Garmin wins multiple marine industry awards at IBEX 2026

Garmin has bagged several awards at the 2026 International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition and Conference (IBEX) tradeshow. Garmin Signal VHF 400 received an IBEX Innovation Award; Garmin OnBoard earned a National Boating Safety Award from the Sea Tow Foundation; and Garmin was awarded the EPIC Award for Development & Technology.

Garmin was also ranked fourth on the programmes’s Top 10 Most EPIC Companies list.

Susan Lyman, Garmin vice president of consumer sales and marketing, says: “These honours reflect the many ways Garmin is working to improve the boating experience, from strengthening communication and safety on the water to developing new technologies that move the industry forward. We’re proud to see both our products and our broader approach to innovation recognised by so many respected organisations across the marine industry.” 

IBEX Innovation Award 

Garmin Signal VHF 400 won the OEM Electronics category, in a category of 100 entrants. The model combines VHF, DSC and a Class B SOTDMA AIS transponder on a colour touchscreen in a compact unit designed to fit nearly any helm. Judges highlighted its NMEA 2000 integration, support for 12V and 24V systems, and separately powered fist mic with magnetic mounting, designed to makes the radio easier to install on a wide range of boats.

The IBEX Innovation Awards programmed is managed by the National Marine Manufacturers Association and judged by Boating Writers International (BWI).

National Boating Safety Award 

The Garmin OnBoard System received the Sea Tow Foundation’s Best Boating Safety Product or Technology Innovation Award, recognising for-profit companies helped to advance boating safety in the recreational boating industry. The wireless man overboard (MOB) detection and engine cutoff system can monitor up to eight tags, alert those aboard when an MOB event is detected and stop the engine if the captain falls overboard.

The honour marks Garmin’s sixth consecutive Boating Safety Award.  

For the ninth consecutive year – since the award programme’s inception – Garmin was named a Top 5 company. EPIC – an acronym for exceptional, purposeful, innovative and compassionate – honours companies that are transforming the marine industry through advancements in technology, innovative products and processes, workforce initiatives and more. Garmin also won the Development & Technology category and was commended for pushing the marine industry forward through innovation evidenced by an impressive 15 product launches during the eligibility period. 

These awards follow another commendation for the company, after Garmin was named Manufacturer of the Year by the National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) for the 12^th consecutive year.