Any corporation, airline, scientist, university, institution or individual natural person related with the civil aviation industry or airports may present an entry to participate in the Crystal Cabin Award.
The administration fee for the Crystal Cabin Award competition amounts to 360.00 € for every single entry (plus 19% VAT according to the legislation of the German Government for applicants based in Germany or for applicants based in the EU, who do not provide a VAT number within the application form). This fee may be paid by the applicant within 14 days from the date of filing, otherwise the entry will not enter the pre-selection process and will therefore not be accepted for the competition. In case your entry will not be accepted by the CCA pre-selection committee, the Crystal Cabin Award Association will refund all costs of the application fee except for the examination fee of 100,00 € (except the remittance costs). The amount of 100,00 € remains with the Crystal Cabin Award Association as examination fee for the pre-selection process. The remittance fee will be completely covered by the applicant. The same policy applies if you choose to withdraw your submission voluntarily. Student entries will not be charged in case the student ID of the current year is provided. Expenses resulting out of the award process have to be paid by the participants. In case you would like to benefit from the Early Bird rate, please make sure you submit your application and payment rate of 250.00 € (plus 19% VAT according to the legislation of the German Government for applicants based in Germany or for applicants based in the EU, who do not provide a VAT number within the application form) until Dec 17, 2023.
Only civil aviation products or concepts are allowed to be entered for the Crystal Cabin Award.
An entry has to fulfil the general criteria of the category to which it has been entered. To be accepted for short-list the entry will have to be of the highest-standard as defined by the competition rules.
During the regular Crystal Cabin Award season that ends with the ceremony on the first day of Aircraft Interiors Expo, eight categories are currently awarded. at the Crystal Cabin Award, which are: Cabin Concepts, Cabin Systems, Health & Safety, IFEC & Digital Services, Material & Components, Passenger Comfort, Sustainable Cabin and University.
The 2024 season also includes a Guest Category: Customer Journey Experience. The award for this category is presented at APEX EXPO in Los Angeles, on 30 October 2024.
An entry does not need to fulfil the criteria for all categories, just one. Each category is evaluated separately.
Members of the Crystal Cabin Award Association and experts from the Judging Panel may not participate in the competition. Companies associated with members of the Judging Panel may participate in the competition. However their associate will not be allowed to vote for their product, to make sure the scoring is completely neutral and unaffected by company loyalties.
The Crystal Cabin Award intensifies contacts between manufacturers, airlines and financial service providers. It is the first and only international award for excellence in aircraft interior innovation. The award will help participating corporations and academic institutions to establish their products or concepts on the market. Winners are entitled to use the Awards logo and prize name for marketing purposes.
The Judging Panel consists of international aviation experts, including engineers, high-ranking corporate executives and scientists. One third of the panel members are nominated from the international airline industry. The judges remain neutral and independent.
The evaluation process is marked by three stages. At the first stage all entries to the competition will be examined by the Crystal Cabin Awards Association Pre-selection Committee. Entries that do not comply with the rules of the Award will be excluded. The committee will create a short-list of the best entries. All entries not included in the short-list will not participate in the competition. The second stage begins with the evaluation of the short-listed entries by the judging panel. At the last stage the three entries with the highest scores in every category will be presented by the competitors to the judging panel in Hamburg. The complete judging panel will be invited to Hamburg for the examination of the presentations. At least 1/3 of the full Judging Panel must be in Hamburg. The judges, who are present at the Final Viewing in Hamburg, have to decide upon the ranking of the finalists by giving their scores. The finalists present their entries in a special show-room. They have to decide upon their favorites by means of one winner vote.
During the regular award season, the award ceremony is held in Hamburg, Germany during the Aircraft Interiors Expo. In 2024, it was held on 28 May 2024.
In 2024, an additinoal Guest Category - Customer Journey Experience - is awarded on 30 October at APEX EXPO in Los Angles, California.
The Guest Category is a special award category - Customer Journey Experience - presented outside of the regular award season.
The regular award season culminates in the presentation ceremony on the first day of Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany. It covers eight categories: Cabin Concepts, Cabin Systems, Health & Safety, IFEC & Digital Services, Material & Components, Passenger Comfort, Sustainable Cabin and University.
In 2024, an additional Guest Category is awarded on 30 October at APEX EXPO in Los Angles, California. Submissions for the Customer Journey Experience are open until 10 July 2024.
The winners of each category are announced at the Crystal Cabin Award ceremony. All winners get a certificate and the well-crafted Crystal Cabin Trophy. Award winners will be listed on the awards website. A finalists folder will be printed and distributed after the ceremony listing all category finalists.