CHICAGO — KI was the big winner at the Best of NeoCon awards competition, taking home seven awards in multiple categories, including the Best of Competition award for its Cognetic Technology, which was shown as part of KI’s Kiaura Collection.

Other big winners were Andreu World with six awards, Davis Furniture which also took home six awards, Haworth with five awards; and HALCON Furniture and Keilhauer with each taking home four awards. 

Best of Competition finalists included: HALCON Furniture’s VESPER, Impact Acoustic’s Truchet, Model No.’s Onda, Mohawk Group’s Hero Rubber made with Nike Grind, Andreu World’s Fusion Conference Table, and WVH’s ALMA Collection.

Debuting at the KI Inspiration Center during Design Days in Chicago, the Kiaura Collection built with Cognetic Technology represents contract furniture manufacturer KI’s most significant seating innovation to date and introduces what the company defines as a new category: Human Performance Seating.

Cognetic Technology, invented by KI designer Aaron DeJule, is a gravity-responsive, multi-axis motion system that continuously responds to subtle shifts in the body, creating a seated experience that feels fluid, intuitive, and restorative. The technology makes its first full commercial application within the Kiaura Collection, a coordinated family of task, conference, and lounge seating alongside complementary tables and ottomans. 

The winners of the 36th annual Best of NeoCon Awards were presented at an awards ceremony June 8 at the MART in Chicago. The awards recognize products that exemplify excellence in at an design, performance, innovation, and user experience within the built environment.

Since 1990, the Best of NeoCon Awards has served as a definitive benchmark for commercial design excellence, commending solutions that advance how people work, learn, heal, connect, and experience space. This year’s edition received 274 entries from 97 NeoCon exhibitors. A total of 71 products were awarded across 42 categories, including expanded lighting classifications introduced in conjunction with the debut of Illuminate at NeoCon. Honors were awarded for Gold, Silver, Innovation, Sustainability, and Business Impact, with the competition’s highest distinction—Best of Competition—presented to KI for Cognetic Technology.

A multidisciplinary jury of approximately 45 leading architects, designers, facility managers, end-users, and industry decision-makers—including leaders from CannonDesign, Gensler, HDR, HKS, HOK, Marmon Mok, Northwestern Mutual, Shepley Bulfinch, State Farm, and Walgreens—convened on-site at The Mart this past weekend to evaluate submissions throughout the NeoCon show floors. An additional panel of business journalists and facility management professionals determined the Business Impact Awards. See the full jury list here.

“The breadth of this year’s nominees demonstrates how dynamically NeoCon exhibitors are designing for the human experience and responding to real-world challenges with solutions that thoughtfully balance aesthetics and performance,” says Eileen McMorrow, Director of Best of NeoCon. 

“From meaningful advancements in workplace, healthcare, hospitality, education, and lighting, the ingenuity and innovation celebrated by the competition are always exciting to see. In particular, the introduction of Illuminate brought a new layer of energy and brilliance to NeoCon, showcasing how vital lighting is to human wellness and the architectural narrative. Collectively, the winners represent a commitment to creating more responsive, resilient, well-being-driven, and people-first spaces.”

The Best of Competition-winning Cognetic Technology by KI stood out for its intuitive, human-centered design. The patented innovation was developed to fundamentally rethink how the body interacts with seating. The gravity-powered, multi-axis motion system continuously responds to subtle natural body movement, supporting posture variability, fluid movement, and effortless balance without requiring constant conscious adjustment. Unlike conventional seating systems built around levers, tilt mechanisms, and static positioning, Cognetic Technology creates an intuitive, frictionless, more responsive seated experience. Jurors praised the solution for its ability to encourage natural movement and adapt seamlessly to the user, noting that it “moves with your body and how you want to move,” creating a more dynamic and comfortable sitting experience. “We are very excited to see this technology get specified on projects,” the jury added. 

One of the most notable developments in this year’s competition is the expansion of lighting categories coinciding with the launch of Illuminate at NeoCon. The show-within-a-show exhibition and newly established classifications elevate the visibility of lighting manufacturers, reinforcing the critical role lighting plays in shaping the built environment. Among the manufacturers recognized with Best of NeoCon awards for lighting solutions were Arktura, Axis Lighting, Baresque, BIOS Lighting, BuzziSpace, Focal Point, JLC-Tech, Koncept, and RBW––demonstrating advancements in performance, control integration, energy efficiency, and visual impact.

Pushing the boundaries of technical execution, manufacturers including Armstrong World Industries, Bernhardt Design, BIOS Lighting, Boss Design, DARRAN, HALCON Furniture, Haskell Education, KI, Levitask, and Prostoria USA earned Innovation Awards for products introducing breakthrough technologies, novel applications, and inventive approaches to contemporary design challenges.

Spotlighting achievements in circular design, responsible material sourcing, manufacturing innovation, and environmental stewardship, Sustainability Awards were presented to products from Andreu World, Boss Design, CF Stinson, Davis Furniture, Flora Materials, Impact Acoustic, Mohawk Group, Model No., Okamura, and RESEAT.

Now in its fourth year, the Business Impact Awards recognized solutions that drive measurable organizational outcomes—from workflow efficiency and space optimization to user experience, wellness, and cost savings. Judged by a panel of business journalists from The Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Forbes, Inc., Architectural Record, Dezeen, and Wirecutter, alongside facility management professionals from Northwestern Mutual and State Farm, the products were reviewed through the lens of real-world performance and the bottom line, as well as long-term business value. 

This year, 26 finalists were selected, with ten products ultimately earning Business Impact Awards. The 2026 recipients were AIS' Reshape; Armstrong World Industries' Templok Energy Saving Ceilings; BIOS Lighting’s BIOS SkyView Tile; BuzziSpace's BuzziTent Light; Cisco's AI Powered Plug-n-Play Rooms, Cisco Spaces, and Workspace Designer; DARRAN's Limousine; Haskell Education's Pathmaker Table Series; Haworth's Haworth Gallerie; Momentum's Mirage with SpinFix; and Silen's Silen Space Gen 2.

Back for the second year, the People’s Choice Awards invites the broader design community to weigh in on their favorite Best of NeoCon-winning products. Voting is open through Tuesday, June 9, at 5:00 p.m. CDT. Show attendees can cast votes on-site by scanning QR codes displayed alongside participating products, while those not attending can vote online through the Winners’ Gallery. Voters may submit one vote per product. NeoCon will reveal the five People’s Choice winners on Wednesday, June 10, during the BIFMA Breakfast and on the show’s official social media channels.