ARTIVION, INC.

**UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

**WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

**Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

(Amendment No. )

Filed by the Registrant☒

Filed by a party other than the Registrant☐

Check theappropriate box:

☐Preliminary Proxy Statement

☐Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted****by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))

☒Definitive Proxy Statement

☐Definitive Additional Materials

☐Soliciting Material Pursuantto §240.14a-12

ARTIVION, INC.

(Name of Registrant as Specified in****Its Charter)

N/A

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than****the Registrant)

Payment of Filing Fee (Check all boxes that apply):

☒Nofee required

☐Fee paid previously with preliminary materials

☐Fee computed on table in exhibit required by Item 25(b) per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1)and 0-11

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Notice of Annual MeetingandProxy Statement

2026 Annual Meeting of StockholdersMay 12, 2026

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**NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING

AND

PROXY STATEMENT

April 1, 2026

To Our Stockholders:

On behalf of the Board of Directors, we invite you to attend the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Artivion, Inc. on May 12, 2026, at 9:00 a.m., ET. Given our successful use of the virtual-only format at our prior annual meetings, we have again adopted a virtual-only format for our Annual Meeting this year. The Annual Meeting will be accessible at the following website address: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/chse37tw . After this year’s Annual Meeting, we intend to again evaluate the best method for holding our annual stockholder meetings going forward.

Please review this Notice of Annual Meeting and Proxy Statement, which describes the formal business to be transacted and procedures for voting on matters to be considered during the Annual Meeting.

YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT. Regardless of whether you plan to attend the virtual Annual Meeting, we request that you please follow the instructions provided on the Notice or Proxy Card that you received by mail, and further described herein, and take a few minutes to review the Proxy Statement and vote your shares via internet, telephone, or mail. You may, of course, choose to attend the Annual Meeting virtually and vote your shares online during the meeting. If you wish to participate in the meeting, you will need your control numberto join.

However you choose to participate, we encourage you to review this Proxy Statement and vote your shares.

Sincerely,

J. PATRICK MACKIN

Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer

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NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

TO THE STOCKHOLDERS OF ARTIVION, INC.:

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of ARTIVION, INC. (the “Annual Meeting”) will be held on May 12, 2026, at 9:00 a.m., ET. As in prior years, the Annual Meeting will be held as a virtual-only meeting. The Annual Meeting will be accessible at the following website address: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/chse37tw for thefollowing purposes:

1. To elect as directors the nine nominees named in the attached Proxy Statement to serve until the next Annual Meeting of Stockholders or until their successors are duly qualified or until their earlier death, resignation, or removal.

2. To approve, by non-binding vote, the compensation paid to Artivion’s Named Executive Officers, as disclosed pursuant to Item 402 of Regulation S-K, including the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, compensation tables, andnarrative discussion.

3. To ratify the preliminary approval of Ernst & Young LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm for the Company for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2026.

4. To transact such other business as may be properly brought before the Annual Meeting or anyadjournments thereof.

Only record holders of Artivion’s common stock at the close of business on March 16, 2026, will be eligible to vote during the Annual Meeting. Artivion would like for you to attend the Annual Meeting. However, if there is any chance that you may not be able to attend the Annual Meeting, please follow the instructions on the Notice or Proxy Card you received by mail to vote via internet, telephone, or mail.

Important notice regarding the availability of proxy materials for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on****May 12, 2026. Pursuant to the rules promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission, we have elected to provide access to our proxy materials by notifying you of the availability of our proxy materials, including the Annual Meeting notice, Proxy Statement, and our 2025 Annual Report to Stockholders, both via internet at http://www.astproxyportal.com/ast/01609 and by providing the means whereby you can request a paper copy of proxy materials to be sent via U.S. mail.

By Order of the Boardof Directors:

JEAN F. HOLLOWAY

General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Date: April 1, 2026

An electronic copy of Artivion’s 2025 Annual Report to Stockholders, which includes Artivion’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, including financial statements, is available via the proxy information website provided on your proxy Notice or Proxy Card.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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**PROXY STATEMENT

FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

This Proxy Statement is furnished to our stockholders as of the close of business on March 16, 2026, the record date, for the solicitation of proxies by the Board of Directors of Artivion, Inc. (“Artivion,” the “Company,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Artivion (the “Annual Meeting”) to be held on May 12, 2026 at 9:00 a.m., ET. The Annual Meeting will only be held virtually at the following web address: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/chse37tw. The voting of shares will not affect a stockholder’s right to attend the Annual Meeting. A signed paper proxy may be changed by sending in a timely, but later dated, signed paper proxy. Any stockholder sending in or completing a proxy may also revoke it at any time before it is exercised by giving timely notice to Jean F. Holloway, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Artivion, Inc., 1655 Roberts Boulevard, NW, Kennesaw, Georgia 30144, (770) 419-3355. Artivion is providing notice of the Annual Meeting and access to the Proxy Statement and Annual Report via the “Notice and Access” method.