Look out! Gigantic paperclip to impale Kiwi innovators, skewer winning ideas
The newly refreshed New Zealand Innovators Awards launches today and, in addition to the awe and jealousy you will inspire in your colleagues and competitors if you win, clever and inventive types will also have the chance to win a diamond encrusted, platinum-plated, gold-infused oversized paperclip.
“The paperclip is a symbol of innovation at work—it’s simple and incredibly effective. Tragically, the inventor died unknown. We don’t want Kiwi innovators to be unrecognised so we’re searching for original, creative thinkers and doers across all sectors, including marketing and advertising,” says Vincent Heeringa, publisher of Idealog, one of the brands behind the awards. “But only one talented Kiwi will be good enough to win the giant paperclip.”
The awards, formerly run as the Bayer Innovators are the creation of Bayer New Zealand, Ideas Accelerator and Idealog and are supported by the New Zealand Innovation Council. Running with Scissors and Hotfoot were responsible for the brand and marketing work.
Bayer New Zealand’s communications director William Malpass says the link between innovation and business success is well-known. The challenge is creating the environment where innovation can blossom into business success.
“As the company behind the awards for the past few years, Bayer is excited to have new partners on board who are just as passionate about innovation as we are,” he says “… It may be that you are involved in an exciting innovative project or know someone who is. If that is the case, then we want to hear from you.”
Here’s the official awards guff:
The awards seeks entries in six categories:
- Marketing & Communications
- Health & Science
- Design & Engineering
- Environment & Agriculture
- ICT
- Manufacturing
There are also a People’s Choice Award and Supreme New Zealand Innovators Award, plus the Pre-commercial Award and the Most Inspiring Individual Award.
The entry process is online and is designed to be straight-forward without being time consuming. Entries can be made through a new website www.innovators.org.nz, which also contains information on the evaluation criteria.
Entries are open to individuals, teams, businesses and organisations from all parts of New Zealand.
Finalists will be profiled in Idealog magazine and its associated online publications before the winners are announced in late October at an awards evening in Auckland.
Closing date for entries is 12 August 2011.
Winners from previous Bayer Innovators Awards include: Ray Avery (Medicine Mondiale), Ross McKenzie (Old Fashioned Foods), Ian McRae (Orion Health), Dr Stephen Goldson (AgResearch), Prof. Olaf Diegel (AUT), Dr Brian Ward (Mesynthes), Rod Walker (Simcro) and Dr Robert Hill (Lincoln University).
What do you think?