One of the most anticipated initiatives in the international apple sector is back. On the occasion of the 14th edition of Interpoma, the only international trade fair dedicated to apples, which will take place from 25 to 27 November 2026 at Fiera Bolzano in Italy, applications are now officially open for the Interpoma Award 2026.
The prestigious award will recognise the best application technologies for more precise, efficient and sustainable apple growing.
Focus on spraying technologies
The 2026 edition will focus on a topic that is now crucial for the entire apple supply chain: spraying technologies. This includes treatment application technologies, with special attention to advanced irrigation systems, sensor technology, drones and digital tools that enable more selective, efficient and sustainable product application.
The choice addresses one of the sector’s most urgent challenges: optimising production inputs and making them more precise and sustainable. Reserved for exhibitors, the Interpoma Award confirms its role as an international visibility platform designed to highlight high-impact technological solutions capable of responding to the sector’s evolving needs.
International technical jury
Applications will be assessed by a technical jury chaired by Professor Massimo Tagliavini, professor at the Faculty of Science and Technology of the Free University of Bolzano and scientific advisor to the initiative.
The jury also includes international academic experts such as Fabrizio Mazzetto, from the Free University of Bolzano; Luigi Sartori, from the University of Padua; Ester Foppa Pedretti, from the Polytechnic University of Marche; and Jens Karl Wegener, from the Julius Kühn-Institut in Germany.
RELATED NEWS: Interpoma: application technologies at the heart of the 14th edition
Winner to be announced during Interpoma Congress
The winner will be announced at the end of the first day of the Interpoma Congress, on Thursday 26 November, before an international audience of operators, buyers, researchers and sector stakeholders.
The winning company will receive a visibility package consisting of various communication initiatives.
“With the Interpoma Award 2026, we want to place one of the most current and sensitive issues for the future of apple growing at the centre of attention: treatment application technologies,” explains Massimo Tagliavini, president of the jury.
“In a context where the sector must combine sustainability, efficiency and competitiveness, innovating the way we intervene in the field represents a concrete step towards more responsible fruit growing. Interpoma was created to anticipate the sector’s transformations, and the Award is, in this sense, a strategic tool to highlight solutions that can truly generate a positive impact across the entire value chain,” he adds.
Applications open until 30 September
All exhibitors wishing to submit their technology for the Interpoma Award can consult the rules available on the event website and complete the online application form before 30 September 2026.
Following the success of the previous edition, the public vote will also return this year. Through the Visitors’ Choice Award, operators and sector professionals will be able to vote for the most interesting application technologies displayed in the Orchard of the Future, located in the FieraMesse H1 Eventspace.
More information: https://www.fierabolzano.it/en/interpoma/interpoma-award
