America Makes has announced its nine ambassadors for 2026 and awarded the 2026 Outstanding Collaboration Award to Brett Conner, Chief Manufacturing Officer of SME. The organization also elected a new executive committee during the same period. The nine ambassadors, drawn from government, industry, and academia, represent sectors including defense, aerospace, energy, and equipment research, and will contribute to the promotion of additive manufacturing technologies and industry collaboration. America Makes is the U.S. national innovation institute for additive manufacturing, headquartered in Youngstown, Ohio. America Makes' membership and ambassador network serve as a key channel for U.S. additive manufacturing policy, standards, and program funding. Its annual project selections reflect the direction of U.S. industry resource investment. Value for powder buyers: ① Monitor America Makes' annual projects and challenge themes (e.g., collaborations with the U.S. Department of Defense's OIB), as these directions often drive demand for specific materials and processes. ② Companies doing business in the U.S. can leverage the ambassador network to gain insight into technology promotion priorities. ③ Evolutions in the U.S. standards system may impact powder certification requirements for exported products, so ongoing tracking is essential.