From AREA and WRD:
The winners of the 2026 edition of the European Rising Stars competition were officially awarded during the General Assembly of AREA – Air Conditioning and Refrigeration European Association held in Madrid, Spain, in the presence of associations, industry leaders and European representatives from across the HVAC/R sector.
The initiative, organised by AREA – Air Conditioning and Refrigeration European Association together with World Refrigeration Day, aims to highlight inspiring young professionals and women working in refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pumps across Europe.
This year’s winners are:
🏆 Category A – Youth Best Practice
Edouard Letot (France)
🏆 Category B – Women in Cooling
Milena Boettcher (Germany)
The competition invited participants to submit short videos showcasing their passion, technical competence, and commitment to sustainability, safety and innovation in the cooling sector.
🎥 Watch all competition videos here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9ffJ1vCCAUqa0uCwo4h4sJeH4C2HDeZB
The awards ceremony took place during the official dinner of the AREA General Assembly in Madrid, with the participation of Coen van de Sande, President of AREA, and Steve Gill, Secretary of World Refrigeration Day, underlining the strong international cooperation supporting the next generation of HVAC/R professionals.
The winners were recognised not only for the quality of their videos, but also for their role as ambassadors and role models for future generations entering the sector.
At a time when Europe and the world are accelerating the transition towards sustainable cooling technologies, the refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump industry urgently needs skilled young professionals and greater diversity within the workforce. Initiatives such as European Rising Stars help demonstrate that the sector offers exciting international careers combining technology, sustainability, energy efficiency and environmental protection.
Coen van de Sande stated:
“The European Rising Stars competition perfectly reflects the future of our sector: skilled young professionals, talented women, and passionate technicians committed to sustainability, safety and innovation.
These winners are not only excellent professionals — they are also role models capable of inspiring a new generation to join the refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump industry across Europe.”
Steve Gill stated:
“It is inspiring to see such talented young professionals and women stepping forward as ambassadors for our industry.
Competitions like European Rising Stars are extremely important to showcase the human side of cooling and to encourage future generations to join a sector that plays a vital role in modern society, health, food preservation, comfort and sustainability.
The same competition is also available in Africa, where it originally started, highlighting how this is truly a global sector facing common challenges and shared solutions.”
Blanca Gómez and representatives of CNI – Confederación Nacional de Instaladores together with AEFYT – Asociación de Empresas del Frío y sus Tecnologías, hosts and sponsors of the AREA General Assembly in Madrid, stated:
“It is a pleasure to welcome this important European event to Madrid.
In Spain we are strongly committed to the same goals: training, competence, sustainability, and attracting young people and women into the HVAC/R sector.
We are therefore very proud to support such a recognised international initiative and to host the European HVAC/R community during these important days.”
Marco Buoni, Secretary General of ATF and coordinator of the initiative within AREA, commented:
“These young professionals and women are true role models for the future of our sector. Their enthusiasm, competence and passion show how attractive and important our industry is for society.
We hope their example will inspire many others to join the HVAC/R community, and we look forward to the 2027 edition, which will certainly be equally inspiring.”
AREA and World Refrigeration Day would like to sincerely thank all participants, judges and supporting organisations for contributing to the success of this year’s competition.
More information about the competition:
AREA Competitions Page