2026 Pinnacle Awards Now Open for Submissions
PRINTING United Alliance, the most comprehensive member-based printing and graphic arts association in North America, is proud to announce that the 2026 Pinnacle Awards program is now open for submissions through April 10, 2026. The Pinnacle Awards recognize products that are driving the future of the printing industry with exceptional contributions in quality, capability, and productivity. Information about the program, open exclusively to Alliance Supplier members, can be found at: https://pinnacleawards.printing.org/.
“This year, we are looking forward to seeing even more bold ideas and meaningful innovations,” says Lindsay Ferrari, Learning Management System (LMS) administrator, PRINTING United Alliance. “The Pinnacle Awards are an opportunity for suppliers to tell the story of their product: how they improve processes, open new opportunities, and help customers succeed.
“The Pinnacle Awards continue to reflect what’s happening in the industry, which gives companies the opportunity to stay connected to the latest trends on where suppliers are investing and innovating. It’s always exciting to see entries that highlight where the industry is headed.”
2026 Pinnacle Awards Submission Process
The Pinnacle Awards program is a competition created for manufacturers, OEMs, and suppliers with three main categories: Output Devices; Non-Output Devices; and Technology, defined as follows:
Pinnacle Awards – Output
The Pinnacle Award – Output category requires that entrants print out a provided two-page IT8 target for submission. The IT8 target is then measured using an X-Rite i1iO and Maxwell software. The IT8 measurements are totaled, and the winning recipient is the best in each subcategory. This competition is solely based on math.
Pinnacle Awards – Non-output
The Pinnacle Award – Non-output category recognizes products that improve or advance the printing industry with exceptional contributions to quality, capability, and productivity.
Pinnacle Awards – Technology
The Pinnacle Award – Technology category honors the development of technologies predicted to significantly impact commercial printing, digital textiles, packaging, screen printing, wide format, and related industries.
New Categories for 2026
This year, in response to industry feedback, the Alliance is introducing three new Direct to Film categories within the Output portion of the competition. These new categories reflect the rapid growth and innovation happening in direct-to-film printing:
- DTF to Garment Printers – Black Shirt
- DTF to Garment Printers – White Shirt
- UV-DTF to Rigid Substrate
How to Submit an Award Submission
Pinnacle Award product submissions can be made online at https://pinnacleawards.printing.org/. Winners will be celebrated across various Alliance channels and during PRINTING United Expo, taking place this year from September 23-25 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Business Impact of Winning a Pinnacle Award
In 2025, the Pinnacle Awards program recognized 67 noteworthy, winning products. Winning the Pinnacle Award is a powerful asset for any business, providing critical recognition and validation, and demonstrating one’s outstanding accomplishments to peers and customers alike.
Previous 2025 award winners comment on the value of the awards program, as follows:
“We were excited to be awarded with three Pinnacle Awards for [DD1001 Impression Backlit] backlit framing systems, [DD7303 Lined Flag] flags, and [GF4303 Eco Canvas] canvas. Fisher has been a part of this program since 2016 - our very first award. We love this program because it helps us to showcase our products, but also get our creative juices flowing as far as coming out with innovative products that are customer-based and that the industry is demanding,” said Sharon Roland, sales manager, Fisher Textiles.
“We had an amazing year with a total of 11 Pinnacle Awards won. We had a great array of awards from both Durst and Vanguard, including the P5350. This is a tried-and-true printer [that] a lot of print serve providers (PSPs) are using across the world. We continue to advance that technology so that we can continue to win awards and get recognized for all the innovations that we put together,” said Becky McConnell, marketing manager, Durst. “The reason we want to be recognized is so PSPs make sure they understand that they are getting a great quality product, that we are continuing to innovate and develop products that serve their market.”
Join the Alliance
For more information about joining the Alliance and how to take advantage of participating in exclusive membership programs such as the Pinnacle Awards, as well as have direct access to leading industry experts, services, and resources, visit www.printing.org/membership.
About PRINTING United Alliance
PRINTING United Alliance is the most comprehensive member-based printing and graphic arts association in North America, comprised of the industry’s vast communities. The Alliance serves industry professionals across market segments with preeminent education and training via iLEARNING+, workshops, events, research, government and legislative representation, safety, and environmental sustainability guidance, as well as resources from our leading media brands – Printing Impressions, Packaging Impressions, Wide-format Impressions, In-plant Impressions, Apparelist, and Promo Impressions. The Alliance is also a global leader in standards training and certification for printing and graphic arts operations across the entire industry supply chain.
PRINTING United Alliance also produces PRINTING United Expo, the most influential days in printing. The expansive display of technology and supplies, education, programming, and services are showcased to the industry at large, and represents all market segments in one easily accessed place.
