Check Out the Winners of the 2026 CEAg World Impact Awards

CEAg World, a sister brand to Greenhouse Grower that focuses on the greenhouse produce industry, announced the winners of the 2026 CEAg World Impact Awards during the opening ceremony of the CEAg World Conference and Expo in Charlotte, NC. The awards, sponsored by ExxonMobil, recognize individuals driving real progress in controlled environment agriculture (CEA) and moving the future of protected agriculture forward.

“It’s an honor to provide these three CEA luminaries with the spotlight they deserve,” says Kristin D. Zeit, Group Content Lead, Protected Crops, for Meister Media Worldwide. “Their contributions to the business of growing produce under cover are truly remarkable and worth celebrating.”

The winners of each award are listed below:

2026 CEAg World Impact Awards Winners

Leadership Award: Paul Sellew, Little Leaf Farms. When the Cyclospora outbreak earlier this year raised fresh questions about the safety of leafy greens, Sellew stepped forward to explain what greenhouse production can offer consumers. The Little Leaf Farms founder and CEO used the moment to make a broader case for how controlled growing environments, consistent production practices, and clear communication can help build confidence in fresh produce.

Emerging Leader Award: Dominick DiMucci, Haven Greens. At Haven Greens, automation moves baby-leaf lettuce through production with minimal hands-on handling. But Dominick DiMucci, the greenhouse’s director of cultivation, sees the operation as much more than a collection of machines. That systems-level thinking has helped shape DiMucci’s role in bringing Canada’s first fully automated greenhouse into commercial production. Since Haven Greens’ first harvest in March 2025, he has worked across cultivation, climate, irrigation, and automation while helping coordinate the people and processes behind the crop.

Industry Advancement Award: Murat Kacira, University of Arizona. As the University of Arizona’s Controlled Environment Agriculture Center (CEAC) marks its 25th anniversary in 2026, Dr. Kacira has played a significant part in its — and the CEA industry’s — evolution over time. He joined the university’s biosystems engineering faculty in 2007 and later succeeded founding director Gene Giacomelli as CEAC director. All along the way, his research has helped move CEA closer to sensing just what crops need and translating those signals into better management decisions.

Learn more about the CEAg World Conference and Expo here.