Breaking the Tech Barrier! ITA Seeks the Nomination of Industry Leaders for the 16th Annual ITA CityLIGHTS Awards

CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwired - Jun 1, 2015) -  Big news for tech in Illinois! The Illinois Technology Association (ITA) is now accepting nominations for the 16th Annual ITA CityLIGHTS Awards, which honors tech companies and local industry leaders. ITA is seeking companies and individuals who dare to be breaking the tech barrier by doing new and innovative things!

"The ITA CityLIGHTS Awards is designed to shine a spotlight on our community and bring the innovative companies and leaders from the area to the forefront locally and nationally," said ITA CEO Fred Hoch. "Here in Chicago and Illinois, the tech industry is a force to be reckoned with and for this year we say, bring it on!"

Nominations can be submitted at itacitylights.com until 5:00 p.m. on Friday, June 26.

The finalists in each category will be announced on Monday, August 10 when public voting will open. The category winners will be announced on Thursday, September 17 at the 16^th Annual ITA CityLIGHTS Awards event, the largest technology gathering in Illinois and Chicago with more than 600 people in attendance.

The 2015 award categories are:

Company Awards

• Lighthouse Award: Presented to the growth-stage company, which through innovation in products, services or business approach, has grown to become a serious competitor in the marketplace (greater than $25 million in revenue).
  
  
• Rising Star Award: Presented to the company that has the strongest potential to emerge and become a leader in the technology industry ($5 to $25 million in annual revenue).
  
  
• Trailblazing Award: Presented to the company that has developed and/or introduced an ingenious, non-traditional and innovative way of doing business or creating culture that has produced significant value and growth for the company.
  
  
• Outstanding Technology Development Award: Presented to the company or organization that utilizes or developed a technology tool, process or service that made a substantial improvement on business metrics.

Individual Awards

• CEO of the Year Award: Presented to a company CEO who has led successful company growth through leadership, ability to attract and retain talented resources, financial accomplishments and strategy for continued company growth.
  
  
• Prominent Woman in Tech Award: Presented to a preeminent female in the local industry who has championed a leading role for women by supporting their growth and prominence in the industry.
  
  
• Technologist of the Year Award: Presented to the individual whose talent has championed true technology innovation, either through new applications of existing technology or the development of technology to achieve a truly unique product or service.

Community Excellence Award

• CityLIGHTS Award: Presented to the company or individual who actively and consistently supports the growth of the Illinois technology industry through leadership and/or collaboration that brings the spotlight to the community.

Thank you to the current 2015 ITA CityLIGHTS Awards sponsors: Platinum Sponsor, Trustwave and Event Sponsors, Authentify, Coresite, Lantern Partners and SurePayroll.

About the Illinois Technology Association
The Illinois Technology Association (ITA) is a business services organization dedicated to growing technology companies. ITA provides strategic programming, consulting and resources, enabling its members to grow, build and elevate their business. For more information, visit illinoistech.org, follow @ITAbuzz on Twitter or find us on LinkedIn.