Categories & Judging Criteria
And the categories for the International Splash Awards 2026 are...
The categories for the International Splash Awards 2026 in Rotterdam at DrupalCon Europe have been announced.
Guidelines of Categories for regional Splash Awards and Splash Awards in general
The following is a list of categories that are generally used for Splash Awards. These vary slightly and are updated as needed.
The Splash Awards encompass 10 categories. All Splash Awards submissions are reviewed by a professional and independent jury. The nominated cases are then judged in their respective category, based on the criteria below.
Category Definitions for the Splash Awards
Commerce
Drupal solutions whose main purpose is to sell products and services. Both omni-channel and pure play concepts can be submitted for this category.
Corporate
Websites that serve as online identities for corporations, organisations, businesses or professional individuals. These sites may promote, market or provide information and a point of contact for products, services, corporate individuals or companies involved in on or offline commerce.
Design / UX
Websites and experiences where visual design is intended to be beautiful, emotional, and appeal to the senses. UX, visual and motion design and a robust front-end play a major role. Including sites that rely on visual design as a critical part of a functional user experience.
Non-profit
Websites for charities and charitable organisations whose primary purpose is helping people or other worthy causes.
Education
Education in the broadest sense of the word. Sites that are educational, promote education, or provide online curriculum or education services. This category includes educational content for children or adults, resources for educators, and “distance learning” courses. Includes sites for schools, educational institutions, e-learning platforms or websites with educational content.
Government & Public services
Websites and platforms developed for the local, regional or national government. Political movements also fall within this category.
Publishing / Media
A category where the focus is on content-driven platforms. The platform invites you to immerse yourself in the content. The content can be found quickly and easily, for example through a clear site structure or smart use of filters and a search function.
Social / Community
Websites creating and facilitating online community, connectedness and/or communication around shared interests. These sites can target either a broad-based or niche audience. Their purpose may be business or pleasure. They may use friend-of-friend connections to form a social network or use technology to make the connection. Includes dating and matchmaking sites.
Tools / Apps
Innovative tools or applications where business processes are translated into an online environment. Without these tools, business operations are at risk; they are business critical. The tool or application may be part of an online environment or platform, but is assessed on its own.
Healthcare
For all projects that are healthcare-related or promote personal health and well-being. These include sites for healthcare providers, hospitals, medical services, prescription medicine, alternative medicine, general health and fitness.
Judging Criteria
Business case
Ultimately, online environments are developed with a purpose. Increase sales, lower costs, provide a better brand experience, etc. Do the results show that the goals have been achieved or even exceeded?
Community value
Drupal is an open source platform and owes its existence to the community behind it. All cases are judged on the value it returns to this community. This can be code, for example modules published on Drupal.org, but also indirect contributions, such as spectacular cases and well-known brands that use Drupal which contribute to the marketing of Drupal.
Concept & strategy
The plan behind the website. Is the concept clear, unique and consistently implemented? Does the website tell a clear story? Does the chosen strategy and the final elaboration of the product fit the objectives that served as the starting point of the project?
Design / UX
Everything that is visible for the end user, including UX, motion and visual design on both desktop and mobile. Good design is of high quality, fits the target audience and supports the message that needs to be conveyed.
Quality of execution
"Details are not the details. They make the product." - Charles Eames. Quality aspects such as SEO, performance and accessibility can not be ignored while judging the cases.
Innovativeness
On a scale from "a lighthouse project everyone should take as a leading example" to "just another website relaunch", how relevant is this project?
Technology
Technology, the engine of every platform. Websites must be fast and function properly. In addition, the application of Drupal is being considered: is this in accordance with standards? Perhaps an innovative way to implement Drupal? Extra complexity such as integrations with third party systems is also considered.
Submissions for the International Splash Awards 2026 will open shortly. All submissions made under the Eligibility & Guidelines for submitting to the International Splash Awards.