KBIS Best of KBIS Awards: What They Signal and Why They Matter

Best of KBIS is the show's official product award program, managed by the NKBA and KBIS organizers. Exhibiting companies submit products for consideration; a panel of industry judges — typically editors from trade publications, practicing designers, and buyer-side professionals — evaluate entries across product categories and select winners.

Winners receive the Best of KBIS designation and have the right to display the award badge in marketing materials. Announcements typically happen during the show, which makes winning particularly high-impact: press and buyers are on the floor and can visit the booth the same day. The full list of past winners and submission process for the current year is on kbis.com.

From four years on the KBIS floor: the Best of KBIS list is a useful compass for the industry's attention, not a complete picture of what's worth seeing. Some of the most important relationships and products we've encountered at the show didn't win an award — they came from conversations in booths nobody photographed.

That said, award-winning products are a reliable signal that industry professionals — editors and designers who see hundreds of products — considered something genuinely noteworthy. If you're a first-time attendee with three days and 1,000+ exhibitors to navigate, the Best of KBIS list is a practical starting shortlist. Look for winners in product categories relevant to your showroom and visit those booths early on day one.

A Best of KBIS win creates a durable marketing asset: the award badge can appear on packaging, websites, and sales materials for the product year. The real value for exhibiting brands, though, is the booth traffic generated during the show itself — trade press coverage, increased foot traffic from attendees using the award list to navigate, and reprint rights from associated media coverage.

For cabinet showroom owners evaluating which exhibitors to visit: Best of KBIS winners are often positioned prominently on the floor and in official KBIS communications. They're easy to find and worth at least a walk-by, even if a given category isn't your primary focus.

Award-winning products are KBIS content — trend stories, product reveals, and industry reactions that peak around the show and fade quickly after. If you're a showroom owner who attends KBIS, publishing your own take on what you saw — which products resonated, which trends you're bringing back — is a fast-expiring opportunity that most showrooms leave on the table.

We've built that system for cabinet businesses: post-show content that captures KBIS-period search traffic and converts it into consultations. The free Showroom Diagnostic shows how your current setup handles this window. Or book directly — your KBIS 2027 pass is free when you do.