The UltraFacility
Awards 2026
Recognizing the work that moved the industry forward.
Seven awards, decided by the 850+ engineers, end users, and supply chain experts in the room. UltraFacility exists so the people who design, build, and run semiconductor facilities can learn from each other. The awards are part of that: a spotlight on the projects, innovations, and presentations that gave the industry the most this year.
Anyone can nominate, and any project qualifies: your own company's work or someone else's.
How the awards work
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Now -
19 AugNominations openOpen now
Nominate any facility project or innovation in 150 words: your own company's work or someone else's. Nominations close 19 August.
Submit a nomination -
19 Aug -
9 SepShortlistingIn review
Our independent Technical Advisory Committee reviews every nomination. Shortlists announced 9 September.
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16-17 Sep
Vote at the conferenceVoting live
Delegates vote live and in person at the conference: Project of the Year, Innovation Award, and Best Poster. 12 Tech is decided in its session.
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18 Sep
Awards CeremonyToday
Winners collect their trophies on the main stage, Day 2, in front of the full conference.
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From
21 SepBest Presentation voteVoting open
All delegates rate the 2026 presentations in the post-conference survey. Three winners, one per strand.
The awards
Project of the Year
Nominate by 19 August → Closes 19 AugustInnovation Award
Nominate by 19 August →Best Presentation: Yield & Reliability
Vote from 21 Sept →Best Presentation: Operational & Sustainable Excellence
Vote from 21 Sept →Best Presentation: Enabling Growth
Vote from 21 Sept →Best Poster
Vote live at the conference →12 Tech Winner
Vote live in the session →Categories open for nominations
Two awards are decided by open nomination and a live delegate vote. Anyone can nominate, and any work qualifies: your own company's or someone else's.
Project of the Year
Recognizing the facility project that delivered against the industry's hardest constraints.
The industry is being asked to double capacity by 2027 without doubling its workforce, its water allocation, or its grid connection. This award goes to the project, commissioned in 2025 or 2026, that best shows how it's done. Winning nominations are the ones with data behind them.
Innovation Award
For the technology or approach that changes what's possible.
Tighter UPW specs, higher thermal densities, power quality risks measured in millions per event: the challenges are moving faster than the standard playbook. This award recognizes an innovation published in 2025 or 2026 that gives facility teams a genuinely new option.
How it's decided Our independent Technical Advisory Committee shortlists all nominations, with shortlists announced 9 September. Delegates vote live and in person at the conference, 16-17 September. Winners announced on the main stage, Day 2.
How to nominate Submit a 150-word nomination by 19 August: what the project or innovation is, the constraint or problem it addressed, and the results behind it. The same work can be nominated for both awards, if it qualifies.
Shortlists selected by our independent Technical Advisory Committee.
A few of the engineers on it:
Jason Tewksbury
CSTD Innovation UPW Senior Technologist, Intel
Nella Jahan
Principal Engineer, Water Design Team, TSMC Arizona
Mike Knapp
Industrial Technical Consultant, Ecolab
Thayalan Kulasingam
Director Facilities Engineering & Operations, GlobalFoundries
Steven Smith
Facilities Engineering, Texas Instruments
Varinder Malik
Staff Engineer, Samsung Austin Semiconductor
Best Presentation Awards
Three awards, one per strand. Chosen by every delegate in the room.
A Best Presentation Award goes to the top-rated presentation in each strand of the 2026 program: Yield & Reliability, Operational & Sustainable Excellence, and Enabling Growth. All 50+ presentations are eligible. Winning means your peers found your work the most useful thing they heard all conference. It also earns an invitation to present at UltraFacility 2027, where you'll collect your trophy on the main stage.
How to vote Post-conference feedback survey, live from Monday 21 September. One vote per strand.
Best Poster Award
The research the industry votes worth reading.
The poster sessions bring academic and applied research onto the exhibition floor. Delegates choose the best poster of the 2026 program live, during the conference: a direct signal of the research the industry most wants to see continue.
How to vote Live and in person: follow the QR codes around the venue or the announcements in the conference app. Voting runs 16-17 September, with the winner announced at the Day 2 ceremony.
How to enter Posters run through the standard abstract process.
12 Tech Winner
Twelve technologies. Three minutes each. One winner, decided in the room.
Twelve companies pitch in the "12 Technologies for Energy & Water Efficiency" session: three minutes each, then four minutes of moderated Q&A. The format rewards clarity, meaning the technology, the data, and direct answers to the room's questions. The audience votes at the end and the winner is announced on the spot.
How to vote Be in the room. Voting opens live at the end of the session.
Want to pitch? Applications for the 2026 lineup have closed, but if you have a technology the industry should see, tell us. There may be other opportunities in this year's agenda, and it puts you first in line for 2027.
The 2026 shortlists
The Awards Ceremony
Main stage. Day 2. Friday 18 September.
The Awards Ceremony opens Day 2, before the roundtable discussions. Winners of Project of the Year, the Innovation Award, and Best Poster collect their trophies in front of the full conference, alongside the 2025 Best Presentation winners, who are back this year to present their winning work.
Frequently asked questions
Who can nominate for Project of the Year or the Innovation Award?
Anyone. You can nominate your own company's work or any other project or innovation you think deserves recognition. Nominations close 19 August.
Who selects the winners of the nominated awards?
Our independent Technical Advisory Committee reviews every nomination and selects a shortlist, announced 9 September. The shortlists then go to a delegate vote, live at the conference on 16-17 September.
Can the same work be nominated for more than one award?
Yes. A single project can be nominated for Project of the Year and its underlying technology for the Innovation Award, if both qualify.
Do I need to be at the conference to vote?
For Project of the Year, the Innovation Award, Best Poster and 12 Tech, yes. Voting happens live and in person at the conference. Best Presentation voting is through the post-conference survey, sent to all delegates.
What do winners receive?
The UltraFacility trophy, presented on the main stage at the Day 2 Awards Ceremony.
Put the industry's best work on the main stage.
850+ facility professionals. 80+ end users. Engineers from Samsung, Intel, Micron, TSMC, and GlobalFoundries. If a project or innovation deserves recognition, your own or one you've seen deliver, this is the room to win it in.
Nominations close 19 August