Orange County Tech Alliance 21st Annual High-Tech Innovation Awards Nominations Open

IRVINE, CA--(Marketwired - Apr 2, 2014) - The Orange County Tech Alliance, a non-profit trade association dedicated to fostering growth and innovation in Orange County-based high technology companies and the businesses which support them, today announced that nominations for the organization's 21^st Annual High-Tech Innovation Awards are now open. Since its inception in 1994 under the auspices of the American Electronics Association (AEA) Orange County Chapter, the High-Tech Innovation Awards program has recognized over 400 innovators, technology executives, and outstanding technology companies by celebrating technology innovation developed in Orange County.

In partnership with Project Tomorrow, OC Tech Alliance extends its celebration of technology and innovation to the OC K-12 education community by recognizing outstanding schools, teachers, and high school students for their focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education initiatives.

For 2014, OC Tech Alliance has expanded the number of categories for products by technology type, use, and market segment. In addition, nominations are being accepted for outstanding technology company CEO and outstanding technology company. Nominations can be submitted online at http://www.octechalliance.com/nomination/.

The categories for outstanding innovation leadership and culture include:

• Outstanding CEO in Technology
  
  
• Outstanding Technology Company
  
  

The categories for outstanding product and service innovation include:

• Mobile & Wearable Technology (Devices and software including tablets, smart phones, watches, glasses, apps, games, accessories)
• Consumer Devices & Software (Technology devices and software for use in home, vehicle, gaming & entertainment, health & fitness, home security)
• Cloud /SaaS/ Web Platform Solutions (Web delivered applications and infrastructure for enterprise and consumer use)
• Enterprise Software (Applications software and tools licensed to enterprise customers for "on premises" use)
• Enterprise Hardware & Devices (Systems and devices for enterprise use such as telecommunications, networking, servers, storage, 2D/3D printers & scanners)
• Semiconductors ( OEM component RF, analog and digital devices and IP cores including SOCs and embedded systems delivered in an OEM format)
• CyberSecurity (Devices, Software, Services including SEIM for Cyber Security applications including authentication, privacy and confidentiality, data loss protection, and system integrity management)
• CleanTech/Green Tech (Energy, recyclable and resource conserving and reclamation devices, materials and processes including batteries and fuel cells, environmental management software for industrial and consumer use and related services)
• Medical Technology (Clinical grade systems, devices and software for healthcare providers).

For Outstanding innovation in K-12 Education the categories are:

• Innovative School Program
• High Impact Teacher of the Year
• Outstanding Student Innovator.

"The criteria for nominating a product is very simple," said Peter Craig, Chairman of Valicore Technologies, and CEO of OC Tech Alliance. "All or part of the product has to be designed, produced, and manufactured by a company based in Orange County or with a major office here. The nominating companies do not have to be a member of the alliance to submit for the awards, but should recognize the benefits being a part of an expanding organization like the OC Tech Alliance do provide."

For more information on the education awards, go to: http://www.tomorrow.org/programs/innovationawards.html

The finalists in each category will be announced in early July. The awards will be presented during a gala celebration event to be held October 9 at the Westin Hotel in Costa Mesa.

To become a sponsor of the 21^st High-Tech Innovation Awards, send an email to Brenda@octechalliance.com.

To join the Orange County High Tech Alliance, send email to membership@octechalliance.com.

About Orange County Technology Alliance
Orange County Technology Alliance is a 501(c)6 nonprofit trade association committed to fast-forwarding the local innovation economy. It is the only technology association addressing the needs of technology companies of all sizes, from small privately held enterprises to large publicly traded entities, based in Orange County, Calif. The alliance serves members through local networking, professional development, state and federal advocacy, savings on business services and industry recognition. To learn more about membership, contact OC Tech Alliance at octech@octechalliance.com or visit www.octechalliance.com. Follow alliance activities on Twitter at twitter.com/octechalliance.