The winners of the OE-A Competition and the LOPEC Start-Up Competition were honoured at LOPEC 2026. This year, the focus was on smart solutions for industry and the healthcare market.
Fifteen ideas and products from seven countries competed in the OE-A Competition, with the best in each category receiving awards at the LOPEC Award Show.
More submissions in industry safety and healthcare
“This year, we saw a significant increase in submissions for the areas of industry safety and healthcare. The products are impressive due to their market readiness,” says Dr Klaus Hecker, Managing Director of the OE-A, the international working group for flexible and printed electronics within the VDMA and partner of LOPEC.
A jury of international experts evaluated the submissions in three categories. Visitors to LOPEC were also able to vote at the OE-A booth, they selected their favourite innovation for the “Public Choice Award.” The competition motivates the industry to present its latest innovations every year. At the LOPEC Award Show ceremony, the winners received their awards.
The winners of the OE-A Competition 2026
- Best Prototype and New Product
Leakage Detection System for Industrial Plants – Flexoo, Germany
- Best Freestyle Demonstrator
MiniLED Monochrome Display – TracXon, The Netherlands
- Best Publicly Funded Project Demonstrator
Smart Sensing System for Diabetic Foot Ulcer Care – Hochschule Niederrhein- University of Applied Studies, Germany
- Public Choice Award
Printed Headrest Loudspeaker
CeNTI – Centre for Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Portugal
Further information and photos of all competition entries can be found on the OE-A website: https://oe-a.org/oe-a-competition-2026.
OE-A Web Seminar “OE-A Competition 2026 – The Winners” on 16 April
The web seminar “Printed Electronics Insights: OE-A Competition 2026 – The Winners” will take place on April 16 at 3:30 p.m. The winners of the various categories will present their projects there. The web seminar offers the community a compact opportunity to learn about the award-winning projects firsthand. The event is aimed at the printed electronics community and anyone else who is interested.
New opportunities for founders: The LOPEC Start-up Competition
As part of the LOPEC Business Conference, the OE-A supports up-and-coming start-ups with its “Start-up Competition.” “The aim of the Start-up Competition is to bring young entrepreneurs together with partners and investors. These contacts help founders to further develop their business ideas in a targeted manner. LOPEC offers young companies the opportunity to present their ideas at the forum and highlight their innovations in a special start-up area,” explains Dr John Fahlteich, Chair of the LOPEC Start-up Competition.
Two awards were presented:
LOPEC Start-up Competition 2026
Best Business Case
Jörg Dickerboom, Kronos Mechatronics GmbH, Germany
“Printing the Future in Every Dimension”
Most Impactful Technology
Dr Erik Khranovskyy, GRAFREN AB, Sweden
“New Generation of E-Textiles Enabled by Ordered Placement of Two-Dimensional Nanocrystals on the Surface of Individual Fibers”.
As a special recognition, both winners will receive a start-up booth at LOPEC 2027.
OE-A Competition 2027 starts in June
The OE-A Competition 2027 will open in June 2026. The competition entries will then be on display again at the next LOPEC from 2 to 4 March 2027, in Munich at the OE-A booth. For more information about the OE-A Competition, please visit oe-a.org.