The GroundsFest Innovation Awards celebrate excellence and innovation across landscaping, amenity management, turf care and related industries. Judging will be led by HortWeek technical editor Sally Drury, alongside Howard Drury, Marcus Forster and Martin Towsey.
The winners will be selected on day one of the event (9 September) and celebrated on the same day with champagne courtesy of GroundsFest at 3pm in the HortWeek seminar area (Hall 3). The awards are sponsored by Cramer and Bosch.
New product shortlist
Grass-cutting equipment
- Ariens Company — AS 920 Sherpa-E fully electric ride-on mower for high grass and challenging terrain.
- Husqvarna — Automower 580 EPOS large-area, wire-free, AI-ready robotic mower.
- Mammotion UK — Yuka 3000 self-emptying robotic mower plus sweeper kit.
- PSD Groundscare — SABO 54-ER Vario battery roller mower with Vario drive and SABO TurboStar collection.
- Segway — Navimow X3 robotic mower series of wire-free mowers with cameras and AI, plus voice control.
- STIGA — NEXUS professional robotic mower with 279cm (110in) deck, LiDAR cameras, gyroscopics and AGS technology.
- STIGA — ePark Pro fully electric front mower with digital intelligence.
- TH White Machinery Imports — Ferris IS6200 183cm (72in) zero-turn mower with 48hp Cat engine compatible with HVO fuel.
- Toro UK — Hayter Harrier 56 Pro with crank-safe blade brake clutch and three-speed transmission.
- Wessex International — RoviMo 100% electric autonomous mower for arrow-straight mowing lines and selectable cutting patterns.
- Yarbo International — Yard Robot for mowing, leaf blowing and snow clearance, using AI and GPS-technology.
Turf maintenance equipment
- Auto-Roller — Electric Auto-Roller battery-powered roller for cricket pitch preparation.
- Foley Company — 642 Quick Spin Reel Grinder, floor-mounted grinder for walk-behind mowers.
- PSD Groundscare — ELIET EcoCure top dresser, self-propelled, professional-grade machine for spreading.
- Redexim — Scarivator turf renovation machine combining scarification and cultivation in one pass.
- Traqnology UK — Sportstraq/Turftraq GPS-guided line-marking system for mounting to utility vehicles.
Turf consumables
- Agrovista Amenity — Fossil advanced liquid silicon-based plant nutrition.
- Fargro — DCM Vital-Green professional-grade fertilisers for sports turf and lawns.
- Fargro — DCM Intro 2.0 organic wetting agent and soil improver.
- Fargro — Bactiva biostimulant with beneficial bacteria to fix nitrogen.
- Wildflower Turf — Enhance Wildflower Biodiversity range (seed and growing medium) to revitalise/enrich wildflower meadows.
Landscape machinery
- Azpects — EASYTileAlign solution for ensuring perfectly level patios.
- Herbst Machinery — GP28 Screener for screening soils and sands etc and turning waste material into top dressing etc.
- Kersten UK — Zasso Zap Weeder, world’s first battery-powered, walk-behind electric weeding device.
- Kersten UK — ElectroLance for spot treating weeds using high-voltage current.
- Kersten UK — FS Watering Arm, vehicle-mounted arm for watering plants on streets and in parks.
- Kirogn — THA270 tracked, self-propelled hedge trimmer with rotating blades.
- Westermann UK — WR870 EGO Battery Moss Brush for removing moss, weeds and debris in commercial settings.
Landscape consumables
- Fentex — Spill Trapper oil mat for absorbing leaks and spills under machinery.
- Fentex — Virus Trapper foot and wheel disinfectant system.
- Lumena Lights — Pro Solar Litecharga Rusty Solar Bollard Lights with Corten Steel for rust-like patina.
- Monty Miracle — Outdoor Cleaner for hard, outdoor surfaces.
- Monty Miracle — Artificial Grass Cleaner to clean and sanitise artificial grass.
- Monty Miracle — Sealer to seal and protect outdoor surfaces.
- Polybound — Pebble Glue water-based adhesive binder to hold stones, bark, mulch or pebbles in place.
- Suståne — 4-6-4 Flower & Vegetable multipurpose organic fertiliser made from renewable agricultural sources.
- Venture Play (UK) — One-DNA artificial grass made from one single material (PE), enabling recycling.
Arboriculture
- CMCLift UK — CMC S20 platform with maximum working height of 20m, outreach 10.4m and 90° basket rotation.
- Husqvarna — 550i XP cordless chainsaw delivering power comparable to a 50cc petrol model.
Tractors, implement carriers and transport
- Aebi Schmidt UK — TT282 Terratrac implement carrier offering increased productivity when working on slopes.
- CFMOTO — UFORCE U10 Pro 998cc side-by-side utility vehicle with 450kg-capacity cargo bed.
- Green Plant UK — Norcar Mini Loaders range of compact, pivot-steer loaders for multiple attachments.
- LCVT — Side Tipping Beavertail designed to fit mainstream 3,500kg-chassis cabs.
- PSD Groundscare — Köppl Multitalent implement carrier for mowing, sweeping, tilling, snow blowing and weed brushing.
- Wayrobo — Autonomous Golf Ball Picking Robot to collect and dump balls.
Services
- BAGMA — Culverdocs partnership with BAGMA for paperless completion of “record of machine installation” forms.
- Chappell Enterprises — Advertising packages offering a three-tier solution to advertise jobs and attract top talent across grounds maintenance, landscaping, horticulture and sports turf sectors.
- Origin Amenity Solutions — MachineKeeper app for managing and recording machinery and hand tools in the turf, landscape and grounds sectors.
- Steady Consulting — Steady Consulting provides business consulting and coaching services to small businesses.
‘Stood the Test of Time’ shortlist
Grass cutting
- Etesia Hydro 100 — Born in 1989 and now seen in the MK III version, the Hydro 100 is famed for its ability to mow and collect in challenging conditions.
- Trimax Pegasus — Tractor-mounted, tri-deck rotary mower launched at the Institute of Groundsmanship exhibition in 2001 and remains a serious player in the municipal grass-cutting market.
Turf maintenance equipment
- Redexim Verti-Drain — Dating from 1980, the Verti-Drain has long been synonymous with deep tine aeration.
- Tracmaster CAMON Lawn Scarifier — First appeared in 1986 as the LS17 but refinement work sees it presented today as the LS 42 cartridge system with six interchangeable reels for lawn tasks.
Turf consumables
- Clover Grow peat and peat-free products, with blended Irish sphagnum moss and seaweed extract, rich in magnesium, potassium and trace elements. First came to market in 1975 and remains a favourite with gardeners.
- DLF Pro Flora Wild Flower Mixtures were introduced in 1992 and offer a comprehensive selection of wildflower and flower/grass mixes beneficial to the environment, insects and pollinators as well as being attractive.
- Harrowden Meadowmat Birds & Bees Wildflower Turf is a decade old and provides a ready grown mix of 41 native British wildflowers and four grasses to encourage a wide variety of wildlife.
Landscape
- PMP Surfacing Flexipave was designed in 2010 as a porous, flexible, rubber-aggregate surfacing for use on trails, cycle paths and around trees, where it provides a crack- and tear-resistant surface that moves and flexes with root movement.
- Solar Gate Systems solar-powered gate automation has opened, closed and locked gates automatically, thanks to natural solar power, since 2016.
- The Professional Sprayers People Mankar ULV sprayers have offered the benefits of ultra-low-volume herbicide application since 1974.
Transport including maintenance
- Clearwater water recycling systems have provided a below-ground, biological wash pad water-recycling process since 2000, using harmless micro-organisms to clean contaminated water.
- Air-Seal Products has supplied the Air-Seal tyre sealant since 2000, providing quick puncture repair to keep grounds vehicles and machinery moving.
