2026 Winners

What began as a fundraising effort to support a single board member battling stage 4 melanoma has grown into a compassionate community program that has touched countless lives. Today, Making Life "FAIR" provides assistance to individuals and families facing life's most difficult challenges—from cancer diagnoses and Huntington's disease to house fires, medical emergencies, funeral expenses, food insecurity, and unexpected financial hardships.

The program embodies the true spirit of what community events can accomplish. Through its annual silent auction and the generosity of fair supporters, the Collier Fair has created a lasting source of hope for those in need. The initiative has helped families rebuild after devastating losses, provided funding for lifesaving medical treatments, assisted with housing, utilities, groceries, and holiday meals, and ensured that help is available when it's needed most.

The impact is measurable and inspiring. A family whose home was destroyed by fire was able to purchase a new home. A young preschool manager received the financial support needed to complete cancer treatments and is now in remission. The program's success has also inspired a generous commitment of $25,000 annually for three years, allowing its reach to continue growing and serving even more families.

Making Life "FAIR" demonstrates that a fair can be much more than an annual event—it can be a year-round force for good. By leveraging the power of community, generosity, and compassion, the Collier Fair has created a program that changes lives and strengthens the communities it serves.

Innovation is about challenging convention and redefining what is possible. Ultra Music Festival has done exactly that by becoming the first major electronic music festival in the United States to power a large-scale stage using battery technology with zero onsite greenhouse gas emissions. Through partnerships with REVERB's Music Decarbonization Project, Showpower, and CES Power, Ultra successfully integrated a SmartGrid battery system into one of the festival's most technically demanding stages, proving that sustainability and world-class production can go hand in hand.

This achievement is the result of years of planning and continuous improvement. Since 2022, Ultra has analyzed power consumption across the festival to develop a Smart Power Plan that reduces fuel use, lowers costs, and minimizes environmental impact. The addition of the battery-powered RESISTANCE Cove Stage in 2026 marked a major milestone, bringing the festival to four generator-free stages and demonstrating that clean energy solutions can be successfully implemented at the highest levels of live event production.

The measurable impact is significant. The initiative eliminated 18,740 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, while helping establish a scalable production model that other festivals can adopt. Beyond this single project, Ultra's Mission: Home sustainability program has reduced waste, expanded recycling efforts, minimized single-use plastics, and inspired industry-wide conversations about the future of environmentally responsible events.

Ultra Music Festival has shown that innovation is not simply about embracing new technology—it's about creating meaningful change that benefits both the industry and the communities we serve. By setting a new standard for sustainable event production, Ultra has demonstrated that ambitious ideas, thoughtful partnerships, and a willingness to lead can transform the future of live events.