Play Digital Signage is a finalist in all six of the categories we entered in the 2027 Digital Signage Awards. Winners will be announced on Monday, February 1, 2027 at the Esferic Events Center in Montjuïc, Barcelona. The shortlist belongs to our customers, resellers and the team behind every screen.
The organizers told us we had been selected as a finalist in every category we entered. That is not something a software company earns alone. It belongs to the cafes, clinics, warehouses, schools and offices that trust Play with a wall, to the resellers who show a new customer how to publish their first playlist, and to the people at Play who write the code, answer the chat and stay close to what a screen has to do on a busy Tuesday.
What are the Digital Signage Awards?
The Digital Signage Awards are an independent, impartial and international search for excellence across projects, creativity, products and services. They are organized by Sector Projects Plus. Over the last sixteen years they have recognized companies, projects, content, campaigns and products from around the world, working with media partner SIXTEEN:NINE.
The 2027 program has 25 awards, including two Gold awards. Judging has two stages: first, whether an entry meets the criteria and the standard of a proper submission, then the places in each category. Groups of up to five judges vote independently. Judges may not vote for a company they have been involved with, or in a category they sponsor. The dinner and ceremony fall on the evening before ISE.
In which categories is Play a finalist?
Play entered six categories, and the judges named us a finalist in all six. The public 2027 Results page lists Play Digital Signage among the finalist companies.
These are the six categories, and what each one recognizes:
| Category | What it recognizes |
|---|---|
| Difference-Making Operational & Everyday Signage | Practical signage that helps a place run: workplace messages, dashboards, wayfinding and queue management |
| Helpful Information | Screens that give people useful, timely information that isn’t marketing, in busy or complex places |
| Subscriptions, Curated Content, Templates and Media Integrations | The design and capabilities of data feeds, streaming services and ready-made content templates |
| Innovation in Management and Control Software | Advances in the software that manages content and devices, and in how screen networks are designed and run |
| High-Impact Application and Use of Emerging Software and Cloud Technologies | Uses of AI, machine learning, automated content generation and other new software beyond the core CMS |
| Customer and Partner Support | How well support is designed and delivered, measured by things like customer feedback scores |
This follows earlier recognition at the same awards. In 2025, Play won three categories: Helpful Information; Subscriptions, Curated Content, Templates and Media Integrations; and Customer and Partner Support, according to the organizers’ 2025 winners leaflet.
What does this recognition say about how Play works?
The work we care about most is making digital signage something a busy team can run without a specialist in the building.
That starts with a cloud editor and ready-made templates, then scheduling, roles, screen alerts and support that stays available after the first publish. All customers get free support by email and live chat, 24 hours a day, every day of the year, as set out on our pricing page. Features such as Dynamic Text and Queue exist so a price list, a KPI or a take-a-number line updates where people already look: a restaurant menu, a warehouse door or a clinic waiting room.
How does Play’s AI show up in work the industry is judging?
The 2027 category list treats artificial intelligence as part of excellence, including in data-driven displays and in emerging software that covers automated content generation. Here is how AI works inside Play.
AI Image lives in the editor. Describe the picture you need, generate it and save it to your Library. Essential plans get 5 images a week, Pro plans get 10 and Ultimate plans get 20.
The AI Assistant helps with content and playlists, such as changing a price or adding an opening-hours slide. Every change comes back as a proposal with a before-and-after preview. Nothing is applied until someone presses Apply, and nothing reaches a screen until someone presses Publish. The assistant does not invent prices, opening hours, phone numbers or addresses.
The same assistant can also build your first playlist from scratch. Describe the business, website, colors and logo, and it builds a complete first playlist in that brand. It reads your website only when you say the site is yours and allow it. Every team gets 50 assistant messages a day on every plan, with no extra credits to buy. An admin can switch off Use AI features in the team settings.
When and where are the winners announced?
The winners will be announced on Monday, February 1, 2027 at the Esferic Events Center, Montjuïc, Barcelona, after a welcome drinks reception.
We look forward to being in the room with the other finalists, proud to have been shortlisted in every category we entered.
“This shortlist belongs to our customers, who trust Play with their screens every day, to our resellers, who bring Play to new businesses, and to the awesome team at Play. In 2026 we rebuilt entire systems, and we are proud and honored that the progress shows.”
Lars Normark Andersen, CEO of Play Digital Signage
Thank you to every customer who put a first screen on the wall and stayed with us, to every reseller who taught someone else how Play works, and to the team that turned that daily work into six entries the judges were willing to shortlist.
If you want to see the product behind those entries, your first screen is free with every Pro feature when you leave a review within 30 days.
FAQ
Is Play a winner or a finalist?
Play is a finalist in all six of the categories we entered. The winners will be announced on February 1, 2027 in Barcelona.
Is Play a finalist in every Digital Signage Awards category?
No. The 2027 program has 25 awards. We entered six categories and were named a finalist in each of those six.
Who organizes the awards, and how are they judged?
Sector Projects Plus organizes the awards, with SIXTEEN:NINE as media partner. Independent industry judges vote in small groups and cannot vote for companies they have been involved with.
What AI does Play offer?
AI Image generates and edits pictures in the editor. The AI Assistant helps with content and playlists, and can build a new customer’s first setup from their business details, website, colors and logo.
Can we turn the AI features off?
Yes. An admin can switch off AI features for the whole team in the team settings.
How can I try Play?
Sign up and use your first screen free, with every Pro feature, if you leave a review within 30 days. Details are on the pricing page.
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