By Lisa Sciortino, Managing Editor of CoatingsPro Magazine
Join the celebrations as CoatingsPro Magazine and the Master Painters Institute (MPI) present the 2026 winners of their respective awards programs! The announcements will be made beginning at 3 p.m. local time on Tuesday, March 17, inside the Exhibit Hall at the Student Poster Session stage.
Alan Thomas, CEO of the Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP), will present the awards as part of the 2026 AMPP Annual Conference + Expo (held at Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center).
In its ninth year, CoatingsPro’s Contractor Awards Program honors excellence in the commercial and high-performance coatings sectors by showcasing the dedication demonstrated by coatings crews and recognizing trailblazing projects. Awards will be presented in seven categories including Commercial Concrete, Commercial Roof, Industrial Concrete, and Industrial Steel. The individual winners of the MVP and Work It Safe awards will also be announced.
Contractor Awards winners will receive a trophy or plaque depending on placement; a photo of themselves receiving the award; and a badge for use with marketing collateral. For those unable to attend the awards in person, tune in to CoatingsPro’s Facebook page (facebook.com/CoatingsProMag) for a live stream.
Meanwhile, MPI’s Product Champion Program recognizes paints and coatings manufacturers who set the industry standard in product performance, sustainability, education, and commitment through efforts to advance coatings technology, training, and environmental responsibility. Their selections are based on their MPI Approved Product List performance; the number of students involved in MPI training programs; or the overall adoption of MPI programs, listings, subscriptions, and promotions.
This year’s Champion Program award-winning companies were announced in December 2025. They include Sherwin-Williams (Product Performance Champion); Behr Paint (Green Performance Champion); Davies Paints Philippines Inc. (Coatings Education Champion); and Coverdale Paint (Commitment Champion).
Don’t miss this pair of festive ceremonies!
‘Coatings 101’ Offers Back-to-Basics Approach In a series of events on Tuesday and Wednesday, the “Coatings 101” forum provides an overview of industrial protective coatings including design considerations; material selection; and basic quality control techniques.
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AMPP Keynote: Former Blue Angels Pilot Urges ‘Glad to be Here’ MindsetFormer U.S. Navy Blue Angels lead solo pilot John “Gucci” Foley shared lessons on trust, teamwork, and high-performance culture with AMPP members, drawing on his experience flying for one of the world’s most elite aviation teams.
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Artificial Intelligence Gains Ground in Coatings InspectionArtificial intelligence (AI) is making its way into coatings inspection practices, but industry experts say the change will be gradual. What is on the horizon, according to AMPP 2026 panelists, is a growing use of tools such as drones, machine learning, and digital twins.
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