SEMA has opened nominations for its 2026 Industry Awards, with submissions due Monday, August 17 at www.sema.org/awards. The program recognizes individuals and companies across five categories: Channel Partner of the Year, Content Creator of the Year, Manufacturer of the Year, Person of the Year, and the Visionary 8.
Channel Partner of the Year recognizes a sales channel partner for service to the sales, distribution, retail, or e-commerce channels of the aftermarket. Manufacturer of the Year honors a manufacturing company for industry contributions and innovations. Content Creator of the Year recognizes a creator for contributions to automotive culture. Person of the Year honors an individual for contributions to SEMA and the broader specialty-equipment market. The Visionary 8 recognizes eight emerging leaders aged 35 and under who are positioned to drive innovation in the aftermarket.
The 2026 SEMA Show runs November 3 to November 6 in Las Vegas. Channel Partner of the Year and Manufacturer of the Year will be presented Tuesday, November 3 at the Kickoff Breakfast, alongside the New Product Awards. The Visionary 8 and Best Engineered Vehicle of the Year winners will be announced Thursday, November 5 at SEMA Central, with Content Creator of the Year and Person of the Year presented later that evening at the SEMA Industry Honors at the Fontainebleau.
Entries for Best Engineered Vehicle of the Year, which recognizes engineering quality on a vehicle build, open in August. Full details are available at www.sema.org/awards.
