The application window for the prestigious Body Armor Innovation Award 2026 has officially closed, and the response from the industry has been outstanding. We are thrilled to announce that 17 companies have submitted their cutting-edge projects, all vying for the top spot in personal protection innovation.
This year’s field showcases the incredible breadth of innovation across the body armor sector, from next-generation materials and advanced manufacturing processes to user-centric systems focused on comfort, thermal regulation, and gender-specific ergonomics.
Here is a detailed look at the 17 applications our experts will be reviewing:
The 17 Applications for the 2026 Innovation Award
1. Mc Armor – Miguel Caballero: Female Tank top
This project addresses the long-standing failure of unisex armor to properly fit the female anatomy. It is the first NIJ Level IIIA certified ballistic tank top specifically engineered with an ergonomic, 3D female contour. Unlike traditional vests that create coverage gaps and discomfort, this design uses flexible ballistic technology to adapt naturally to the female body, all while being integrated into a breathable, moisture-wicking, and antibacterial garment for all-day, discreet wear.
2. Ace Link Armor: Thermacore™ Heat Dispersion System
This is a patented, power-free, active thermal regulation system designed to solve the critical issue of heat stress. The system combines a next-to-skin base layer T-shirt (with 37.5® Technology) with a vest carrier enhanced by Phase Change Material (PCM) molecules and a highly oriented graphene thermal panel. This creates a “thermal highway” that pulls heat from the body and transports it laterally around the armor plates, expelling it outward without the need for batteries or fans.
3. NT CERA: NT 60/40 Hybrid Ballistic Ceramics
A significant leap in materials science, this project is the serial production of the world’s thinnest ballistic ceramic at only 2.5 mm thickness. The innovation lies in its hybrid composition, which achieves an ultra-low density of . This allows for exceptional weight reduction in an armor plate while its advanced powder engineering provides superior structural integrity and multi-hit capability.
4. Salubrium Aegis LLC: Aegis X Bendable Rifle Plate
This hybrid rifle plate system flexes and conforms to the wearer’s body, providing the comfort of soft armor with the protection of a rifle plate. The core of the Aegis X is a proprietary tessellated ceramic element, a matrix of interlocking ceramic tiles. This design achieves anatomical adaptability without relying on adhesives or mechanical fasteners, allowing the plate to bend naturally while maintaining its multi-hit survivability.
5. Australian Defence Apparel (ADA) Pty Ltd: The ENFORCR® H.A.L.O. X Carrier
A highly modular load-carriage system for law enforcement, the H.A.L.O. X introduces innovative microclimate-regulating technology (padding that keeps the wearer cool when it’s warm and warm when it’s cold) and a patent-pending laser-cut vertical and horizontal MOLLE system for versatile gear attachment. Its modular architecture offers three scalable modes, from a lightweight soft armor carrier to a fully up-armored system with Hard Armour Plates (HAP).
6. HighCom Armor Solutions: XTclave™
This is a manufacturing process innovation. XTclave™ is a proprietary, ultra-high isostatic pressure consolidation technology used to create ballistic laminates. While conventional autoclaves operate at 1-15 bar, the XTclave™ system delivers up to 300 bar (4351 psi) of uniform pressure from all directions. This extreme pressure reduces voids and enhances bonding, resulting in armor components that are lighter, stronger, thinner, and stiffer than those made with traditional methods.
7. Logistik Unicorp Inc.: Women’s Armour System
A modular armor system designed from the ground up to solve fit and performance gaps for female soldiers. Developed using extensive anthropometric data analysis and 3D scanning, its key features are inclusive plate curvatures (plates shaped for the female torso) and stretch panelsintegrated into the carrier. This ensures a precise, secure fit for 99% of the female population, eliminating mobility issues and coverage gaps found in unisex designs.
8. Franz Barta Gmbh: Laser etch transfer labels for armor/carriers
A solution for armor labeling that is NIJ 0101.07 compliant, permanent, and comfortable. Instead of sewn-in labels that can chafe, this project uses permanent heat transfer labels that embed into the fabric. The key innovation is the laser-etch capability, which allows variable data (like serial numbers and dates) to be permanently protected within the label, safe from sweat, friction, and UV light for the life of the armor.
9. Slate Solutions: G-Fold Level IIIA Folding Shield
A high-performance, NIJ Level IIIA ballistic shield that folds, allowing for rapid deployment and easy transport. The G-Fold is compact enough to be stored in a vehicle or backpack, addressing the trade-off between protection and portability. It offers tactical operators deployable cover against handgun threats that can be brought into a situation much faster than traditional rigid shields.
10. Bodyguard Concealed Armor Systems: Bodyguard Armored Backpacks and Jackets
This line of discreet armor features a patented “Switchblade Deployment System” in its backpacks. This system allows a seemingly normal backpack to be instantly converted into a full-coverage front-and-back ballistic vest (Level IIIA or III+) in seconds. It provides immediate, concealed protection for first responders or civilians without them having to remove the backpack.
11. Send Nods Nightvision: Multipurpose AirPad System (MAPS) & AirPad Helmet System
These additively manufactured lattice-based padding systems are engineered to reduce ballistic backface deformation. MAPS lowers BFD in NIJ and VPAM plates to 2–3 mm while improving airflow and comfort in plate carriers. The AirPad helmet system applies the same lattice technology to ballistic helmets, reducing BFD down to effectively zero while providing superior breathability and pressure distribution. Both systems outperform traditional foams by maintaining impact performance without collapsing under continuous load.
12. RTS Tactical: Level III+ Rifle Special Threats Mini Shield™
A compact, rapidly deployable shield engineered to defeat specific “special threats” that other armor types miss, most notably the 5.56x45mm M855 “Green Tip”round. Many lightweight polyethylene (PE) shields can be defeated by this common steel-core round. The RTS Mini Shield™ uses a steel core to reliably stop this prevalent threat, offering true rifle protection in a multi-hit capable, compact format.
13. ULBRICHTS GmbH: True Armor Piercing Head Protection
A ballistic helmet system (often made of titanium-hybrid materials) that provides “True Protection” by focusing on minimizing Back Face Deformation (BFD). This innovation addresses the fact that a helmet can stop a bullet but still transfer lethal force (trauma). ULBRICHTS helmets are engineered to limit this trauma value to below the 25-Joule survivable threshold, even when up-armored to stop rifle rounds.
14. NT Armor: Specter – World’s Lightest NIJ07 RF2 Plate
An ultra-lightweight (approx. 3 lbs) and thin (approx. 0.6 inches) hard armor plate that meets the newest, most rigorous NIJ 0101.07 RF2 standard. The Specter plate uses an advanced ballistic ceramic paired with a PE backer. Its innovation is achieving this high-level, multi-hit rifle protection at a weight that significantly reduces operator fatigue, enhancing agility and endurance.
15. Steady Armor: Hands-free, entry and protection shield
A prototype for a ballistic shield that provides hands-free operation for the user. This conceptual design is intended for dynamic entry, as the shield would be mounted to the officer’s body via a harness. This would allow the operator to maintain ballistic cover while keeping both hands free to operate a primary weapon, breach a door, or manage other critical equipment.
16. NP Aerospace: Women’s Hard Armour Plates
This project involves the development of hard armour plates designed specifically for servicewomen. The plates address the issue of decreased ballistic protection coverage in unisex designs caused by the female breast volume. The solution uses curved hard armour plates, which is described as the only known way to afford equitable ballistic protection for women. NP Aerospace designed nine hard armour plate sizes (three cuts and three curvatures) to provide optimized ballistic protection coverage to over 95% of the UK Defence female population. The armor is delivered as part of a body armor system that includes a carrier developed by Logistik Unicorp.
17. Composites Solutions: Ballistic Shield Level III+
This lightweight Ballistic Shield III+provides full-surface protection, capable of defeating 7.62 x 51 M80 Ball rounds and special rifle threats like and . The shield features a bolt-free surface for enhanced ballistic integrity and uses the latest material technology. For a cm size, the shield weighs just 6.55 kg (14.44 lbs). It comes equipped with a FoxFury B50 Light System , a comfortable foam arm pad , and a hard-wearing rubber edge.
What Happens Next?
Our dedicated team of industry experts now has the challenging task of reviewing these 17 submissions. The panel will analyze each project based on its innovative merit, practical impact, and potential to advance operator safety and performance.
This panel will select a shortlist of the four most innovative projects to move on to the final round.
The Community Decides
As always, the BodyArmorNews.com community is at the heart of this award.
Once the “Final Four” are announced, the power to choose the winner will be in your hands. The final vote will be conducted exclusively on our LinkedIn page, giving our global community of professionals the ultimate say in crowning the 2026 champion.
We want to extend a massive thank you to all the companies that applied and are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in personal protection.
We encourage our entire community to follow BodyArmorNews.com on LinkedIn closely for the upcoming shortlist announcement. Get ready to review the finalists and cast your vote!
