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Your application in the spotlight at the 10th vector award

We were looking for: Creative & unique applications with e-chain systems

Your energy chain has to perform better than ever before: higher payloads, increasing speeds, complex motion sequences and trends such as Industry 4.0. Not a job for standard solutions. Your creativity, perseverance and courage are often required to develop an energy supply system that sets standards.

igus provides the perfect stage for this with the vector award 2026. The competition is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year! Every two years, it honours the most exceptional applications of energy chains made of high-performance plastic. Discover the four winning applications here!

And here we go: 11th vector award 2028

Soon we will open the doors and you can apply for the next round of the vector award! Present your project to the global public and expand your network. You can also win prize money of up to 5,000 euros!

Everything about the 10th vector award

What you could win

All winners can look forward to prize money, a vector trophy and a marketing package worth €10,000. The in-house igus agency will produce a user report in an industry medium (DACH + international) and professional video material on their application.

The gold vector

Prize money of €5,000

example

The silver vector

Prize money of €2,500

example

The bronze vector

Prize money of €1,000

example

The green vector

Prize money of €1,000

example

The expert jury

The winners are selected and informed by a jury of experts from science, industry trade shows, trade media and associations.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Brecher

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Brecher

Head of Machine Tools(WZL) and Production Engineering RWTH Aachen

Madeleine Mickeleit

Ing. Madeleine Mickeleit

Founder and CEO of IIoT Use Case GmbH

Olaf Katzer

Olaf Katzer

Autostadt GmbH Head of Education

Arno Reich

Business Unit Manager / Senior Vice President Trade Show & Product Management

Michael Blaß

Michael Blaß

CEO e-chain systems® igus® SE & Co. KG

Ken Fouhy

Ken Fouhy

Editor-in-chief of VDI nachrichten and patron of the vector award

The winners of 2026

Winner of the golden vector award 2026

The gold vector

The terminal operator Cruise Port Rotterdam won the golden vector award for the use of the igus Mobile Shore Power Outlet (iMSPO), a mobile shore power system for harbour terminals. It works with a track system on which a trolley moves, which transports the cables in roller rol e-chains made of high-performance plastic. They move in covered guide troughs in the floor of the quay. Thanks to this system, cruise ships in the harbour can be supplied directly with shore power, switch off their diesel generators and avoid emissions.

Find out more about the winner of the golden vector award
Winner of the silver vector award 2026

The silver vector

Jenaer Antriebstechnik GmbH wins the silver vector award for the use of cleanroom-compatible flat cables of the e-skin flat series in combination with chainflex cables for energy and data guidance. This is used in pick & place solutions that place components in a positioning range of 0.1µm. Their systems achieve accelerations of up to 100m/s2 with a repeat accuracy of ±0.1 micrometres. Thanks to the igus components used, disruptive forces and frictional influences are minimised.

Find out more about the winner of the silver vector award
Winner of the bronze vector award 2026

The bronze vector

The bronze vector was won by the Royal Ballet & Opera in London for the use of the zig-zag energy chain system for the energy and data guidance of the lighting trusses in the theatre. After 25 years of successful use of this system, the lighting was converted to LED technology. This resulted in new requirements such as weight and load on the structure. One challenge was the pendulum deflection of the energy chains, which could be significantly reduced by a reverse zig-zag arrangement and ensures that the system functions perfectly even with the new requirements.

Find out more about the winner of the bronze vector award
Winner of the green vector award 2026

The green vector

The green vector was won by the company Membion GmbH for the use of energy chain and chainflex cables in the production line for the manufacture of membrane bioreactors, which even filter bacteria and microplastics. This enables sewage treatment plants to filter their water in accordance with increasingly stringent requirements and ensure the right water quality. In the production of these membrane bioreactors, the chain and cable must function in a confined space with small bend radii. igus products are the solution here.

Find out more about the winner of the green vector award

The highlights of the vector award 2026

Energy chain news

The top 50 applications of the 10th vector awards 2026

This brochure offers you an entertaining overview of all the entries, concisely presented in words and pictures. Immerse yourself in the world of cable guidance. And be inspired by the creativity and ingenuity that characterises the global engineering industry.

Go to brochure

vector catalogue 2026

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Justin Leonard01604 677240Submit form

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