AMUG honors six additive manufacturing leaders with 2026 DINO awards

AMUG put the spotlight on the people who keep additive manufacturing moving, not the machines, by handing out six 2026 DINO awards on the main stage of its 37th annual conference in Reno, Nevada. The awards went to Olga Ivanova, Daniel Landgraf, Brian Post, Chris Prue, John Thiell and Annie Wang, a roster that cuts across Mechnano, 3D Spark, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, IperionX, Beehive Industries and Senvol.

That spread matters. AMUG’s DINO is not a vendor trophy or a single-technology pat on the back. It is meant to recognize people who have spent years solving real problems, sharing what works, and helping other users avoid the dead ends that can slow an AM program for months. Bruce LeMaster, who chairs AMUG’s selection committee, has made that point plainly: the winners come from different professional backgrounds, but they share a willingness to teach and assist.

AMUG says the committee weighs contributions to AMUG itself, contributions to the wider additive manufacturing industry, years of hands-on work, willingness to share, skill level, and other subjective factors. That makes the award feel closer to a peer-earned reputation than a resume contest. It also explains why the same names keep showing up in the spaces where troubleshooting, process development and user education actually happen.

The numbers tell their own story. In 38 years, AMUG has awarded only 205 DINOs. LeMaster noted that 59 DINO recipients were present at the 2026 conference, or 29 percent of everyone who has ever received the honor. AMUG also said eight current board members are DINO recipients, a sign that the award has been woven into the group’s leadership culture rather than parked off to the side as a ceremonial nod.

That culture has deep roots. AMUG traces its origins to the early 1990s, when the founding user group was called the 3D Systems North American Stereolithography Users Group. AMUG says its first conference was held in 1987, long before “additive manufacturing” became the standard label. The group now describes itself as a forum where users share expertise, best practices, challenges and application developments, which is exactly the kind of environment that produces DINO winners. AMUG says the nomination period for the 2027 class will open in Q4 2026, keeping the cycle of peer recognition firmly tied to the community that built it.