1. DESCRIPTION OF THE CONTEST: EE Times' Annual Creativity in Electronics (ACE) Awards will recognize outstanding achievements of people, products and companies that show leadership in the electronics industry.

4. CATEGORIES AND CRITERIA: One winner will be selected in each of the following categories.

Design Team of the Year:

The winner will be selected based on the creative, efficient and inspiring project management capabilities of the team, which led to a significant contribution to the furtherance of technology, including:
• The likelihood that the technology will make a significant impact in some sector of the electronic systems market.
• A novel and engaging way in which the technology delivers features.
• Techniques which led to faster design time and time to market.
• Exceptional creativity and persistence demonstrated by the team in the face of technical or business hurdles.
Innovator of the Year: The winner will be selected based on the leadership, creativity and out-of-the-box thinking brought to technology, a product or a business, including:
• Success in the initial phase of a technology, product or business.
• The likelihood that a technology, product or business will have a significant impact in some sector of the electronics market.
• Persistence shown in the face of technical, business and/or cultural hurdles.
The winner may be a researcher, engineer, manager, executive, venture capitalist or educator.

Innovator of the Year:

The winner will be selected based on the leadership, creativity and out-of-the-box thinking brought to technology, a product or a business, including:
• Success in the initial phase of a technology, product or business.
• The likelihood that a technology, product or business will have a significant impact in some sector of the electronics market.
• Persistence shown in the face of technical, business and/or cultural hurdles.
The winner may be a researcher, engineer, manager, executive, venture capitalist or educator.

Executive of the Year:

The winner will be selected based on the leadership, and technological and fiscal vision brought to a company, or business during a calendar year, including:
• Outstanding growth in business, patents, alliances or design wins.
• The ability to demonstrate success in the marketplace or the likelihood that the business will have a significant impact in some sector of the electronics market.
• Persistence shown in the face of technical, business and/or cultural hurdles.

Startup Company of the Year:

The winner will be selected based on its
demonstration of excellence in business and/or technology development, and the potential to become a technical or market leader in the global electronics industry, including:
• The development of an innovative business model that has the potential to cause disruptive change in a key technology or product area.
• The assembly of a team of "star" engineers and key executives who are putting in place new business ideas and technology development practices that challenge current and existing management wisdom in the electronics industry.
• The ability to overcome unexpected challenges and setbacks in key business/technology processes in areas such as: financing and capitalization, human resources, engineering development and design, manufacturing, marketing, sales and/or distribution.
• The ability to enter into and manage strategic partnerships that complement the company's own strengths in key business and technology areas.
• The ability to lead and succeed in the domestic and global electronics market by delivering innovative engineering-based electronics products or solutions.
This category is open only to venture capital (or pre-IPO financed) startup electronics manufacturing (device or system) companies in business for less than three years.

Company of the Year - Large:

The winner will be selected based on its professionalism, staff development and retention, customer focus, technical excellence and profitable growth, including:
• The ability to exceed annual financial business goals and other market metrics set by management and/or third-party analysts for year-to-year performance.
• Advancement in rank or market order to surpass its competitors and gain a significant new industry, product or technology leadership position recognized by one or more independent industry observers.
• Introduction of a break-though product and/or technology that has the potential to alter the price/performance curve in a key product or technology area in electronics.
• A novel business or management practice that makes a significant contribution to improving the environment and/or quality of life for a region or country.
• Excellence and leadership in business practices and management in some or all of the following areas: capitalization and financing, research & development, hardware and/or software design, product design, device or system manufacturing, human resources management, marketing, PR and media relations, sales, and distribution.
This category is open to companies with over $750 million or more in sales for 2006.

Company of the Year - Small/Medium:

The winner will be selected based on its professionalism, staff development and retention, customer focus, technical excellence and profitable growth, including:
• The ability to exceed annual financial business goals and other market metrics set by management and/or third-party analysts for year-to-year performance.
• Advancement in rank or market order to surpass its competitors and gain a significant new industry, product or technology leadership position recognized by one or more independent industry observers.
• Introduction of a break-though product and/or technology that has the potential to alter the price/performance curve in a key product or technology area in electronics.
• A novel business or management practice that makes a significant contribution to improving the environment and/or quality of life for a region or country.
• Excellence and leadership in business practices and management in some or all of the following areas: capitalization and financing, research & development, hardware and/or software design, product design, device or system manufacturing, human resources management, marketing, PR and media relations, sales, and distribution.
This category is open to companies who had under $750 million in sales for 2006.

Most Promising New Technology:

The winner will be a compelling electronic component or enabling technology, such as software, selected based on its outstanding technical design, potential for market impact and demonstrated leadership in its area, including:
• The ability to provide systems engineers with new and compelling capabilities and/or the delivery of existing features in a novel and engaging way.
• The creation of significant savings in precious resources such as design time, system cost, space or power.
• The incorporation of new electronics concepts/approaches or combination of existing concepts/approaches in a novel manner.
• The likelihood that the technology will have a significant impact in some sector of the electronic systems market.
• The establishment of a new technology, market or product category or direction that others are likely to follow.
• Creativity and persistence in the face of technical or business hurdles encountered in delivering the technology.

Educator of the Year:

The award goes to an individual who brought leadership, creativity, and inspiration to students in an engineering or science curriculum in college or secondary schools.

Student of the Year:

The award goes to an individual whose discipline, hard work and academic success are considered hallmarks for other engineering or science students.

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