Program Overview

Overview
The eighth 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 the high level of innovation taking place throughout the state.

More than 300 individuals attended the 2009 Awards Luncheon at the Marriott City Centre. Governor Jon M. Huntsman Jr. provided opening remarks and Greg Butterfield, Managing Partner of Sagecreek Partners, delivered the keynote address.

The 2010 Utah Innovation Awards program is supported by a group of key local business organizations. The 2010 Steering Committee, which consists of leaders from the technology and business communities, provide program organizers with general program guidance.

Nomination Deadline
The nomination period is now closed. Finalists and honorable mentions will be announced at the end of March.

Awards Luncheon
Utah Innovation Awards finalists and winners will be announced and recognized at a special Awards Luncheon on April 29, 2010 at the Marriott City Center in Salt Lake City. Registration for the Awards Luncheon will be available at the end of March; click on the awards luncheon tab above to register to attend.

Nomination Categories
Innovations from all industries and in all areas of technology will be considered, including the following:

  • Biotechnology/Pharmaceuticals
  • Clean Technology and Energy
  • Computer Hardware/Electrical Devices
  • Consumer Software and Web Services
  • Enterprise Software and Web-Enabled B2B Solutions
  • Mechanical Systems/Chemicals/Manufacturing
  • Medical Devices
  • Outdoor and Consumer Products
  • Other*
*The "other" category is deisgned for innovations that do not fit perfectly into one of the eight categories.

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 and business experience pertaining to one of the program’s nine categories, will carefully review the nominations during a three-week evaluation process. During this process, each Selection Committee member will also review nominations in a Subcommittee pertaining to his/her area of expertise. In the event that conflicts exist between Selection Committee members and nominations, members will provide full disclosure to the rest of the committee. Following the evaluation process, each Selection Committee member will vote on ALL nominations submitted in EACH category. The three nominations receiving the largest number of votes in each category will be named as finalists in each category. Innovations not named as finalists may be eligible to receive an Honorable Mention. Selection Committee members' votes will be tabulated by a certified public accountant. While Stoel Rives organizes the program, no one from the firm votes. All nominees will be notified by the first of April.

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

  • Name of the innovation exactly as you would want it to appear on the trophy
  • Name of the innovating entity exactly as you would want it to appear on the trophy
  • Nomination category
  • Company logo and innovation photos
  • Brief description of the innovation (30 words or less)
  • Expanded 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)
  • 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 nomination 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
  • client testimonials
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 Jenn Oblad, 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. The deadline for receiving these materials is February 10, 2010. You will receive confirmation that your nomination 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 2010 awards, you are NOT required to resubmit the nomination form. On the Nomination 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 Nomination 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 Nomination 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.

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

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