Orange County Tech Alliance 22nd Annual High-Tech Innovation Awards Nominations Open

IRVINE, CA--(Marketwired - Mar 23, 2015) - 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 22nd Annual High-Tech Innovation Awards are now open. What began as a simple program to recognize innovation and imagination under the American Electronics Association (AEA) Orange County Chapter, the High-Tech Innovation Awards program has continued under the direction of the OC Tech Alliance.

The High-Tech Innovation Awards and has recognized more than 450 innovators, technology executives, and outstanding technology companies all based in Orange County.

"The criteria for nominating a product is easier than you might think," said Peter Craig, CEO, OC Tech Alliance. "All or part of the product or service has to be designed, produced, or manufactured in Orange County. Nominating companies do not have to be a member of OC Tech Alliance to submit for the awards, as our program seeks to broadly recognize the Orange County community of innovation."

Additionally, in partnership with Project Tomorrow, High-Tech Innovation Awards extends to Orange County's K-12 education community by recognizing outstanding schools, teachers, and high school students for their innovative uses of science, math and technology in the classroom and community.

Last year, OC Tech Alliance expanded the number of categories by technology type, use, and market segment. In addition, nominations are being accepted for outstanding technology company CEO in both publicly and privately held categories and outstanding technology company, also in both public and privately held categories. 

Nominations can be submitted online at: http://www.octechalliance.com/oc-technology-alliance-22nd-annual-high-tech-innovation-awards-2015/

The categories for outstanding innovation leadership and culture include:

• Outstanding CEO in Technology
  • Publicly held companies
  • Privately held companies
    
    
• Outstanding Technology Company
  • Publicly held
  • Privately held
    

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 Schoolwide Program
• High Impact Teacher of the Year
• Emerging Student Innovator

For information on the education awards, go to: 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 8 at the Westin Hotel in Costa Mesa.

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 OC Tech Alliance, visit www.octechalliance.com or email Brenda@octechalliance.com. Follow alliance activities on Twitter at twitter.com/octechalliance.

About Project Tomorrow
Project Tomorrow® is the nation's leading education nonprofit organization dedicated to the empowerment of student voices in education. We believe that by supporting the innovative uses of science, math and technology resources in our K-12 schools and communities, students will develop the critical thinking, problem solving and creativity skills needed to compete and thrive in the 21st century. We approach our mission through national research projects, the development of innovative career exploration projects in schools and communities, online tools and resources for students, teachers and parents, and national and regional advocacy efforts. Learn more at www.tomorrow.org.