- The winners of the industry-leading awards were announced during an evening drinks reception at the Deutsche Messe on March 3, 2026
- The winners included Michelin, Continental, Bridgestone and Goodyear, as well as Uzer Makina, Comerio Ercole, Flexsys, Teijin Aramid, Max Dixey and Pascal Prost
This year’s Tire Technology International Awards for Innovation and Excellence, presented at Deutsche Messe during Tire Technology Expo 2026, celebrated the very best innovations and achievements from across the tire sector during the last 12 months. Comprising 13 categories, the awards are not only a celebration of technological advances and progress toward a greener and more sustainable tire industry, but also a chance to acknowledge the personal achievements of some remarkable individuals.
The awards are coordinated by Tire Technology International magazine and officiated by a panel of international journalists and industry experts.
In recognition of the prominent role of sustainability in tire manufacturing, the awards feature three categories focused on environmental development. The first celebrates advances in tire design and was won by Bridgestone for its TBR tire produced with 70% recycled and renewable content. The tire is an important milestone for Bridgestone, remarked juror Patrick De Keyzer, a partner at consultancy expert DeKeP, as “it is probably the first tire company that has achieved such a high percentage of recycled content in a truck tire.”
The award for Environmental Achievement of the Year – Manufacturing was presented to Continental for the company’s achievements in reducing freshwater use in its production.
“We have reduced our water withdrawal per metric ton of product by more than 10% across all production sites between 2020 and 2025,” explained Henning Mühlenstedt, Continental’s head of future technologies and sustainable infrastructure, who was at the ceremony to collect the trophy. “This would not have been possible without dedicated colleagues worldwide. The award shows us that we’re on the right track – and encourages us to continue on our path.”
In the category for Environmental Achievement – Industry Contribution, the jury recognized the achievements of Michelin and its partners in the BioButterfly project. Developed through a long-term partnership between Michelin, IFP Energies Nouvelles and Axens, BioButterfly produces bio-based butadiene from bioethanol, offering a credible alternative to fossil-based feedstocks.
The project, explained juror Klaus Baltruschat from TÜV Süd, demonstrated the “highest innovative strength and immediate industrial relevance,” as well as a “disruptive contribution to the value chain.”
The next category, Chemicals and Compounding Innovation of the Year, was awarded to Flexsys for its development of the first viable alternative to 6PPD – an alternative chemistry resulting from years of intensive research and extensive collaboration.
“We are honored to receive this industry recognition for our work, which reflects our commitment to delivering solutions that meet demanding performance requirements while advancing environmental responsibility,” said Neil Smith, chief technology and sustainability officer at Flexsys. “I’m incredibly proud of the Flexsys R&D team, whose dedication and scientific rigor have allowed us to achieve this recognition.”
The evening then moved on to the Materials Innovation of the Year category, which was won by Teijin Aramid for industrialization of its Twaron Next high-performance para-aramid.
“This award recognizes more than a material; it recognizes a partnership that delivered real-world adoption,” said Teijin Aramid’s director of sustainability, Philip Altena, who received the trophy at the ceremony. “We proved that a circular aramid can meet top-level technical requirements in a demanding application, helping to reduce environmental impact without compromising performance.”
And the focus on innovation didn’t end there – the next category was the R&D Breakthrough of the Year award. The winners of this cutting-edge category were Goodyear and TNO for their delivery of a landmark research breakthrough that advances vehicle safety systems by redefining the role of the tire in a vehicle’s embedded active crash-mitigation systems.
“Goodyear and TNO will be recognized for their contribution to safety systems by integrating tire intelligence directly into the automatic emergency braking (AEB) control logic of vehicle-integrated active collision mitigation systems,” said juror Dr Shunichi Yamazaki of the Intelligent Vehicle Research Institute.
Attention then turned to the tire industry’s leading suppliers and developers, with Comerio Ercole picking up the award for Tire Manufacturing Innovation of the Year. Jurors were impressed by Zeus – the company’s advanced modular, plug-and-play calendering line designed for next-generation tire manufacturing.
“Receiving this award is a source of great pride for our entire organization,” said Giuseppe Comerio, senior member of the board. “As a fourth-generation member of the Comerio family, I see this recognition not only as a testament to our technological capabilities but also as confirmation of a vision that has guided us since 1885: continuous innovation in service of our customers and of the tire industry worldwide. This achievement reflects the dedication, expertise and passion of our engineering teams, and the strength of our collaboration with our partners.”
The next category was Tire Industry Supplier of the Year, traditionally a closely contested award. The winner in this year was Uzer Makina – its first triumph, after being shortlisted for the award many times.
“We are truly honored to receive the Tire Industry Supplier of the Year award,” said Ahmet Kılıç, the company’s general manager. “This recognition is a testament to the dedication of our team, the trust of our customers and the strong collaboration we have built with our partners worldwide. For over 25 years at Tire Technology Expo, we have witnessed the evolution of our industry firsthand. At Uzer, we continuously invest in engineering excellence and next-generation curing technologies, with a strong focus on efficiency, precision and sustainability. This award motivates us even further to keep innovating and to serve the tire industry better every year.”
Next came the Tire Concept of the Year, a category that celebrates the most innovative and forward-thinking conceptual designs from the last 12 months. Another high-quality field led to a closely scored result, with Michelin collecting its second award of the night for the Lunar Airless Wheel (MiLAW) concept.
“Lunar Rover airless wheel development is a big challenge under the very severe environmental conditions found on the moon,” said juror Kuninobu Kadota, formerly of Bridgestone, who echoed his fellow judges’ admiration for the development of a concept design suited to such extraterrestrial conditions.
And the good news continued for Michelin with the Tire of the Year award – a relatively new category that has become one of the most anticipated and closely contested. Michelin’s Primacy 5 Energy tire was a hit with the jury, building on the success of its predecessor in 2025.
“The Primacy 5 Energy is shaping up to be the next target at which rivals should take aim,” remarked experienced automotive journalist (and former chairman of the awards) Graham Heeps in his juror comments. “AAA in the EU label ratings for 80% of the sizes, plus a longer life, fewer particles and reduced emissions compared with the Primacy 5.”
The last main award of the night was for the Tire Manufacturer of the Year – a category that sees leading tire makers battle to join the illustrious list of previous winners. This year, after comparing the overall contributions of six tire makers across the last 12 months, Continental came out on top – making it two years in a row (and the fifth time overall) that the Hannover-based tire maker has won this category.
“Being awarded Tire Manufacturer of the Year for the fifth time since 2008 – and for the second year in a row – makes us very proud,” said Edwin Goudswaard, head of research and development at Continental Tires. “In 2025, we increased the share of renewable and recycled materials in our tires. At the same time, we continued to advance our research and development on tire wear. And we are constantly improving the efficiency of our global operations. This award truly reflects the passion of everyone at Continental.”
“As is now becoming the norm, this year’s awards were incredibly close,” said Matt Ross, chairman of the awards and editor-in-chief of Tire Technology International. “Continental and Michelin have picked up multiple awards and should be highly commended, but I’m also happy to see such an array of winners across the whole range of categories. The level of innovation on display across the tire sector is staggering, and I hope that this year’s awards have captured even a hint of the groundbreaking work taking place to move this industry forward.”
The Young Scientist Prize for 2026 was given to Max Dixey, a PhD student at Queen Mary University of London, for his presentation titled ‘Effects of carbon black activators on dynamic viscoelasticity.’ The specialist jury panel – which is separate from that of the central categories – was headed by technical specialist (and founder of JP76 Solutions) Jan Prins, who explained that “Max delivered a clear presentation calmly and confidently, giving a good overview of his work. He also showed impressive depth considering he’s quite early in his research project. We look forward to seeing more about his work in future years!”
In addition to recognizing the impressive accomplishments of manufacturers and suppliers, the awards are an opportunity to highlight the achievements of remarkable individuals within the industry. This year, the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Michelin’s Pascal Prost – a veteran of the tire industry who is not only a hugely experienced engineer and researcher but also a prominent speaker at the Tire Technology Conference, a long-term contributor to the Tire Technology International Annual Review, and a diligent member of the jury for the main awards.
“For as long as I have worked on Tire Technology International and these awards, Pascal has been a valued contributor, a hugely appreciated advisor – and a wonderful sounding board,” said awards chairman Matt Ross. “I would like to join with his peers and friends from across the industry in celebrating his phenomenal contribution to the tire business.”
More images to follow.
Look out for more on the winners in the June issue of Tire Technology International.
