Celebrating Excellence: Reimagining DAM Awards 2026

14. April 2026 Julia Stephan

Every DAM system tells a story. Behind the metadata models, workflows, and integrations are people making thoughtful decisions, solving real problems, quietly changing what DAM can be and how it creates value.

The Reimagining DAM Awards 2026 were an excellent opportunity to recognize and celebrate that work. They brought together customers, partners, and influential voices from across the DAM community who push boundaries, share knowledge, and lead with care.

Each award reflects a different expression of excellence in DAM. From technical innovation and societal impact to community leadership and long-term partnership, they all serve a shared purpose: to spotlight those who make meaningful contributions and help the entire community move forward.

We are proud to celebrate this year’s finalists. Their ambition, creativity, and commitment continue to shape the future of DAM in ways that benefit many more than their own organizations.

Reimagining DAM Awards

Innovation Leader Award

The Innovation Leader Award celebrates organizations that treat DAM as a strategic capability rather than a supporting tool. It recognizes teams who build strong foundations for collaboration, scale, and creative work, often by connecting DAM deeply into their wider digital ecosystem.

Winner: Herzog & de Meuron (Switzerland)

Known for some of the most influential architectural projects of our time, Herzog & de Meuron have built a DAM environment that serves as the foundation of their global practice. Through a highly customized, API-driven architecture combined with advanced AI tools, their DAM functions as a shared knowledge base across design, research, and project work. It supports consistent reuse of knowledge, smoother collaboration across disciplines, and a closer link between creative exploration and structured information.

— “The winner has a remarkable way of treating digital assets, not as files to store, but as a structured knowledge which is connected to projects and teams, and showcases how the organization works and creates.”

Radmila Stoltz

Chief Commercial Officer

Runner-up: SNS Group (UK)

As a leading agency in sports photography, SNS Group operates in fast-paced environments where timing and accuracy are critical. Their DAM enables rapid ingestion, tagging, and distribution of high-quality images to media outlets and sponsors in near real time. This setup supports photographers on the ground while ensuring reliable delivery to a global audience.

Runner-up: Sebrae (Brazil)

Sebrae is dedicated to supporting the 23 million micro and small businesses across Brazil and they aim to transform them into engines of sustainable development, driving entrepreneurship and delivering tangible impact on people's lives. They are a large, decentralized organization, so their DAM strategy focuses on enabling consistent content access across regions while allowing local flexibility. By supporting efficient sharing of educational and advisory resources, their DAM plays a quiet but essential role in helping thousands of entrepreneurs succeed.

Congratulations to Herzog & de Meuron, and thanks to SNS Group and Sebrae for demonstrating how DAM can support both creative excellence and operational diligence.

Society Impact Champion Award

The Society Impact Champion award recognizes organizations whose DAM initiatives deliver tangible value beyond internal efficiency. These projects show how structured content and information access can support transparency, inclusion, education, and public trust.

Winner: A major Police Force (Germany)

This major German Police Force has introduced DAM as a core system for handling digital evidence and intelligence. Used by more than 10,000 officers, the solution supports secure access, clear workflows, and consistent documentation. By improving efficiency and traceability, their DAM implementation strengthens both internal operations and public accountability, with impact extending well beyond the organization itself.

— “One of Europe’s most advanced, large‑scale DAM‑driven evidence and intelligence ecosystems. Their impact is measurable and deeply human, helping officers act faster, stay informed, and protect the public.”

Radmila Stoltz

Chief Commercial Officer

Runner-up: Rijksmuseum (Netherlands)

Rijksmuseum has digitized a vast cultural collection and made it accessible to researchers, educators, and the public worldwide. Their DAM supports long-term preservation while enabling discovery and reuse across platforms and contexts. The result is broader access to cultural heritage and new ways of engaging with history.

Watch the webinar: How Rijksmuseum future-proofs digital collections. >

Runner-up: The Reframe Project (UK)

The Reframe Project, driven by NHS and University of West England, is creating an open medical image database designed to improve representation of minorities in healthcare. Their DAM supports responsible sharing, governance, and reuse of sensitive imagery. By supporting more inclusive education and research, the project helps address bias in clinical practice.

Watch the webinar: The Reframe Project - How DAM Drives Inclusion and Diversity. >

We applaud the German Police Force for their meaningful impact, and thank Rijksmuseum and the Reframe Project for demonstrating how DAM can support social good.

DAM Community Hero Award

The DAM Community Hero award honors organizations that contribute actively to the wider network of DAM professionals. This includes sharing experiences, mentoring peers, and building practices that others can learn from.

Winner: Time Out Group (UK)

Time Out’s DAM platform supports editorial and creative teams across multiple countries and brands. Their focus on clear structure, scalable onboarding, and efficient workflows allows teams to collaborate smoothly across time zones. Beyond their own organization, they are generous in sharing lessons learned, helping others avoid common pitfalls.

— “Their work embodies what this award stands for: empowering others and creating lasting value across organizations.”

Radmila Stoltz

Chief Commercial Officer

Runner-up: Munch Museum (Norway)

Munch Museum combines careful preservation with a strong culture of openness. Their DAM practices support long-term safeguarding of collections while encouraging collaboration across institutions. They are widely regarded as a thoughtful reference point for DAM in the cultural sector.

Watch the webinar: How the Munch Museum and 2 other Scandinavian museums streamline their collection workflows. >

Runner-up: Equinor (Norway)

Equinor uses DAM as a shared workspace across a large and complex organization. Their approach supports reuse, consistency, and knowledge sharing at scale. By openly discussing challenges and solutions, they contribute valuable insight to DAM professionals far beyond the energy industry.

Watch the webinar: How Equinor ensures full control and GDPR compliance for media files. >

Congratulations to Time Out Group and thank you to Munch Museum and Equinor for strengthening the DAM community.

Fotoware Partner Awards

Growth Champion of the Year

The Growth Champion Award highlights Fotoware partners who combine commercial growth with customer success, demonstrating how sustainable expansion and quality delivery go hand in hand.

Winner: Pivotal (Australia)

Pivotal has achieved strong growth through new customer acquisition, complex transformation projects, and long-term customer relationships. Their focus on outcomes rather than quick wins has strengthened their position as a trusted DAM partner in the region.

— “Their ambition, resilience, and forward thinking make these impressive customer satisfaction and growth numbers possible”

Radmila Stoltz

Chief Commercial Officer

Rising Star Award

The Rising Star Award recognizes emerging partners who bring fresh perspective and momentum to the DAM community.

Winner: T3K (Austria)

T3K has quickly distinguished itself through innovative use of AI and automation within security and intelligence workflows. Their speed of development and willingness to challenge conventions point to a strong trajectory within DAM-driven solutions.

Read about T3K for intelligent AI-powered media analysis. >

— “They are at the forefront of next‑generation technology, bringing cutting‑edge AI and automation into one of the most critical areas of modern business: proactive threat detection and security intelligence”

Radmila Stoltz

Chief Commercial Officer

Reimagining DAM Award

This award is reserved for partners who consistently push DAM beyond standard use cases and into new domains.

Winner: Medialogix (UK)

Medialogix delivers tailored DAM solutions across healthcare, media, and digital evidence management. Their work often involves demanding regulatory and technical environments, where reliability and precision matter. By addressing real-world constraints with thoughtful design, they continue to expand what DAM can be used for.

— “Their work doesn’t just include developing the DAM platform to drive even more customer value. It also includes the ability to reimagine themselves, pushing their boundaries as they are pushing the boundaries of what DAM can do.”

Radmila Stoltz

Chief Commercial Officer

Special Achievement Awards: 25 Years of Partnership

These awards recognize long-standing partnerships that have helped shape Fotoware’s products, practices, and culture over more than two decades.

Martin MacDonald (USA)

For 25 years, Marty from SCS has supported technology evolution, guided major customer implementations, and represented Fotoware with professionalism and care. His contribution reflects deep technical understanding combined with long-term customer relationships.

Pascal Schait (Italy)

As an early adopter of Fotoware, Pascal from A.P.S Solutions helped establish and grow the brand in Italy and Switzerland. His work spans on-premises and SaaS eras, always with a strong focus on customer trust, continuity, and quality delivery.

We are grateful to Marty and Pascal for the role they have played over many years.

DAM Influencer of the Year

The DAM Influencer of the Year award recognizes individuals who help advance the profession through teaching, mentoring, writing, events, and open dialogue. Influence here is measured by generosity, clarity, and long-term contribution rather than visibility alone.

Winner: Frédéric Sanuy

Founder of OnDAM Paris, co-founder of Activo Consulting, and editor of DAM News, Frédéric Sanuy has played a defining role in connecting the DAM community. Through conferences, articles, and everyday conversations, he lowers barriers to entry and encourages honest discussion around DAM challenges. His influence comes from curiosity, openness, and a consistent focus on people as much as technology.

— “From the beginning his path has been remarkable: shaped by the instinct of a photographer who sees with both eye and driven by a genuine curiosity about how people actually work”

Radmila Stoltz

Chief Commercial Officer

Runner-up: Henrik De Gyor

Henrik is recognized for his work as an author, podcaster, and consultant specializing in DAM, metadata, and AI. He has helped many organizations translate complex requirements into practical solutions, always grounding theory in lived experience. His educational approach makes difficult topics accessible without oversimplifying them.

Runner-up: Kristina Huddart

Kristina is known for bridging business strategy and technical execution within DAM initiatives. With a strong focus on AI and emerging technologies, she offers clear frameworks that help organizations move from experimentation to value. Her work supports more confident decision-making in an increasingly complex landscape.

We celebrate Frédéric Sanuy’s contribution and thank Henrik De Gyor and Kristina Huddart for the depth and consistency of their influence.

Looking forward together

The Reimagining DAM Awards 2026 reflect the depth, diversity, and maturity of today’s DAM community. Each winner and finalist demonstrates that there is no single path to doing DAM well, only a shared commitment for finding ways of reimagining DAM and how it creates value.

As DAM continues to evolve, becoming more connected, more intelligent, and more embedded in everyday work, the examples highlighted here offer both inspiration and direction. They remind us that progress comes from curiosity, collaboration, and the need for a purpose.

We are grateful for the trust our customers, partners, and community place in us, and proud to build the future of DAM alongside you. The next chapter is already taking shape, and we look forward to shaping it together.