The nominees for the HortiContact Innovation Award 2026 have been announced. The award is a longstanding element of the HortiContact trade fair in the Netherlands and recognises innovative products and concepts that contribute to the advancement of the greenhouse horticulture sector. From all submitted entries, eight innovations have been selected as nominees. Visitors and industry professionals can cast their votes for the nominated innovations before, during and after the trade fair.
Three themes guiding HortiContact 2026
The HortiContact 2026 program is structured around three main themes: cultivation technology and plant health, digitalisation and robotics, and personnel and training. These themes are closely linked to innovation and reflect key challenges and opportunities related to the future resilience of the greenhouse sector.
New format
Visitors play a central role in selecting the winner of the Innovation Award. Voting is possible ahead of the trade fair via the HortiContact website, as well as on the exhibition floor in the Innovation Zone. The announcement of the winner has also been updated. Around one month after the event, the organiser will visit the winning company to reveal the award on location. This approach is intended to extend the visibility of the innovation and offer participating exhibitors additional opportunities to highlight their developments.
The nominated innovations are:
Airmix Active – Van der Ende Group
Hybrid extension of the Airmix system, which combines passive and active dehumidification and provides an energy-efficient, uniform climate control in greenhouses, even with closed screen cloth.
Catch & Release System – Value Carbon
System that captures, stores, and releases CO₂ locally when crops need it, providing growers with a reliable, sustainable, and flexible CO₂ source.
EcoGreen Sodium Filter – Water Future
Filter based on electrodialysis that selectively removes sodium while retaining nutrients, achieving more than 90% reduction in water and nitrogen emissions.
Unlock Lighting Intelligence – Signify / Philips Horticulture LED Solutions
Intelligent greenhouse lighting that is aligned in real time with crop needs, energy prices, and market, aiming for higher yield, more control, and lower costs.
BioNIQ – Nerion Technologies
3-in-1 filter that removes nitrogen, phosphate, and pesticides from drainage water, ensuring compliance with upcoming discharge requirements and current Belgian standards, preparing growers for stricter regulations.
Fravebot Scout – Fravebot
Autonomous greenhouse robot that continuously collects data on crop health, diseases, pest pressure, fruit set, and ripeness, providing growers with real-time insight into crop condition and production.
Hortidash – Hortidash
Solution for real-time production insight with wireless sensors and dashboards, where orders are recorded via tablets and progress, productivity, and expected end times are automatically measured.
Zoecore – Zoecore
Technology that improves plant water uptake through molecular reorganization, with an average higher yield, better premium product, and lower consumption of water, fertilizers, and pesticides.
Revamped layout
HortiContact 2026 will be organised in a revised, more compact format. From this edition onwards, the trade fair will take place over two days, with opening hours in the afternoon and evening. According to the organisers, this setup better reflects current and future industry practice, with a focus on efficient use of time and targeted business meetings, making a trade fair visit easier to combine with daily operations.
The event will be held on 25 and 26 February 2026 at Evenementenhal Gorinchem. On both days, the exhibition will be open from 13:00 to 21:00.
For more information:
HortiContact
www.horticontact.nl
