HPA Awards Opens Call for Submissions for Innovation & Technology Awards
Reimagined Program Expands the Engineering Excellence Awards and Further Recognizes Innovation
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) is now accepting submissions for the HPA Awards Innovation & Technology, which marks an expanded evolution of the prestigious HPA Engineering Excellence Award. This reimagined program reflects the transformative role that innovation and disruptive technologies play in today’s rapidly evolving media content industry and the broader M&E technology space.
For nearly two decades, the HPA Engineering Excellence Award has recognized groundbreaking engineering achievements, and now the HPA Awards Innovation & Technology broadens that tradition, introducing multiple categories covering the entire production life cycle, from pre-production through distribution and audience experience. This broader framework highlights technologies making a measurable impact on the professional media and entertainment ecosystem, spanning film, television, streaming, advertising, and branded content for lifestyle and retail experiences.
Judging criteria for the Innovation & Technology categories will include innovation, current industry impact, technical merit, and adoption readiness. The focus will be on tools and technologies that are impactful today and representative of forward momentum.
Awards to be given in the following categories:
- Innovation in Pre-Production
- Innovation in Production & Capture
- Innovation in VFX, Virtual Production & Animation
- Innovation in Post-Production
- Innovation in Distribution & Audience Experience
Additionally, HPA is launching two special awards:
- HPA Transformative Impact Award — Recognizes the single idea in any given year with the most potential to transform the professional media content industry ecosystem. Any submission in one of the above categories is automatically eligible for award consideration.
- HPA Tech Retreat Best in Show — Selected by HPA Tech Retreat attendees as the most innovative technology exhibited in the Innovation Zone at the 2026 HPA Tech Retreat.
Chuck Parker, co-chair of the HPA Awards Innovation & Technology, explains, “We’re expanding recognition to spotlight practical innovations that teams can deploy today — while highlighting the ideas most likely to redefine tomorrow.”
Co-chair Joachim “JZ” Zell says, “The Engineering Excellence Award created a legacy we’re proud of. These new awards take that foundation and move us into the future.”
The HPA Awards Innovation & Technology will be presented at the 2026 HPA Tech Retreat on Feb. 18, 2026, at the Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage, California.
Key Dates:
Submission Deadline: October 17, 2025
Nominations Announced: January 2026
HPA Awards Innovation & Technology Ceremony: February 18, 2026
HPA Special Awards Honors Given: February 19, 2026
To submit visit HPAAwards.com.
To inquire about sponsorship, contact Joyce Cataldo at jcataldo@hpaonline.com.