One of the most renowned awards in the sports industry has selected the first winners. At the beginning of the year, most of the ISPO Award winners are brands that have consistently developed existing products further in the direction of more sustainability, lightness and functionality. The ISPO Award itself is also breaking new ground with a modernised concept: from now on, the popular sports industry award will be presented all year round—by a jury of sports enthusiasts from the ISPO Collaborators Club and independent sports and outdoor editors. More award winners will be selected and announced throughout the year.

The clear trend in the sports industry in the first quarter of 2022 is re-invention: products are being reworked and relaunched in a more contemporary way—especially in favour of more environmentally friendly materials and manufacturing processes. For example, more and more brands are relying on reusable raw materials, dispensing with harmful chemicals and focusing more on durability and the issue of disposal. But aspects such as easier access to sports and outdoor, digital and new highly functional solutions are also becoming more important.

Some of the winners of the first jury meeting for the ISPO Award 2022 are examples of these market developments: For example, for its Storm Shift Jacket for snowboarders, Patagonia relies on the first PFC-free GORE-TEX membrane and a water-resistant DWR coating that consists of 100 percent recycled outer material. SCOTT ventures a first step into the world of recycled products. For their Shield Recycled ski goggles, the company has processed the frames of old goggles into new frames, and the goggle strap is also made of 100 percent recycled polyamide. And for environmentally conscious alpine fans, the Loska SPINNOVA® ski by PUSU reinforces a solid wood core with SPINNOVA® textile fibre – a new composite material and thus a world first for skis. Frequent runners can look forward to a new sustainable road running shoe – the WINQS Zerofly™. It is the world’s first performance running shoe made from bio-based and recycled materials as part of a circular approach – and is therefore also certified as climate neutral.

In addition to these first winners of the coveted seal of quality, other innovations received the award as well, including new avalanche backpacks, mountaineering equipment and winter sports articles suitable for children. A detailed presentation of the first winners of the ISPO Awards 2022 is now available at ISPO.com.

The new ISPO Award: Four jury meetings, year-round winners

Not only manufacturers and brands are innovative, the ISPO Award itself is also breaking new ground this year: without segment boundaries and different winner levels, but instead with even more proximity to sports enthusiasts and seasonal trends, thanks to a new jury concept and year-round awards.

From now on, the independent jury of the ISPO Award will meet four times a year to take a close look at the best products, services and apps of the sports and outdoor world. And the jury also has a new composition: for the first time ever, half of the expert panel consists of sports enthusiasts from the ISPO Collaborators Club, the other half is formed by specialist editors from ISPO.com. At the beginning of January 2022, the jury met for the first time for the ISPO Award 2022 to select the first winners.

The special feature of the new ISPO Award: Award-winning brands can decide for themselves when they will receive the award. From now on, all award winners will not only be the focus of interest at the OutDoor by ISPO (June 12 to 14, 2022) and ISPO Munich (November 28 to 30, 2022) trade fairs, but will now also enjoy year-round international coverage. They receive editorial review reports on ISPO.com: In three languages, the award-winning products are described in detail with text, images and video. All reviews are systematically played out to the desired target group, integrated into editorial specials and curated.

“We have designed the new ISPO Award in such a way that innovative products and services can now be submitted all year round. The jury therefore meets quarterly. Exhibitors and brands who receive an award can choose the publication date themselves. The brands are thus given much more flexibility to optimise their communication. The complete overview of all winners is available twice a year at the ISPO trade fairs and on other ISPO platforms,” says Christoph Beaufils, Brand Strategist Consumer Goods & Product Owner ISPO.com.

OutDoor by ISPO will take place from June 12 to 14, 2022, ISPO Munich from November 28 to 30, 2022.

Detailed information on the ISPO Award, the innovations and benefits as well as the possibility to register is available online at ISPO Award | ISPO.com.

Further information on the ISPO Group and the various platforms can be found at this link.