
- Construction of the building (realisation, degree of difficulty)
- Realisation requirements of the building (demands on logistics, construction process, construction sequence)
- Aesthetics and appearance of the building (design, function and form, long-distance effect, embedding)
Category 5: Research
Without research, there would be no technical progress and without this progress, companies would not be able to survive on the global market. This category is about practical research results that have already been successfully implemented in the development of construction-related products or can be implemented in the near future.
This is primarily aimed at research institutes and universities that are active in the field of construction and building material machines or construction technology.
All universities and research institutes are eligible.
Evaluation criteria (without ranking):
- Degree of innovation
- Practical orientation, benefits for the user
- Humanisation of the workplace
- Contribution to environmental protection, energy and/or resource efficiency
- Economic potential