Inaugural Excellence in Optical Technologies Awards open for entries

Recognising advancement and technical achievements in technologies such as holography, micro-lens arrays, micro-mirrors, plasmonics, nano-gratings, colour change, caustics, polarisation, photonic crystals, special print-generated effects or a combination of them, the Excellence in Optical Technologies Awards will be presented at the inaugural Optical and Digital Document Security Conference, which takes place from 15-17 September in Warsaw.

Involving suppliers, manufacturers and ends users from around the world, the Excellence in Optical Technologies Awards are designed to recognise outstanding achievements and progress by honouring those who’ve been at the forefront of some of the most significant sector developments in recent times.

The Excellence in Optical Technologies Awards reflect innovative or commercially viable optical security products or techniques which have been introduced or launched since September 2023. Any company or individual is eligible to enter.

Categories for the Excellence in Optical Technologies Awards are as follows:

*Innovation in Optically Variable Technologies

*Best Origination

*Best Disruptive Technology

*Best Integrated Technology/Best Document Security Application

*Best Security Product Application

*Best Decorative/Packaging Product

In addition, a special Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to the individual who has made a special contribution to the industry across the entirety of their career.

Closing date for nominations

The closing date for nominations is 8 August. Entries will be judged by a panel of experts in the field of authentication, design and optical security (including members of the Board at the International Optical Technologies Association).

Dr Mark Deakes, who serves as chair of the International Optical Technologies Association, commented: “These awards are set to celebrate the best in optical security achievement and the remarkable innovations the sector produces and will run each year. Creativity, design and application innovation will undoubtedly be reflected in the first crop of entries, reinforcing optical security technologies’ role at the forefront of international authentication and brand anti-piracy.”

Those involved in a project can enter while others can nominate optical solutions projects if they provide details of the end user or producer of the technology. More information is available online at https://iot-association.org/excellence-in-optical-technologies-awards/, while the link to the nomination site is https://iota.awardsplatform.com/

The International Optical Technologies Association is made up of the world’s leading holography, micro-lens arrays, micro-mirrors, plasmonics, nano-gratings, colour change, caustics, polarisation, photonic crystals and special print-generated effects manufacturers, suppliers and convertors.

These technologies are used in a wide range of banknote security, anti-counterfeiting, brand protection, packaging, graphics and other commercial applications. Member companies themselves actively co-operate in order to maintain the highest professional, security and quality standards.

*Further information is available online at www.iot-association.org/