eVTOL Insights is proud to announce the winners of its 2026 Global AAM Awards, recognizing the individuals, teams and companies which have demonstrated outstanding achievement, innovation, and leadership in the global Advanced Air Mobility market.
The awards celebrate progress across the industry, from technological advancements and infrastructure development to ecosystem collaboration and market leadership. This year’s winners represent the cutting edge of sustainable aviation and urban air mobility solutions.
Each winner was selected by a judging panel of industry experts, based on criteria including technological innovation, scalability, environmental impact, and contribution to the advancement of the AAM ecosystem.
The awards were presented after eVTOL Insights’ North America Conference, which took place yesterday (Thursday) at the National Advanced Air Mobility Center of Excellence (NAAMCE).
The event also represented the first time an eVTOL aircraft has flown at an eVTOL Insights’ event, with Tim Lum piloting his Pivotal Blackfly eVTOL aircraft around outside the hangar and giving delegates a rare opportunity to see electric flight in action.
2026 Global AAM Award Winners
Team Categories
Best Place to Work
Winner: Horizon Aircraft
Best Awareness Raisers
Highly Commended: Honeywell & UAM Geomatics Inc.
Winner: SkyDrive
Small Marketing Team of the Year
Winner: Archer
Large Engineering Team of the Year
Winner: Wisk
Small Design Team of the Year
Winner: Olsen Actuators & Drives
Small Engineering Team of the Year
Highly Commended: Horizon Aircraft
Winner: Pivotal
Autonomous Flight Innovation Award
Winner: Wisk
Infrastructure Innovation of the Year Award
Winner: SunTrax — Florida DOT
Training and Workforce Development Award
Winner: Joby Aviation
Individual Categories
Leader of the Year
Highly Commended: Adam Goldstein — Archer
Winner: Dan Sloat — AAM Institute
Technology Leader of the Year
Winner: Tom Muniz — Archer
Test Pilot of the Year
Winner: James ‘Buddy’ Denham
Outstanding Contribution
Winner: Huazhi Hu — EHang
Company Categories
AAM Software Innovation of the Year
Winner: XSTAR — Alcifo
Certification Pioneer
Winner: Honeywell
Global Ecosystem Partner of the Year
Winner: NAAMCE
Company of the Year (50 — 100 Employees)
Winner: AIR EV
Company of the Year (100+ Employees)
Winner: Viasat
Medaille D’Or
Winner: Honeywell