Leading PVC-free wide-format materials brand Kavalan announces the return of the Kavalan Green Leader Awards for 2026, building on the momentum of a successful inaugural programme launched in 2025.
The awards, which recognise outstanding large-format print projects produced using Kavalan’s PVC-free materials, will once again celebrate customers, creatives, and print service providers who are pushing sustainability forward. Winners will be announced live at FESPA Global Print Expo 2026, taking place in Barcelona in May.
The inaugural awards attracted entries from across the globe and showcased a diverse range of applications, from large-scale building wraps and construction hoardings to retail installations and experiential projects, highlighting the ways in which visual impact and sustainability go hand in hand.
Nova Abbott, Head of Marketing at Kavalan, comments: “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 2026 awards will be judged by an independent panel of respected industry voices, with returning judges Marcus Timson, Co-Founder, FuturePrint; Steve Lister, Global Sustainability Consultant; and Nick Widdowson, Founder of ShopperFIRST and board member of POPAI UK & Ireland. Joining the judging panel for the 2026 awards are Lucy Swanston, Managing Director, Nutshell Creative, and Jack Gocher, Editor, Eye on Display.
Inspiring Students and Creatives to Shape Sustainable Print
For 2026, Kavalan is expanding the programme with the introduction of the Green Spark category, designed to engage students, apprentices, and early-career creative professionals.
Green Spark invites participants to develop a conceptual large-format print project that demonstrates how sustainable, PVC-free materials can be used to bring ideas to life, whether through experiential installations, retail environments, community projects, or brand activations. The category reflects Kavalan’s commitment to education, creativity, and a greener future for print.
Setting the standard: A 2025 Green Leader
A standout Green Leader from the inaugural awards was Blue Rhine, which received the Green Spirit Award for its work at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club. Recognised for its education-led approach to sustainability, Blue Rhine was praised for helping customers across the GCC region adopt PVC-free large-format print solutions, even in some of the world’s most challenging climate conditions, without compromising on performance, durability, or impact.
Reflecting on the project, Rizin Kabeer, Product Management Leader at Blue Rhine, says: “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 and key dates
Entries for the Kavalan Green Leader Awards 2026 are now open and are free to enter. Submitted projects must have been completed within the official assessment period, which runs from 1 March 2024 to 28 February 2026.
The deadline for final submissions is 23:59 (UTC+01:00) on Sunday 12 April 2026, with late entries not accepted. Shortlisted entrants will be notified by email by Friday 1 May 2026, while winners will be informed by Monday 11 May 2026 and officially announced live at FESPA Global Print Expo in Barcelona, taking place from 19–22 May 2026.
