Hearing Health & Technology Matters (HHTM), an online resource for hearing professionals and consumers with hearing loss, has today announced the opening of the public voting period for the seventh annual Hearing Technology Innovator Awards™, an international awards program recognizing technological innovation and achievement across the hearing industry.
Now in its seventh year, the program highlights products, services, and technologies advancing hearing healthcare across areas ranging from hearing aids and auditory implants to assistive technology, clinical equipment, hearing conservation, and therapeutics.
Since its launch in 2020, the Hearing Technology Innovator Awards have also helped raise more than $35,000 for nonprofit organizations dedicated to advancing hearing health, supporting research, and improving the lives of people with hearing loss, tinnitus, and related conditions.
2026 Award Categories
This year’s entries span eight primary categories:
- Hearing Aids
- Personal Listening Devices
- Assistive Technology and Software
- Service Delivery
- Equipment
- Auditory Implants
- Hearing Conservation
- Therapeutics
Public voting opens today, September 2, and will remain open through September 14, allowing the hearing healthcare community to help recognize the year’s most innovative technologies. The submissions receiving the most votes in each subcategory will be named winners.
The prestigious Innovator of the Year award will be selected by an international panel of expert judges, who will choose the overall winner from among the subcategory winners.
Judging will be based on the following criteria:
- Innovation – Represents novel thinking in the treatment or delivery of hearing care
- Effectiveness – Addresses limitations of prior technology generations
- Efficiency – Bridges the gap between hearing care and the end-user
- Utility – Promotes ease of use for both end-users and practitioners
Winners to Be Recognized at AuDacity 2026
Winners will be announced in October, with the honorees recognized in conjunction with the Academy of Doctors of Audiology’s AuDacity 2026 conference, taking place October 1–4 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
“ADA is excited to champion the HHTM Hearing Technology Innovator Awards. Innovation drives progress and this program reflects our commitment to supporting advancements that improve outcomes for patients and audiologists alike. We look forward to honoring the winners at AuDacity 2026”
–Stephanie Czuhajewski, Executive Director of the Academy of Doctors of Audiology
Cast Your Vote
Voting for the 2026 Hearing Technology Innovator Awards opens today, September 2, and runs through September 14. Voters can explore this year’s entries across the award categories and cast one vote in each available category every 24 hours throughout the voting period.
The voting process is open to hearing care professionals, researchers, industry participants, people with hearing loss, and others interested in hearing technology and innovation.
Learn more about this year’s entries and cast your vote here
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. Since its inception, the program has helped raise more than $35,000 for hearing health-related charities. Learn more at hearinghealthmatters.org/hearing-technology-innovator-awards.
About HHTM
Hearing Health & Technology Matters (HHTM) provides timely information and lively insights for everyone who cares about hearing health. Its readership and contributors span the full spectrum of the field, including clinicians, researchers, educators, industry leaders, and individuals with hearing loss and their families.
HHTM is also home to This Week in Hearing, a weekly podcast exploring the latest trends, technologies, and developments shaping the world of hearing. To learn more, visit HearingHealthMatters.org.
