Kavalan announces the 2026 Green Leader Awards, featuring the new Green Spark category for young creatives
PVC-free wide-format materials brand Kavalan has confirmed the 2026 return of the Kavalan Green Leader Awards. The programme, which debuted in 2025, recognises large-format print projects produced using PVC-free substrates and celebrates the print service providers, creatives, and brands prioritising environmental responsibility.
The awards will culminate in a live ceremony at FESPA Global Print Expo 2026 in Barcelona this May. For the 2026 edition, Kavalan has expanded the judging panel to include Lucy Swanston, managing director of Nutshell Creative, and Jack Gocher, editor of Eye on Display. They join returning judges Marcus Timson of FuturePrint, sustainability consultant Steve Lister, and Nick Widdowson of ShopperFIRST.
A new addition to the programme is the “Green Spark” category. This initiative is designed for students, apprentices, and early-career professionals, inviting them to submit conceptual projects that demonstrate the creative potential of PVC-free materials in retail, community, or brand activations.
Nova Abbott, Head of Marketing at Kavalan, said, “The response to the Green Leader Awards in 2025 certainly exceeded our expectations. It was a fantastic opportunity for our community to receive some well-deserved recognition for the incredible innovation, creativity, technical excellence, and strong commitment to print sustainability that they demonstrate day in and day out. As the awards return for 2026, we’re looking forward to expanding their impact as we celebrate real-world large-scale applications as well as opening the door to emerging ideas that will help shape the future of sustainable print with our Green Spark initiative.”
The inaugural awards highlighted various high-impact applications, including the work of Blue Rhine, which won the 2025 Green Spirit Award for its production at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. The project was noted for maintaining performance and durability in extreme climate conditions while utilizing environmental data to validate its sustainability claims.
Rizin Kabeer, Product Management Leader at Blue Rhine, said, “The region’s climate conditions are quite tough, and this is where Kavalan came in – I would call it the missing piece of the puzzle. Kavalan bridged the gap by offering a sustainable solution, while the Eco Calculator allowed us to provide customers with tailored certification showing exactly what they had used. The print quality, the lightweight nature of the material, and the environmental data all came together to bring the sustainability message to life.”
Entries are free and must be submitted by 12 April 2026. Projects completed between 1 March 2024 and 28 February 2026 are eligible for consideration. Shortlisted entrants will be notified in early May ahead of the final announcement in Barcelona.