RFID Journal introduced the RFID Journal Awards in 2007 to recognize some of the best and most innovative uses of radio frequency identification. Our goal was to highlight how RFID was benefiting some companies so others would take notice and realize the technology might help them, too.
To be frank, I had some concerns that first year. Would we get enough submissions and would they be for projects worth honoring? Would the awards be seen as credible? To ensure fair competition, we instituted a practice, which we continue today, of having independent judges evaluate the entries (see Meet the Judges).
From the beginning, the judges’ task has been difficult. In 2007, we received nearly 50 entries, many worthy of praise. The winners were Dow AgroSciences for a termite-detection system that cut costs, DHL for a solution that monitors the temperature of pharmaceutical shipments, and Hewlett-Packard Brazil for a system that improves the manufacture and distribution of printers.
Since then, the list of honorees has grown to include Airbus, Boeing, BP International, Cisco, Detroit Diesel, Hy-Vee, Interstate Batteries, Intel, Kuehne + Nagel, Marks & Spencer, NASA and Royal Caribbean Cruises. This year, Decathlon, TrackCore, Florida Hospital, Golden Environmental Mat Services, CityPoint and Hospital de la Vega join the distinguished group of winners.
As I’d hoped, the RFID Journal Awards are helping companies in myriad industries understand how they can benefit from RFID. Each year, we invite the winners to speak at RFID Journal LIVE!, post their presentations in our video library and profile their projects in our special magazine awards issue. I hope you’ll benefit from learning about these impressive deployments—perhaps next year we’ll be honoring your project.
Mark Roberti is the founder and editor of RFID Journal. If you would like to comment on this article, click on the link below. To read more of Mark’s opinions, visit the RFID Journal Blog, the Editor’s Note archive or RFID Connect.