News (Sponsor type)

The winner of the SMC BMC Design Award 2026 was announced on Wednesday 11 March during an awards ceremony taking place on JEC World 2026. The competition recognises and promotes design excellence in SMC and BMC composite materials and this edition, which had for theme "Live Better, Live Green – SMC solutions for improving Quality of Life", was focused on innovative concepts contributing to sustainability, functionality and consumer well-being.

SMC and BMC enable to produce lightweight and complex parts in large series, combining structural performance with excellent surface finish.

First (gold): ‘Hedera‘ by Lucia Bonmati and Bernat Rucabado (Elisava Barcelona, Spain)
Lightweight, modular and industrially scalable vertical garden system that transforms building facades into long-lasting green infrastructure.

Second (silver): ‘Domum Shelter‘ by Dave Rook (TU Delft, The Netherlands)
Quick-to-deploy, panel-based shelter system for supporting refugees affected by natural disasters and wars, which is more comfortable and safer than current alternatives like tents.

Third (bronze): ‘GROWi‘ by Barbara Quelhas (ESAD Oporto, Portugal) and Zohar Saar (Shenkar College)
Modular aeroponics systems for growing vegetables and plants, requiring less water compared to traditional agriculture, while potentially eliminating the need for soil, pesticides and excessive fertilisers.

To get more information about the winners, read the article about the finalists.