Program Overview

Overview
The sixth annual Utah Innovation Awards, presented by Stoel Rives LLP and the Utah Technology Council, recognizes significant innovations and the Utah companies that created them. The program is designed to draw attention to Utah's growing technology industry. More than 300 individuals attended the 2008 Awards Luncheon at the Marriott City Center. Governor Jon M. Huntsman Jr. provided opening remarks, and Dr. Chris Johnson, Director, Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute, Co-Director, NIH Center for Integrative Biomedical Computing, Distinguished Professor of Computer Science, University of Utah, was the keynote speaker.

The 2008 Utah Innovation Awards program was supported by a group of key local business organizations. The 2008 Steering Committee, which consisted of leaders from the technology and business communities, provided program organizers with general program guidance.

Entry Deadline
The nomination period for this year's program is now closed. Please check back next year in January for the 2009 program.

Entry Categories

  • Biotechnology/Pharmaceuticals
  • Chemicals/Materials Science
  • Clean Technology and Energy
  • Computer Hardware/Electrical Devices
  • Consumer Software and Web Services
  • Enterprise Software and Web-Enabled B2B Solutions
  • Mechanical Devices
  • Medical Devices
  • Other

Please note that depending on the nature and the quantity of the nominations submitted, the Selection Committee reserves the right to not recognize finalists and a winner in every category. Upon reviewing nominations, if the Selection Committee determines that a nomination would be better suited in a category other than the one in which it was submitted, the Committee may re-categorize it as it deems appropriate.

Judging
A Selection Committee comprised of approximately 70 professionals from Utah's business, technology and academic communities, all with technical experience pertaining to one of the program's eight categories, carefully reviewed the nominations during a three-week evaluation process. During this process, each Selection Committee member also reviewed nominations in a Subcommittee pertaining to his/her area of expertise. (In the event that conflicts existed between Selection Committee members and nominations, members provided full disclosure to the rest of the committee). Following the evaluation process, each Selection Committee member voted on ALL nominations submitted in EACH category. The three nominations that received the largest number of votes in each category were named as finalists in each category. Selection Committee members' votes were tabulated by a certified public accountant. While Stoel Rives organized the program, no one from the firm voted. All nominees were notified of the finalists at the end of March.

How To Enter
The nomination period for this year's program is now closed. Please check back next year in January for the 2009 program. The paragraphs that follow are just for your information (to outline the nomination process).

You will be asked to provide or submit the following information on the entry form:

  • Name of the innovation exactly as you would want it to appear on the trophy
  • Name of the innovating entity
  • Nomination category
  • Company logo
  • Brief description of the innovation (12 words or less)
  • Complete description of the innovation
  • Innovation photo
  • Permission to use innovation photo and company logo in program and media materials
  • Explanation on why the innovation is needed, why the innovation is unique, and a description of similar technologies
  • Financial information directly attributable to the innovation (OPTIONAL)
  • Information about the innovation's competitors.
  • Your name and contact details
  • The names and contact details for individuals involved with the development of the innovation and for others familiar with the innovation

You will receive immediate confirmation that your entry was received.

You may also submit additional background materials to help the Selection Committee learn more about the nominated innovation. Examples of items you may wish to include are product brochures, news articles, photographs, diagrams or the names of and contact information for references who are not employees of the innovating entity.

Limit the additional background materials to five pages that can be easily inserted into a three-ring binder, and submit 10 identical sets of the materials to the attention of Julie Ewell, Stoel Rives LLP, 201 S Main Street, Suite 1100, Salt Lake City, UT 84111. At the top of the first page of the additional materials, clearly identify the nomination category, innovation name and innovating entity name. You will receive confirmation that your entry was received. Materials will not be returned.

Past Nominees
If you submitted a nomination in previous years that was not named a winner, and you would like the same innovation to be reconsidered for the 2009 awards, you are NOT required to resubmit the nomination form. On the Entry Form you can opt to have the Selection Committee review the nomination form previously submitted (however, you will need to mail in any additional background materials). In addition to providing your contact information and the innovation name, the Entry Form will also have space for you to provide a short update about the innovation. However, if the innovation has substantially changed, we strongly encourage nominees to submit a new nomination form. See the online Entry Form for more information and further instructions.

Qualifying Innovations
Qualified innovations must meet the following criteria:
1. The innovation must be created or a primary portion of the work on the innovation must have been performed by a Utah-based company (at a Utah location or elsewhere) or by Utahns in a company based elsewhere.
2. The innovation must have been "recently" developed. Because many innovations do not have a clear-cut beginning or end in its evolution, the organizers have chosen not to set a definitive time frame on the entry's creation.
3. The innovation can not be a previous winner. Nominations for innovations named as finalists may be resubmitted.
4. Innovations from academic entities MUST be in the commercialization stage.

Nominations can be made by company representatives or by other individuals.

Awards Luncheon
Utah Innovation Awards finalists and winners were announced and recognized at a special Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, May 21, 2008.

Questions
For more information, please contact Nicole Kershaw, Stoel Rives Marketing Manager at (801) 715-6657, or nkershaw@stoel.com, or Jennifer Oblad, Stoel Rives Marketing Coordinator at (801) 715-6662, or joblad@stoel.com.

2008 Sponsors:
2008 Supporters: