Awards for Composites Excellence
Awards for Composites Excellence (ACE), a prestigious composites industry competition, recognizes outstanding achievement and innovation in technology, manufacturing and product development.

1. Design Category
The Awards for Composites Excellence (ACE) recognizes outstanding design innovations with two awards.
Most Creative Application Award
This award is presented to the composites product that showcases composites use in a unique, new application or uses composites’ attributes in imaginative, innovative, or artistic ways.
o The 2020 winner is the University of Tennessee for UTK Filament Tower.
2. Manufacturing Category
The Awards for Composites Excellence (ACE) recognizes outstanding manufacturing innovations with two awards.
Equipment and Tooling Innovation Award
This award is presented to the equipment, tooling, production aid, or software that is designed to improve manufacturing production, environmental sustainability, or product quality and performance in composites manufacturing.
The 2020 winner is the University of Delaware for 3D Printing Continuous Carbon Fiber/Thermoset Composites.
Material and Process Innovation Award
This award is presented for a material or process that best contributes to efficient manufacturing and product sustainability.
The 2020 winner is TRB Lightweight Structures Ltd for Fast Press Cure, A Disruptive High Volume Composite Manufacturing Method.
3. Market Growth Category
The Awards for Composites Excellence (ACE) recognizes outstanding market growth innovations with two awards.
Composite Sustainability Award
This award is presented to the composites product that clearly demonstrates an improvement in the environmental impact of the products use.
The 2020 winner is LyondellBasell for Composite Manhole Covers Solve Iron Problems.
Infinite Possibility for Market Growth Award
This award is presented to the composites product that demonstrates the potential to significantly increase the use of composites in existing markets or generate the greatest impact to open new and emerging markets for composites.
The 2020 winner is the IYRS School of Technology for Heavy Lift Aerial Platform (HLAP).