We’re picking the best CES 2026 official awards

Mark your calendars. On January 7, 2026, CNET Group will announce the most comprehensive and compelling category of official Best of CES award winners to date.

In 2025, we come together for the first time as a family of tech media brands Announcing the 11 best shows at CES The winners, handpicked by journalists at CNET, PCMag, Mashable, ZDNET, and Lifehacker. After discovering so many great new products at last January’s show, we’ll go big next year to bring the best of the best to CES 2026, presented by the CNET Group in partnership with the Consumer Technology Association.

Next month, we’ll be teaming up with friends from the Ziff Davis IGN and Everyday Health brands for the first time to help us announce 23 winners across several categories, with several finalists in each category:

• The best technology of a lifetime
• Best AI
• Better sound
• The best deep computing techniques
• Best energy technology
• The best technology of the future
• Best games
• The best kitchen technology
• Best laptop
• Best mobile
• The best parent technology
• The best pet technology
• Best robot
• The best smart home technology
• Best startup
• Better sustainability
• The best means of transportation
• The best travel technology
• The best TV or home theater
• Best alien technology
• The best wellness technology
• The best technology for your yard or outdoors

and…

What to expect from CNET Group’s coverage

As the world recovers from the effects of the New Year, 74 of our journalists, social media producers and video pros will be packing our bags for Las Vegas. We’ll spend the first weekend in January exploring the show before anyone else arrives. By the time CES opens on January 6, 2026, you’ll feel like you’re there, too. Our live blogs, social media posts and videos from the show will give you inside glimpses into never-before-seen technology.

On Wednesday, January 7, 2026, at 8 a.m. PT, CNET Group will announce the official Best of CES 2026 finalists. You’ll be able to visit CNET to see them all and read highlights of each product.

If you are lucky enough to attend CES in person, we encourage you to visit the CTA Main Theater in the Main Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center at 4 PM PT to watch the Best of CES awards show live. CNET Editor at Large Bridget Carey and PCMag Mobile Editor Iyaz Aktar will invite experts from across our brands to join them on stage to review highlights of the show and announce and congratulate the winners. At 6 PM PT, we’ll update our main article on CNET to announce the 22 category winners and the Best Overall award.

Don’t worry if you missed this ad. We will work with our partners at CTA and all of our sites and platforms to announce the winners from the mountaintops.

How to submit your product for the Best of CES award

We would like to consider any product you think deserves recognition as best in class at the show. We have some rules to share, though. The product or service must be an exhibitor at CES 2026 and meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Include a compelling new concept or idea
• Solve the major consumer problem
• It is a new or significant update to an existing product that sets a new standard in performance or quality

As in past years, we cannot promise to respond to every submission, and our journalists will have the final decision on which products will and will not win. But we are eager to hear your opinion. If you want to submit a product for consideration, use This application form And make sure it reaches us by January 1st.