Hearing Health & Technology Matters (HHTM) has announced the winners of the seventh annual Hearing Technology Innovator Awards™, recognizing technologies, products, and services advancing hearing care around the world.
The 2026 program drew submissions from a diverse range of companies, from emerging technology developers to established global hearing industry leaders. This year’s winners span hearing aids, auditory implants, assistive technologies and software, hearing conservation, clinical equipment, therapeutics, service delivery, and personal listening devices.
The 2026 winners are also being recognized in connection with the Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA) AuDacity 2026 conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
2026 Hearing Technology Innovator Award Winners
Hearing Aids
- Behind-The-Ear (BTE): ReSound Enzo IA / Beltone Boost Max S
- Receiver In Canal (RIC): Signia Pure Charge&Go MaX
- Non-Traditional: Cearvol Liberté
- Design: Oticon Zeal™
- Advanced Processing & Intelligence: Phonak EON
- OTC – RIC: ELEHEAR Beyond 2 Pro
- OTC – In-Ear: Cearvol Wave
Auditory Implants
- Cochlear Implant: SONNET 3 Audio Processor — MED-EL
- Bone Conduction: Osia® 3 Sound Processor — Cochlear
- Bimodal Hearing: DualSync Technology — MED-EL & Starkey
Therapeutics
- Therapeutics: SYNAPSOUND AI™ — Cilcare
Equipment
- Otoscopy & Ear Scanning: FITSHAPE S2 3D Ear Impression Scanner — Soundlink
- Audiometry: SHOEBOX PureTest — SHOEBOX
- Balance: VisualEyes™ 525 VNG with Accompanying Cervical Tests — Interacoustics
Assistive Technologies & Software
- Personal Amplification Platform: Deep Audio Processing – DAP™ — Bettear
- Wearable: LEION Hey2
- Assistive Listening System: POD — Bettear
- Captioning Technology – Mobile Apps: Rogervoice
- Captioning Technology – Device: XanderGlasses II — Xander
Hearing Conservation
- Electronic: RadioGear®-IS — CavCom
- Custom Fit: Phantom — SoundGear
- Mobile App: SoundCheck Live — SoundGear
Service Delivery
- Practice Management: Auditdata Manage — Auditdata
- Mobile Audiology: MOBILE Audiologist VEHICLES — Soundlink
- Auditory Rehabilitation: Lace Pro — Neurotone
- Hearing Aid Fitting Software: Widex Compass Cloud 2.0 — Widex
- Patient Services: Áine AI Agent — Blackberry Hearing
- Integrated Care Delivery: Tuned Care Platform — Tuned
- Telehealth: ElePro Plus — ELEHEAR
- Patient Engagement: Hearing Journey — Tuned
Personal Listening Devices
- Personal Listening Device: Trihear ClearTV Series — Trihear
Oticon Named 2026 Innovator of the Year
Oticon has been named the 2026 Innovator of the Year for Oticon Zeal™, earning the program’s top overall distinction. Zeal was also selected as the winner of the Hearing Aids – Design category.
The Innovator of the Year distinction is determined by an international panel of independent judges, who evaluate submissions across four criteria:
- Innovation: Technology that represents novel thinking in addressing habilitation of acquired hearing loss, its treatment, and delivery.
- Effectiveness: Technological advances that best address limitations of previous generations of technology.
- Efficiency: Advances that best close the distance between hearing care and the end-user.
- Utility: Innovation that promotes greater ease of use by the end-user and/or practitioner.
“Being recognized as the 2026 Innovator of the Year for Oticon Zeal™ reflects the countless hours of collaboration, creativity, and determination invested by our teams around the world. Innovation is never about a single product. It’s about continuously finding new ways to improve lives through better hearing. This recognition inspires us to keep raising the bar and delivering solutions that make a meaningful difference for people with hearing loss.
This honor also belongs to the hearing care professionals who partner with us every day. Their expertise and commitment help transform innovations like Zeal™ into meaningful outcomes for people with hearing loss.”
— Michael Lamberson, President, U.S. Wholesale, Oticon
Anja Nagel L’harraki, Senior Vice President, Global Marketing at Oticon, pointed specifically to Zeal’s design and the company’s goal of reducing barriers to hearing care.
“We’re incredibly proud to receive this recognition for Oticon Zeal™. As the industry’s first hearing aid to create the completely new NXT in-the-Ear category and bring full functionality into an exceptionally discreet in-the-ear design, Oticon Zeal empowers users who don’t want to compromise between discreetness and performance. By helping remove barriers to hearing care, it has the potential to reach people who may have previously avoided treatment. This award belongs to the teams whose innovation, passion, and determination made it possible.”
— Anja Nagel L’harraki, Senior Vice President, Global Marketing, Oticon
Supporting Hearing-Related Charities
In addition to recognizing innovation across the hearing industry, the Hearing Technology Innovator Awards™ program supports organizations working to improve hearing health and access to care.
Since the program launched in 2020, the Innovator Awards have raised more than $40,000 for hearing-related charities and nonprofit organizations.
Organizations supported through the program include:
- Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA)
- Hearing Health Foundation
- Stop The Ring
- SoundWrx
- Joyful Life Cochlear Implant Fund
About the Hearing Technology Innovator Awards™
The Hearing Technology Innovator Awards™ is an international awards program designed to recognize and celebrate innovation within the hearing industry. Now in its seventh year, the program highlights technologies, products, and services helping advance hearing care while supporting organizations working to improve hearing health and access to care.
Since its inception, the program has raised more than $40,000 for hearing-related charities and nonprofit organizations.
About Hearing Health & Technology Matters
Hearing Health & Technology Matters (HHTM) provides timely information and insights for everyone who cares about hearing health. Its readership and contributors span the hearing field, including clinicians, researchers, educators, industry leaders, individuals with hearing loss, and their families. By bringing these communities together, HHTM works to bridge gaps in knowledge, foster collaboration, and elevate dialogue across professional and consumer audiences.
HHTM is also home to This Week in Hearing, a weekly podcast exploring the latest trends, technologies, research, and developments shaping hearing healthcare.
