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.
Innovation in Green Composites Design Award
This award is presented to the composites product that best exemplifies innovation that lowers/ minimizes the environmental footprint or offers an attractive life cycle assessment (LCA) of the product.
The 2017 Winner is Large Scale 3D Printing Using 100% Bio-Composite Materials, by Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
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.
The 2017 Winner is Rapid Manufacture of Ultra-High Quality Composite Mirrors, by Aerospace Corporation.
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 2017 Winner is Comprehensive Composite Manufacturing Platform, by Autodesk.
Material and Process Innovation Award
This award is presented for a material or process that best contributes to efficient manufacturing and product sustainability.
The 2017 Winner is CFRTP Processing Technology Using Commingling, Fiber Laying, and Light Molding, by Gifu University.
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 2014 Winner is Lightweight Composite Air Cargo Container Lowers Lifecycle Costs by Cargo Composites.
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 2017 Winner is Ford/Magna Carbon Fiber Subframe, by Ashland LLC.