Published 03/05/2025

SPE calls for Automotive Innovation Awards nominations

The 54th Awards Gala, taking place Nov. 5, 2025, is open for those interested in submitting winning automotive parts highlighting the game-changing aspect of plastics and polymeric materials.

Automotive

Edited by: Grace Stubbins

Senior Managing Editor, CompositesWorld and Products Finishing

An application that has been in continuous use for 15 years or more, and has made a significant and lasting contribution to the application of plastics in automotive vehicles (nominations due here by May 31, 2025) will be honored with a Hall of Fame (HOF) award. Additional criteria for this award is that the nomination is game-changing; successful worldwide; innovative in materials, process and application; and is still in use. The HOF committee consists of engineers, managers, executives, technical experts, SPE Fellows, SPE Honored Service Members and automotive industry technical experts having served at least 30+ years in the industry.

Over the years, the IAG competition has drawn attention to plastics as an underutilized design tool.

“Plastics are driving innovations in electric transportation, powering advancements across electric, autonomous and next-generation mobility solutions,” says Jeffrey Helms, global automotive director at Celanese Corp.(Auburn Hills, Mich., U.S.), who returns as the 2024 SPE Automotive Innovation Awards chair. “With this year’s theme, ‘Leading the Charge,’ we emphasize the vital role plastics play in enabling, enhancing and advancing all mobility applications and powertrains.”

Since 1970, the SPE Automotive Innovation Awards Competition has highlighted the positive changes that polymeric materials have brought to automotive and ground transportation industries, such as weight and cost reduction, parts consolidation, increased safety, and enhanced aesthetics and design freedom. At the time the competition started, in 1970, many OEM designers and engineers thought of plastics as inexpensive replacements for more “traditional” materials. To help communicate that plastics were capable of far more functionality than their typical use as decorative knobs and ashtrays indicated, members of the board of directors of SPE’s Automotive Division created the competition to recognize successful and innovative plastics applications and to communicate their benefits to OEMs, media and the public.

Over the years, the competition drew attention to plastics as an underutilized design tool and made industry aware of more progressive ways of designing, engineering and manufacturing automotive components. From its humble beginnings, the competition has grown to be one of the most fiercely contested recognition events in the automotive and plastics industries.

During the competition phase of the event, dozens of teams made up of OEMs and suppliers work for months to hone submission forms and presentations describing their part, system or complete vehicle module to support claims that it is the year’s “Most Innovative Use of Plastics.” To win, teams must survive a pre-competition review and two rounds of presentations before industry and media judges.

There is no cost to nominate parts, however, nominations that are accepted into the competition need to be presented (in person or via webinar) by their nominating teams to the SPE Automotive Div. board of directors during the first round of Automotive Innovation Awards Competition judging, Sept. 25-26, 2025, at Celanese Corp. in Auburn Hills. Finalists from that round advance to a second presentation before a panel of Blue Ribbon judges made up of media, retired chief engineers, and other industry experts on Oct. 3, 2025 (also at Celanese Corp.). Winners of each part category, the Grand Award, HOF and Lifetime Achievement winner will all be honored during the Automotive Innovation Awards Gala on Nov. 5, 2025.