Bright Play Installations has been named the winner of Excellence in Soft Play Design 2026 at the Mad Hatter Awards. The result reflects a clear preference among clients, community voters, and the expert panel for the company's in-house design approach and its record of bespoke installations built over more than 10 years of experience.
Max Broadfield accepted the award on behalf of Bright Play Installations. The win carried 85% of the total vote, a margin that separated the company from the rest of the field across every voting stream.
The differentiator this year was not scale or speed. It was the way Bright Play Installations brings the customer's vision into the design and then stays alongside the client through every stage of the project.
Design Built Around the Customer
Bright Play Installations keeps design in-house, which means the people who listen to a customer's ideas are the same people who shape the final drawings. Clients describe a process where their vision is captured early and carried through without being diluted.
The company's bespoke approach means each installation is designed for its own space, users, and budget rather than adapted from a standard template. More than 10 years of experience informs those decisions, from layout and safety to the way a space feels once it is in use.
Support and guidance run through the whole project, not just the design phase. Bright Play Installations stays available to answer questions, explain choices, and help clients feel confident at every step, which is a consistent theme in the feedback that carried weight with voters and judges.
"We are grateful to receive this award, and I want to credit our team, who bring care and craft to every project we take on. Our clients trust us with their ideas, and we are proud to build designs that reflect what they imagined. Thank you to everyone who voted and to the clients who shared their experience with the judges."
- Max Broadfield, Bright Play Installations
