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It should come as no surprise that the BobVila.com team has a soft spot for DIY gear. Our Product Reviews team tests and reviews tools and solutions that make a difference for passion projects and everyday home improvement, in every category from construction to cleaning. But our Tool of the Year Awards event is something special. Our mission? To find, name, and celebrate the very best of the best in new tools, for everyone from DIY-minded homeowners to veteran professional contractors.
About the BobVila.com Tool of the Year Awards
When naming the Tools of the Year, we’re looking for products that embody utility, quality construction, and the spark of innovation. And we know these project helpers come in all shapes and sizes. If this sounds like one of your products, you can guarantee that we will give it due consideration by submitting an application.
For 2026, we are accepting applications for any relevant product with a first sale date falling between September 18, 2025, and September 16, 2026. We will consider every product submitted for entry, though BobVila.com judges may also consider products that have not been formally entered.
Multi-Winner Categories
The program will include eight categories with five winners in each, as well as one category with a single winner (see below).
Applications are now welcome in each of the following categories.
Hand Tools & Accessories
Hammers, screwdrivers, wrenches, pocket-sized multitools, trowels, pruners, and other no-nonsense implements that improve upon age-old design—plus, the add-ons that transform your tools into true powerhouses
Power Tools
Electric and gas, cordless and corded—tools designed and built to deliver the oomph needed to efficiently tackle big jobs
Outdoor Equipment
From weeders to mowers to chainsaws, the lawn and garden essentials that keep your landscape lush and well-maintained
Gadgets and Tech
Generators, emergency radios, HVAC equipment, and other mechanical or electronic products that simplify or even automate life at home through technological innovation
Cleaning Tools
The scrubbers, vacuums, mops, and more that substitute for elbow grease and take home cleaning to the next level
Workwear & Safety Gear
The clothing, footwear, and personal protective equipment for starting (and completing) any project—safely
Tool Storage & Workshop
From ladders and benches to jacks and clamps, the go-to work surfaces, organizers, and helpers that no workshop space is complete without
DIY Essentials
Large and small project supplies and materials that make DIY home improvement and repair easier and more accessible for average homeowners by measuring, streamlining applications, and more
Single-Winner Category
This category is closed to direct applications. In selecting a winner of this designation, our judging panel will review all applications received before the submission deadline and will consider these alongside all known qualifying products.
Cutting Edge Award for Innovation
A single outstanding, innovative solution that streamlines a popular project or otherwise solves a common problem at home. No entry is required for this Award category.
2026 BobVila.com Tool of the Year Submission Guidelines
How to Enter
The 2026 BobVila.com Tool of the Year Awards program is now officially open to applications. To get your product in front of our judges, please complete this form by midnight (ET) on July 10, 2026.
Products can only be submitted to one of the eight main categories, so please select the best fit for your application. Submit as many products as you like.
There is a submission fee per entry, payable within the submission form: $250 for early-bird applications made before May 15, 2026, and $350 for applications made between May 16 and July 10, 2026. There are no refunds, so please read the following criteria carefully before submitting.
The Submission Criteria
To qualify, your product must have launched between September 18, 2025, and September 16, 2026.
Only new product launches are eligible (e.g., new colorways of pre-existing product lines will not be considered). Further, note that all products must be available for purchase in September 2026.
Entry Form
Click here to access the entry form.
Deadline for Submissions
The deadline for all 2026 BobVila.com Tool of the Year Awards submissions is midnight ET, July 10, 2026.
Announcement of Winners
The 2026 BobVila.com Tool of the Year Award winners will be officially announced in mid-September. Winners will be notified prior to the announcement; we require that all winners sign a non-disclosure agreement not to reveal this information until the Awards feature is published on BobVila.com. Due to the volume of entries, we ask that you do not contact us to check on the status of your submission(s).
Judging Details
The judging process will be overseen by BobVila.com Editor-in-Chief Kathleen Corlett and our Executive Editor of Product Reviews, Stephanie Cronk. Each category of product submissions is carefully reviewed by a team of staff writers and editors who pair industry expertise with deep experience and knowledge of home and garden subject matter.
Judges will evaluate entries on the basis of functionality, performance, quality of design and construction, value for dollar, and category innovation.
Note that our initial evaluations will focus on the information you provide via the initial entry form, so we encourage all submissions to be thorough and complete. If you have photos or video files, please point us to a website or where we may view them; do not e-mail them unsolicited.
Judges reserve the right to move an application to a more suitable category. They may contact you to request a test unit or demonstration of any entry. Products that cannot be provided or demonstrated before August 28 may be disqualified without reimbursement of the entry fee. Please DO NOT send sample products unsolicited.
Award Value
By the time our search concludes, we’ll recognize approximately 40 winners across eight relevant categories and one single-category winner. Winners of the BobVila.com Tool of the Year Awards will receive promotion across all BobVila.com audience channels for earned media exposure valued up to $15,000.
Winning includes:
- Inclusion in a shoppable feature
- Promotion across BobVila.com social and email channels
Other Questions?
Please contact us at tooloftheyear@bobvila.com.
