RFID Journal has announced that it is now accepting submissions for the 2010 RFID Journal Awards, which recognize companies that have distinguished themselves by their successful use of RFID technology. The winners will be announced at RFID Journal LIVE! 2010, the company’s eighth annual conference and exhibition, which will be held on Apr. 14-16, at the Orange County Convention Center, in Orlando, Fla.
The deadline for all submissions is Jan. 29, 2010. The awards will be given in five categories:
Best RFID Implementation: This award will be given to an end-user company utilizing RFID to improve its manufacturing, supply chain or retail operations. The winner will be the company that best demonstrates how radio frequency identification delivers real value to shareholders.
Best Use of RFID to Enhance a Product or Service: This award will be given to an end-user company that has employed RFID technology to enhance an existing product or service. The winner will be the firm that best demonstrates how it uses RFID to provide additional value to its customers.
Most Innovative Use of RFID: This award will be given to the end-user company with the most novel use of RFID technology to solve a business problem, deliver a return on investment to shareholders or improve customer service.
Best in Show: This award will be given to the RFID technology hardware, software or service provider chosen from among 10 finalists by the editors of RFID Journal, with input from RFID Journal LIVE! attendees, as the best new product or service showcased at the conference. The finalists will offer presentations on stage in the event’s exhibit hall.
Special Achievement Award: This award, new in 2010, will be given to three individuals who have contributed to the RFID industry. It can be awarded to end users, researchers, vendors, inventors, standards developers and others who have contributed to the advancement of the entire industry.
RFID Journal‘s editors have selected an independent panel of five judges to evaluate entries in each category and choose this year’s award winners. The judges were selected from academia because they understand RFID’s business applications and can be completely objective. Among the judges already confirmed are:
Most Innovative Use of RFID
• Harold Boeck, professor, Université de Sherbrooke
• J.T. (Tom) Cain, professor emeritus of electrical and computer engineering, University of Pittsburgh
• Bob Hoheisal, project manager and laboratory director, Texas State Technical College
• Stephen Miles, research scientist, Auto-ID Labs at MIT
• Pankaj Sood, founder and manager, McMaster RFID Applications Lab
Best RFID Implementation
• Giselle Bennet, director, Electro-Optical Systems Laboratory, Georgia Tech Research Institute
• Robb Clarke, associate professor of packaging, Michigan State University
• Bill Hardgrave, director, University of Arkansas’ RFID Research Center
• Antonio Rizzi, director, University of Parma RFID Lab
• Sanjay Sarma, associate professor of mechanical engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); former chairman of research and cofounder, Auto-ID Center
Best Use of RFID in a Product or Service
• Kevin Berisso, director, Ohio University’s AIDC Lab
• Daniel Engels, founding director, Texas Radio Frequency Innovation and Technology Center; associate professor of electrical engineering, University of Texas at Arlington
• Elgar Fleisch, co-chair, Auto-ID Lab St. Gallen
• Dimitris Kiritsis, adjoint scientifique, Computer-Aided Design & Production Lab, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
• Florian Michahelles, associate director, Auto-ID Lab St. Gallen
Best In Show
• Jean-Pierre Emond, co-director, IFAS Center for Food Distribution and Retailing, University of Florida
• Marlin H. Mickle, professor of industrial engineering, University of Pittsburgh; executive director, RFID Center of Excellence, University of Pittsburgh
• Justin Patton, director, RFID Research Center, University of Arkansas
• Fred Riggins, clinical associate professor of information systems, W. P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State University
Special Achievement
• Hong BongHee, professor, Pusan National University, South Korea; director, RF Lab, Research Institute of Logistics Information Technology, Korea
• Christian Floerkemeier, researcher, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
• Tali Freed, associate professor of industrial and manufacturing engineering; founding director, PolyGAIT-RFID Research and Development Laboratory
• Mark Roberti, founder and editor, RFID Journal
“The awards have been an unqualified success,” says Mark Roberti, RFID Journal‘s founder and editor, “and we think it is appropriate to add a special achievement award this year, to recognize those who have contributed to the advancement of RFID technology. I look forward to reading this year’s submissions.”