2026 Hearing Technology Innovator Award Winners Announced

Hearing Health & Technology Matters (HHTM), an online resource for hearing professionals and consumers with hearing loss, today revealed the winners of its seventh annual Hearing Technology Innovator Awards™. Through the annual awards program, HHTM recognizes technological innovation and achievement across the hearing industry.

This year’s competition attracted submissions from a diverse range of companies worldwide, including emerging startups and established industry leaders, spanning hearing aids, auditory implants, assistive technologies, hearing conservation, clinical equipment, therapeutics, service delivery, and personal listening devices.

The winners are being recognized this week during the Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA) annual conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Category Winners

Hearing Aids

• Behind-The-Ear (BTE): ReSound Enzo IA / Beltone Boost Max S
• Receiver In Canal (RIC): Signia Pure Charge&Go MaX
• Advanced Processing & Intelligence: Phonak EON
• Design: Oticon Zeal™
• Non-Traditional: Cearvol Liberté
• OTC – RIC: ELEHEAR Beyond 2 Pro
• OTC – In-Ear: Cearvol Wave

Auditory Implants

• Cochlear Implant: SONNET 3 Audio Processor — MED-EL
• Bone Conduction: Osia® 3 Sound Processor — Cochlear
• Bimodal Hearing: DualSync Technology — MED-EL & Starkey

Therapeutics

• Therapeutics: SYNAPSOUND AI™ — Cilcare

Equipment

• Otoscopy & Ear Scanning: FITSHAPE S2 3D Ear Impression Scanner — Soundlink
• Audiometry: SHOEBOX PureTest — SHOEBOX
• Balance: VisualEyes™ 525 VNG with Accompanying Cervical Tests — Interacoustics

Assistive Technologies & Software

• Personal Amplification Platform: Deep Audio Processing – DAP™ — Bettear
• Wearable: LEION Hey2
• Assistive Listening System: POD — Bettear
• Captioning Technology – Mobile Apps: Rogervoice
• Captioning Technology – Device: XanderGlasses II — Xander

Hearing Conservation

• Electronic: RadioGear®-IS — CavCom
• Custom Fit: Phantom — SoundGear
• Mobile App: SoundCheck Live — SoundGear

Service Delivery

• Practice Management: Auditdata Manage — Auditdata
• Mobile Audiology: MOBILE Audiologist VEHICLES — Soundlink
• Auditory Rehabilitation: Lace Pro — Neurotone
• Hearing Aid Fitting Software: Widex Compass Cloud 2.0 — Widex
• Patient Services: Áine AI Agent — Blackberry Hearing
• Integrated Care Delivery: Tuned Care Platform — Tuned
• Telehealth: ElePro Plus — ELEHEAR
• Patient Engagement: Hearing Journey — Tuned

Personal Listening Devices

• Personal Listening Device: Trihear ClearTV Series — Trihear

Innovator of the Year

Oticon has been named the 2026 Innovator of the Year for Oticon Zeal™, earning the program’s top overall distinction. Zeal was also selected as the winner of the Hearing Aids – Design category.

The Innovator of the Year distinction is determined by an international panel of independent judges, who evaluate submissions based on the following criteria:

• Innovation: Technology that represents novel thinking in addressing habilitation of acquired hearing loss, its treatment, and delivery.
• Effectiveness: Technological advances that best address limitations of previous generations of technology.
• Efficiency: Advances that best close the distance between hearing care and the end-user.
• Utility: Innovation that promotes greater ease of use by the end-user and/or practitioner.

“Being recognized as the 2026 Innovator of the Year for Oticon Zeal reflects the countless hours of collaboration, creativity, and determination invested by our teams around the world,” said Michael Lamberson, President, U.S. Wholesale, Oticon. “Innovation is never about a single product. It’s about continuously finding new ways to improve lives through better hearing. This recognition inspires us to keep raising the bar and delivering solutions that make a meaningful difference for people with hearing loss.

This honor also belongs to the hearing care professionals who partner with us every day. Their expertise and commitment help transform innovations like Zeal into meaningful outcomes for people with hearing loss.”

“We’re incredibly proud to receive this recognition for Oticon Zeal,” said Anja Nagel L’harraki, Oticon Senior Vice President, Global Marketing. As the industry’s first hearing aid to create the completely new NXT in-the-Ear category and bring full functionality into an exceptionally discreet in-the-ear design, Oticon Zeal empowers users who don’t want to compromise between discreetness and performance. By helping remove barriers to hearing care, it has the potential to reach people who may have previously avoided treatment. This award belongs to the teams whose innovation, passion, and determination made it possible.”

Supporting Charities

SOURCE: HHTM