At the two-day judging meeting for the ISPO Award in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, sports experts from three countries assessed the most innovative products and services of today and tomorrow. It showed that creative and inventive thinking continue to be in high demand. A broad range of ideas and sustainable approaches were presented and assessed, from an app to optimize individual performance and innovative recycling concepts to completely newly developed sports products. “What particularly impressed me at this third judging meeting of the year was the diversity of the products and digital services submitted,” says Andi Spies, editor at large at ISPO.com. “Everything was there, from highly specialized sports equipment to innovations that give a wide target group access to sport.”
Selected award winners: innovations
Wintersteiger has developed a fully automated Velobrush bike wash station that allows service workshops or bike rental stores to clean all types of bikes quickly, conveniently and, most of all, with reduced water consumption. Currex presented a new digital, AI-based solution for how consumers can find the right insole from the existing range based on personal details and a photo of their foot. As a result, it is possible to improve the comfort of the sports shoes and minimize the risk of injury. These are just a couple of examples of the innovative range of products.
Sustainability as a stable trend in sports business in 2023
In view of the current situation in the energy sector, the products submitted for mobile solar power generation are more than in step with the times. Jackery’s solar panel, for example, provides power no matter what the location, for self-sufficient travel. In the meantime, the megatrend of sustainability has become a permanent feature for a number of sports companies, and resonated with almost all the products. It is also continuing to take hold with hardware and many other innovative or enhanced products, and, for the first time, with digital services.
Impressive enhanced products
Established products that had been significantly enhanced were also popular with the jury. Among them were the first hydration bladder system with magnetic closures from Fidlock, a high-performance headlamp from Silva with a powerful light output of 10,000 lumens, developed for fast action sports, or a bike pulling system from Kommit that also makes uphill cycling fun for children. And Safeback & Bergans presented a new backpack that helps the wearer survive longer in an avalanche. Andi Spies: “With established products it was fascinating to see how product developers were able to specifically improve the performance of the sports equipment by changing small details or using new materials.”
All ISPO Award winners at a glance
In the third quarter, the panel of judges gave the award to a total of 16 products which now bear the coveted title of “ISPO Award Winner 2022”. Here’s an overview of the winners.
Specialized panel of technical editors and consumer experts
In line with the new award concept, the panel of judges for the ISPO Award comprised two expert groups. The three ISPO experts, who also preselected the products for the judging meeting, included magazine maker and snowboard veteran Andi Spies, outdoor journalist and professor for sports journalism and digitization in sport Martina Wengenmeir, and textile expert and longstanding specialized journalist Regina Henkel. They were assisted by three sports enthusiasts and members of the ISPO Collaborators Club: Pedro Moutinho (shoe designer and biker from Portugal), Sebastiano Giampiccolo (multi-sportsman and enthusiastic mountaineer from Italy), and David Stiehler, a multi-active mountain and outdoor sportsman from Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
The next judging meeting will be held in November
The ISPO Award panel of judges meets four times a year. Brands can enter their products for the award all year round. The award concept includes each winning product being presented in detail on ISPO.com, with the brand being able to determine the time of publication itself. In addition, the products are showcased in the Award Exhibition and the ISPO Award magazine at ISPO Munich or OutDoor by ISPO. Many of the previous winners will be presented at the ISPO Award Exhibition at ISPO Munich from November 28 to 30, 2022 in the Future Lab. The next judging meeting for the ISPO Award will be held in November. The registration figures for the fourth quarter are already very high, and more great products are expected.
