The Flight Sim Awards are coming back for 2026! The first award ceremony we held earlier this year was met with great enthusiasm from both developers and community members. All the feedback and lessons from last year have been taken into account, and efforts have been made to ensure that the Flight Sim Awards 2026 is bigger, better, and ready to celebrate in a meaningful way.

The organizing committee, comprising FSElite, Cruiselevel, and Threshold, has been working diligently on the next ceremony, reviewing the structure to ensure a fair, transparent, and meaningful selection process. The awards continue to honour excellence and long-term contributions within the flight simulation community, recognizing achievements in development, creativity, and community engagement.

In the updated structure, we aimed to create space for developers and creators who may not have fit naturally into previous categories. Each category has been reviewed to ensure relevance, clarity, and a balanced representation of the many areas that advance our hobby. We also added categories to highlight community contributions, which are often overlooked.

Categories and Criteria

All entries are evaluated according to shared principles:

• Release Period: Products or projects must have been released or received a significant update within the previous calendar year.
• Availability: Entries must be publicly available to the community.
• Platform Relevance: Submissions should be intended for use within flight simulation software or hardware.
• Quality & Impact: The work should demonstrate excellence, usability, and meaningful contribution to the simulation experience.
• Fair Play: Only original work is eligible.
• Community Focus: Positive and lasting impact on the community is a key factor.

These are the categories for the Flight Sim Awards of 2026:

• Best Freeware Tool or Utility
• Best Freeware Aircraft (Per Sim)
• Best Freeware Scenery (Per Sim)
• Picassonissimo Award – Best Aircraft Painter
• Best Customer Support
• Best DIY Hardware 
• Rising Star Award
• Innovation Award
• Community Contribution Award
• Outstanding Hardware 
• Best Aircraft Add-on (Per Sim)
• Best Scenery Add-on (Per Sim)
• Outstanding Product Update
• Hover Award - Best Helicopter
• Lifetime Achievement Award
   

Each category represents a part of what makes flight simulation thrive: creativity, precision, and the human dedication behind the virtual skies.

More information on the nomination process and jury panel will follow shortly.

The next Flight Sim Awards ceremony will once again take place during the Captain’s Dinner at Flight Sim Weekend on Friday, March 20th, 2026.

You can find more information on our website and tickets to FlightSimWeekend and the Captains Dinner here.

Join the Flight Sim Awards Discord and be a part of the Awards community