Iron Viz 2026: Read Between the Data

For the past 16 years, the Iron Viz competition has captivated Tableau Conference attendees and viewers worldwide. The ultimate data showdown viz off where data viz experts compete in a 20-minute dashboard creation challenge. Let’s relive the energy and highlights of the 2026 Iron Viz show. 

Hosts Archana Ganeshalingam and Cate Guyman kick off the 2026 Iron Viz Championship.

Senior Lead for Programs and Communications Archana Ganeshalingam and Principal Software Engineering Cate Guyman brought the sparkle to Iron Viz, introducing the amazing finalists for this year's competition: Kevin Wee, Ann Pregler, and Brian Moore. Each finalist is supported and guided by a Tableau sous-vizzer chosen for their Tableau product expertise—Gus Fraser supporting Kevin Wee, Grant Quick supporting Ann Pregler, and Lauren Smith supporting Brian Moore. 

Finalists and sous-vizzers during the Iron Viz Championship. Left to right: Gus Fraser, Kevin Wee, Grant Quick, Ann Pregler, Lauren Smith, and Brian Moore. 

This year, the finalists crafted their unrivaled data vizzes on stage using a Goodreads dataset from Bright Data with 6.5 million rows of metadata covering books, authors, genres, and reader reviews.

After 20 minutes of dashboard building, each contestant had three minutes to present their viz to a live audience and this year’s distinguished judges: 2025 Iron Viz Champion, Bo McCready, Tableau Senior Director, Research, Vidya Setlur, returning judge and Principal Solution Engineer at Tableau, Mark Bradbourne. The finalists must impress the panel of experts who judge the vizzes based on three key criteria: design, analysis, and storytelling. 

2026 Iron Viz Judges (left to right): Bo McCready, Vidya Setlur, and Mark Bradbourne.

The data visualizations created on stage 

The 2026 Iron Viz finalist dashboards are truly remarkable. Explore the highlights, standout features, and design choices that took center stage this year. From genre mashups to literary prestige and the evolution of graphic novels, all three visualizations delivered a distinct and compelling narrative. Now, let’s dive into the vizzes.

Busting the Myths About Reading Graphic Novels by Kevin Wee

Kevin paired action-packed design with a myth-busting narrative that demonstrated thinking outside of the box storytelling. Through the innovative use of book charts, map layers, rank charts, and parameters, he flipped between readership and review engagement to breathe life into the data. His visualization allows users to dismantle the "superhero" and "just for kids" stigmas common for comic books, revealing the cultural and topical depth of the graphic novel medium. Kevin closed the book on this data story, leaving us with an interactive tool to continue on your graphic novel journey.

Genre Mash-Up Madness by Ann Pregler

Ann showcased an enchanting design, worthy of a fairytale ending through her masterful application of network and lollipop charts among others. Her analytical approach narrowed the data down to 125 potential combinations based on her proprietary "catalyst book" metric, which identifies outlier titles that spark global publishing trends. By blending hand-drawn artistic flair with sharp logic, Ann's visualization allows readers to explore everything from the explosive rise of “paranormal romance” to the untapped potential of "cozy horror." Ann proves that data can be as captivating as a great novel, urging us to find our own perfect niche in the vast world of storytelling.

Hogwarts Over Hemingway by Brian Moore

Brian combined technical skill with a unique perspective and a focused narrative to explore the curious gap between literary prestige and public opinion. Brian’s technical skill meets literary curiosity as his narrative explored the gap between classical literary prestige and modern public opinion. Through a creative use of map layers, parameter actions, and complex calculations, he crafted a single-sheet visualization that magically comes to life. His "Ratings Explorer" allows users to step into the mindset of the modern reader to see where the world's most influential stories actually land. Brian’s visualization challenges the definition of a "good" book, urging readers to recognize that while a classic might hold its place in a classroom, it’s the stories we love that truly jump off the page.

Student Iron Viz Champion

Beli Ratings by Hanne de Bie

Inspired by the challenge of exploring new cuisines on a college budget, Hanne’s winning student visualization charts her journey through restaurant costs and home-cooked meals. This highly creative and “well-seasoned” project was her first-ever entry into the competition and demonstrated how anyone can make a show-stopping viz, even during their educational career.

And the 2026 Iron Viz Champion is… Ann Pregler!

The 2026 Iron Viz competition concluded with a display of exceptional data storytelling from all three finalists, each presenting a captivating and distinct approach. It was the analysis, storytelling, and design from Ann Pregler with Genre Mash-Up Madness that made her this year's champion. Congratulations to Ann and her chosen charity, UNICEF!

Curious who the Iron Viz Fan Favorite winner is? This winner is chosen by the Community worldwide and awarded during the Vizzies Awards. And the winner is…Ann Pregler! 

It’s not an easy feat to make it to the Iron Viz Championship and these three data stars did amazing, impacting and inspiring many around the world. Feeling energized after this breathtaking show, creativity, data skills, and everything behind it? Tableau Public is the place where these authors share their work. With over 5 million global profiles and 11 million vizzes available to explore, there’s something for everyone and for any topic. 

Watch the 2026 Iron Viz competition on Salesforce+ and stay tuned for next year's competition! Win or learn, you cannot lose by participating in Iron Viz. Congratulations to everyone who participated in the 2026 Qualifiers, and special congratulations to Kevin, Brian, and Ann on a viz-tastic showdown!