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| Overview |
Eligibility |
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Held once every three years in Dusseldorf, Germany, EuroShop sets the tone for the stand- and retail-design industries. Featuring inventive materials, unique concepts, and one-off creations, the trade fair offers endless inspiration for exhibit and event professionals the world over. As the official stand design competition endorsed by EuroShop, EXHIBITOR Magazine's EuroShop Awards honor the most impressive stands this trend-setting show has to offer. |
All trade show stands at EuroShop 2026 are automatically entered in the competition free of charge and judged on site during the show. |
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| Categories |
Stands are evaluated according to the following five sized-based categories:
- XS: 20 or Fewer sqm.
- Small: 21 – 39 sqm.
- Medium: 40 – 79 sqm.
- Large: 80 – 200 sqm.
- XL: More Than 200 sqm.
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Judges
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The competition will be judged by this international panel of esteemed marketing and design experts.
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Kevin Carty
executive vice president, Classic Exhibits Inc.
Portland, OR, USA
A 29-year veteran of the exhibit design and production industry, Kevin Carty is the executive vice president of Classic Exhibits Inc. He has led the firm from a small, five-person, exhibit-build operation at its start to a nationally known and respected experiential design and production organization with more than 85 employees and 600-plus distributor selling partners worldwide.
Carty has served as a director on the Board of the Experiential Designers and Producers Association (EDPA) for 10 years and as a director on the Board of the National Tradeshow Alliance (NTSA). He has also served on many subcommittees within the EDPA, Trade Show Exhibitors Association (TSEA), and NTSA, and at EXHIBITORLIVE. During his tenure, Classic Exhibits has been awarded countless Exhibit Design Award as well as four People's Choice Awards at EXHIBITORLIVE.
Michael Chrystal
CEO and founder, Forum Your Brand Builder GmbH
Solingen, Germany
Michael Chrystal is a senior veteran of the exhibition industry and the CEO and founder of Forum Your Brandbuilder GmbH, a Solingen, Germany-based agency that consults, creates, and constructs physical, hybrid, and digital solutions. Chrystal has been involved with endless creative projects across the globe for brands such as Lenovo, Motorola, Haier, IWC, E ON, Hisense, Rehau, Nikon, and more. In addition, he's been actively involved in the creative work for the national pavilions of Japan, China, Taiwan, the United States of America, Italy, Brazil, and more.
Steve Deckel
CEO, Deckel & Moneypenny
Louisville, KY, USA
As the CEO of Deckel and Moneypenny, Steve Deckel has more than 30 years of exhibit design experience. With a demonstrated history of working in the marketing and advertising industry, Deckel has served on the Board of Directors of the Experiential Designers and Producers Association, and the American Institute of Graphic Arts LOU. With a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) focused in advertising from Western Kentucky University, he has worked with myriad brands, including GE, Moen, and Chevron, to name a few. Plus, his firm's work has won multiple design and marketing awards through EXHIBITOR magazine and others.
Justin Dworak
president, Star Exhibits and Environments
Minneapolis, MN, USA
Justin Dworak's career at Star Exhibits and Environments began 25 years ago as a design intern. Since then, he has held positions such as creative director and vice president of creative before being promoted to president earlier this year. Dworak was also named Designer of the Year by the Experiential Designers and Producers Association in 2012.
Chris Fredericksen
chief creative officer, Pinnacle Exhibits Inc.
Hillsboro, OR
As the chief creative officer at Pinnacle Exhibits Inc., Chris Fredericksen leads a world-class team of talented designers and is a creative visionary that brings show-stopping brand experiences, events, and environments to life for some of the world's top brands. Prior to his current role, Fredericksen held creative leadership positions on both the agency and client side at Derse Inc., George P. Johnson, a Project Worldwide agency, and Westfield Corp.
With a background that spans architecture and interactive digital media, Fredericksen is an award-winning creative leader that lives at the intersection between environmental and experiential design. In his 15-plus years of diverse and far-reaching experience, he's designed everything from theme parks, to high-end retail destinations, to international auto shows, to resort cities, and everything in between. His wide spectrum of expertise has afforded him coveted opportunities to develop engaging creative solutions for global brands such as Toyota, Lexus, Porsche, Mazda, Hyundai, Audi, BMW, Disney, Paramount Pictures, Virgin America, Microsoft, American Express, Kaiser Permanente, K2, Samsung, Harley-Davidson, Griffin, Sony, Toshiba, ZTE, Capital One, and more.
He holds a Master of Design degree from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design with joint credit granted from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Woodbury University.
 Michael McMahon
president and CEO, Hill & Partners LLC
Weymouth, MA, USA
Michael McMahon is the president and CEO of Hill & Partners Inc., an award-winning experiential design-build firm with locations in Boston, Las Vegas, and Orlando, FL. The company is currently celebrating its 28th year working with national and global brands in all forms of brand experience design and execution.
Hill & Partners was created to bring greater energy toward the people in the process vs. the properties that they so skillfully design, create, and produce around the world. McMahon's focus on the players in the game, and how they play, extends to professionals making their way in our industry. His most recent industry focus is directed toward supporting the Experiential Designers and Producers Association's (EDPA) initiatives focused on Future Workforce and Future Leaders, as the experiential economy works toward repopulating our ranks for the coming decades.
An active member of the EDPA since 2013, McMahon currently serves as a vice president on the Executive Committee and is the 2022 recipient of the EDPA Ambassador Award. Hill & Partners is also an ongoing supporter of both FIT and Bemidji State exhibit design programs, a sponsor of the NE Chapter of the EDPA, and an EDPA Foundation Grantor.
 Susanne Neumann
director customer relations, D'art Design Gruppe GmbH
With a background in brand architecture and spatial design, Susanne Neumann is a customer relations director at interdisciplinary design agency D'art Design Gruppe GmbH. Starting her career as an interior designer, she has turned her focus to multidisciplinary design, combining architecture, communication, and media design with messages and experiences.
During her more than 30-year career, Neumann has gained a deep knowledge of international brands and markets while keeping an eye on developments in spatial communication. Working for different renowned agencies in the design sector, she strives for high-end design creativity for (brand) awareness and business growth.
Todd Sussman
vice president of creative, Derse Inc.
Milwaukee, WI, USA
As vice president of creative at Derse Inc., Todd Sussman is responsible for leading the creative department of nearly 30 designers across varying disciplines. He provides his leadership and design expertise for clients and influences the creative direction of key client programs.
Sussman joined Derse in 2012 and has more than 26 years of architectural design experience. His expertise lies in the creation of three-dimensional spaces from the trade show floor to marketing environments, and he has won EX Awards as well as several Best of Show awards throughout his career. With his considerable design talents and knack for problem-solving, Sussman is a growing thought leader in the industry. He has spoken at EXHIBITORLIVE and has hosted several client webinars.
Edwin Van der Vennet
chief innovation and sustainability officer, beMatrix
Roeselare, Belgium
Edwin Van der Vennet is the chief innovation and sustainability officer with beMatrix. With a demonstrated history of working in the events services industry, Van der Vennet is skilled in innovation management, concept development, circular design thinking, sustainability, and general fun making. He's also a strong entrepreneurial professional with a Master focused on Industrial Design from the University of Antwerp and certificates on Circular Economy and Sustainable Strategies and Towards Net Zero Emissions from the University of Cambridge.
Julia Weissbach
business development experience construction, MCH Live Marketing Solutions AG | Expomobilia
Effretikon-Zurich, Switzerland
With more than 20 years of professional experience, Julia Weissbach has a wide range of expertise in the field of temporary construction and has been thoroughly involved in every project phase, from conceptualization and planning to execution and consultancy. She joined MCH Live Marketing Solutions AG | Expomobilia in December 2019. Here she previously served as head of exhibition and is currently responsible for business development and experience construction.
In 2015, Weissbach was responsible for the construction of the Swiss Pavilion at EXPO 2015 in Milan. The pavilion had an overall surface area of 4,433 square meters and was made of 75 percent fully recyclable materials. It earned the awards for Best Interpretation of Theme and Best Exhibit (San Gottardo).
In late 2011, Weissbach also joined the project team to complete the design concept and oversee construction of the Baku Crystal Hall in Azerbaijan. Having only eight months from start to finish, the team completed a 10,964-square-meter, 25,000-spectator venue built in time to host the Eurovision song contest. Originally planned as a temporary structure and changed to a permanent venue at the last moment, it utilized refurbished sea freight containers as part of the building. She is particularly passionate about the overlay planning and implementation of major sporting events, such as the FIFA World Cup in Germany in 2006 and the FIFA World Cup in South Africa in 2010.
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Contact Linda Armstrong,
linda.armstrong@exhibitorgroup.com
People's Choice Award
Finalists are announced and notified during the show, and EuroShop attendees and exhibitors then vote for their favorite designs at
www.ExhibitorOnline.com/VoteEuroShop. The three entries with the most votes receive Gold,
Silver, and Bronze Awards in the People's Choice Award portion of the competition. All winners will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, February 25, 2026.
Perks of Participation
In conjunction with the EuroShop Awards, EXHIBITOR will provide the following free and discounted educational offerings:
- Free one-year digital magazine subscription for ALL exhibitors
- 15% discount off any EXHIBITORLIVE pass for exhibitors and attendees
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