The Acoustical Society of Italy is pleased to present the AIAthon – the “Angelo Farina” Award for Innovation in Acoustics. Established in 2026, the AIAthon is more than an award; it is a high-impact innovation competition dedicated to acoustics, designed to uncover new ideas and solutions to real-world problems. The competition will involve teams of researchers, professionals, and/or students, as well as partner companies and organizations. Participating in the AIAthon provides access to a select pool of talent, ideas, and expertise without the constraints of traditional R&D paths: a concrete way to explore new solutions and discover future collaborators.
This innovation lab brings together partner companies and young talents. Partner companies and organizations are asked to propose a stimulating challenge and contribute to the initiative’s funding by supporting the award and the organization of the event. Young talents are asked to form teams of 5 members each and discuss a specific topic to develop the basic concepts of the proposed innovation (technological maturity level TRL 2), leveraging their skills and creativity to develop cutting-edge solutions.
DEADLINES
AIA publishes a call for expressions of interest and selects the partner that will propose the Challenge theme.
AIA publishes a call for expressions of interest on its website. This call is aimed at selecting a partner from both public and private entities (institutions, companies, etc.), possibly in a grouping, to propose a theme for the Challenge and commit to co-financing the initiative. AIA will invite and disseminate information about the call via email to members and sponsors (past and present sponsors, or other companies selected by members) and through its institutional social media channels. The proposals will be evaluated by AIA, and the partner will be selected based on the following criteria: 1) Relevance to acoustic issues; 2) Feasibility of the challenge within the context of the AIAthon; 3) Multidisciplinary nature of the proposal.
The theme is announced and registration opens, culminating in the selection of participating teams.
Once the theme is chosen and announced, the AIA will activate the Team Registration form on the website. To ensure proper organization, the maximum number of teams registered cannot exceed five. If the number of registered teams exceeds the maximum number, the AIA will make a selection based on the following criteria: 1) Order in which applications are submitted; 2) Compliance with the Team Composition Rules (Article 5.4).
AIA is pleased to announce that the industrial partner for this first edition will be 
and the proposed challenge is incredibly stimulating:
What if sound didn’t need speakers?
An open challenge to the most curious acoustic minds: rethinking how sound can be generated from scratch—without membranes, without coils, without the limitations of a technological era over a century old.
Traditional loudspeaker technology is based on an unchanged principle: a membrane vibrating in air. Despite decades of improvements—new materials (carbon fiber, neodymium, samarium cobalt), CAD/FEM design, advanced acoustic loadings (bass reflex, waveguides, line arrays)—the basic paradigm has remained the same. Integrating these systems into confined spaces, from concert halls to car interiors, requires significant compromises: complex signal processing, high electrical power, and expensive engineering solutions. As part of AIAthon 2026, AIA and ASK are asking you to propose ideas that combine vision, technical rigor, and the desire to challenge a consolidated paradigm to try to go “beyond the loudspeaker.” We challenge you to imagine acoustics without speakers: new physical principles, surfaces that become audio sources, systems that direct sound where it’s needed—without dispersion, without waste.
We don’t ask you for a finished product. We ask you for a vision.
If you’re under 35, have an innovative spirit, but above all, a mind that thinks in frequencies, and the desire to make your mark in a field that hasn’t changed in a century—now is the time. To join, click on TEAM Membership.
Online workshop for all participants: explanation of the theme and practical details for the Challenge
During the online workshop prior to participating in the AIAthon, all participants will have the opportunity to receive an overview of the Challenge’s contents from AIA and the Partner, providing information, instructions, explanations, specifications, documents, and attachments provided to the Teams for completing the Challenge. The expected output and the scores assigned to the evaluation criteria will also be illustrated.
Project Development, Final Presentation and Award Ceremony
Teams will be able to begin developing their proposals immediately after the Workshop and will have until the Final Event, which will be held on December 10, 2026 in Reggio Emila Tecnopolo.
During this period, teams will be able to benefit from free mentoring support from industry experts selected
by the AIA together with the Challenge Partner. Each team will have two meetings of a predefined duration with the experts (mentors) to discuss and refine their ideas in preparation for the final presentation. The meeting can be arranged within a time frame that will be announced later. At the Final Event, teams will have access to a shared space to assemble and refine their proposals, meeting with the Mentors, and submitting their proposals by 1:00 PM. These proposals must then be presented publicly in the form of short talks during the Final Event, which will be followed by the awards ceremony.