FAQs on Engineers’ Choice Awards

Control Engineering 2013 Engineers’ Choice Awards – FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions

By Control Engineering October 8, 2010

Updated Jan. 3, 2013

Q:  Who can nominate products?

A:  Manufacturers (or their representatives) of products released from December 2011 through November 2012 for the 2013 Awards.

Q: How do I nominate a product?

A:  Products are nominated using an online form. Detailed instructions and access to this form are available on the 2013 Engineers’ Choice Awards nomination page:

www.controleng.com/events-and-awards/engineers-choice-awards.html

Q:  What products should be nominated?

A:  New or significantly modified hardware, software, and combination products introduced and available in North America between December 2011 and November 2012. Products must fall into one of the categories shown below, which may change, depending on entries received.

Machine and embedded control – board-level products
Machine and embedded control – chips, FPGAs, MCUs
Machine and embedded control – CNCs Machine and embedded control – discrete sensors
Machine and embedded control – machine vision
Machine and embedded control – PACs
Machine and embedded control – PACs-motion
Machine and embedded control – PLCs Motion control – drives
Motion Control – robotics
Motion control – hydraulics
Motion control – pneumatics
Motion control – robotics
Motion control – servo drives
Motors, ac
Motors, dc
Motors, electronically controlled
Motors, special
Network integration – cable, wire
Network integration – cordsets, connectors
Network integration – data acquisition
Network integration – Ethernet hardware
Network integration – I/O systems
Network integration – integration appliance
Network integration – network hardware (not Ethernet)
Network integration – signal conditioning/diagnostics
Network integration – software
Network integration – wireless I/O
Network integration – wireless products – (not wireless I/O)
Power – control (not drives)
Power – energy metering/management
Power or control enclosures
Power protection, monitoring
Process control – actuators
Process control – analysis, optimization, tuning
Process control – batch software
Process control – flowmeters
Process control – level and other process sensors
Process control – pressure sensors
Process control – temperature sensors
Process control systems
Safety – machine safety
Safety – process safety, intrinsic safety
Safety sensors
Hardware – HMI – bar code and ID readers
Hardware – HMI handheld, portable
Hardware – HMI-operator interface-thin-client
Hardware – industrial PCs (IPCs)
Hardware – integrated HMI-controller
Software – alarm management
Software – application software
Software – asset management
Software – connectivity, integration software
Software – control design
Software – control programming
Software – control simulation
Software – dashboard software
Software – diagnostics
Software – HMI software
Software – mobile apps for controls, automation, instrumentation
Software – regulatory compliance

Q. Can I enter a family of products?

It’s best to enter one product per entry, not two, or a line, a family, or a series. Products cannot be entered more than once, so entering a family would preclude future versions in that line from being entered.

Q. What should I put in the product name field?

Because the product name serves as the headline, don’t put only Series 123-ABC, for example. Few will recognize what that is. Say instead: Series 123-ABC wireless IO module, so people (and search engines) know what it is.

Q. What should the short description include?

Include product name, company name, and best keywords in the short description for maximum search engine optimization (SEO) online.

Q. Can I include price in the product description?

Because prices can vary, if price is critically important, better to say something like, "Price at introduction was about one-third that of competing products.&qu

Q:  What is the process for nominating, selecting and awarding the Engineers’ Choice Awards?

A:  Until 5 p.m. CST on Friday, Oct. 19, 2012, we solicit entries for the 2013 competition via a combination of e-mail newsletters and direct outreach. Once all nominations are received, ballots are created. Ballots are sent to Control Engineering electronic mailing lists, based on Control Engineering print subscription demographics (see www.controleng.com/mediainfo) and include subscribers from our opt-in e-mail lists who indicated that they are responsible for or influence control/automation technology purchases. Votes are cast via an online form hosted by Control Engineering.

Q: How can I make the ballot as compelling as possible?

A: It is critical that the summary description and 300 word description be factually convincing, clearly differentiating benefits in the voting criteria: technological advancement, service to the industry, and market impact. We observe that engineers often appreciate quantified benefits more than adjectives.

Q: How do I know the ballot is complete?

A: Completing the ballot questions in a word-processing document is recommended, in case there’s an Internet disruption while completing the form. A complete ballot includes the form filled out truthfully and completely. (A payment page appears after the “Submit” button is clicked.)

Q: How should images be prepared?

A: It should be one image, high resolution, either submitted via the online form or emailed to amcleman(at)cfemedia.com: with company and product name in the email subject line. Images should be:

  • 300 dpi JPG at 3×4 in. named CE-Company_Name-Product_Name-print.jpg

Recommendation: If it’s software, often a screen shot close-up of a compelling software feature can be more convincing than image of a shrink-wrapped software box.

Q: Is there payment?

A: Yes, there is a processing fee for 2013 Engineers’ Choice Award nominations. Please complete the payment process online, after completing the product submission form. The fee is $295 per product. (If payment isn’t received, the entry will be void.)

Q: How many products compete for awards?

A:  It depends on how many products are nominated. Typically, 85 to 120 are nominated, with 3 to 10 products per category. One winner from each subcategory was based on subscriber votes. Submitting more than one product per category may split the vote and decrease chances. For the 2012 awards, 103 products from 62 companies (or major divisions) were nominated in 30 categories, resulting in 30 Engineers’ Choice Awards to 22 companies, and 33 Honorable Mentions (three ties) to 23 companies.

Q:  How many individuals vote in the competition?

A:  Again, it varies; for 2011, nearly 600 ballots were received and tallied.

Q:  How long has Control Engineering been awarding technologies?

A:   Control Engineering has previously called this competition the “Editor’s Choice” awards and had the editorial team select the most noteworthy products since 1987. In 2006, we decided to open up the balloting to those who had the most hands-on experience with the products: subscribers. The competition is now called the Engineers’ Choice Awards.

Q:  Has numbering of the years changed? 

A:  Yes, the date sequence of the awards was changed in 2009 so that the award year reflects the year in which the awards are announced, rather than the year in which the products were introduced (as had been the practice). As such, there are no "2009" award recipients; those awards announced in February 2010 were the 2010 Engineers’ Choice Award winners.

Q:  When will the winners be announced publicly?

A:  Results are tallied and winning companies will be notified via e-mail in early January 2013. Results are embargoed until Feb. 18, 2013. After that date, the official logo for award winners can be included in advertising, newsletters, online media and other promotional items.

Q:  What do winners receive?

A:  Companies with winning products receive a crystal award for display purposes, as well as a unique awards logo that can be used on advertising and promotional materials. Winning-product descriptions and photographs appear in the Control Engineering February 2013 issue to North American subscribers. The cover story feature article about the winners is also digitized and promoted to the magazine’s newsletter subscribers and website visitors. Cross linking between www.controleng.com and company websites is encouraged.

Q: Is there an awards presentation?

A: Yes, there’s an awards ceremony with photographer present as part of the Manufacturing/Automation Summit; see details at www.controleng.com/summit.

Q:  Can I get an editorial quote from Control Engineering to include in a press release announcing the achievement?

A:   Yes. Please contact Control Engineering’s Mark T. Hoske at mhoske(at)cfemedia.com for more information.

Q. Is there a sample press release to help draft an announcement for the 2012 Engineers’ Choice Award winners? (Last year… this will be updated after winners for 2013 are notified.)

A: Yes. See text below.

If you have won a 2012 Control Engineering Engineers’ Choice Award and choose to distribute a release about your achievement, here’s information you may want to include in your release:

<Your product name> by <your company name> won a Control Engineering Engineers’ Choice Award, the publication announced on Feb. 23, 2012.

Control Engineering, part of CFE Media, awarded products in 30 categories of control, instrumentation, and automation products introduced in 2011, as chosen by print and online subscribers. This is the 25th year of product recognition for the publication, highlighted in the February 2012 monthly edition, in several newsletters and at www.controleng.com/awards.

“Innovative solutions such as <your winning product name here> make manufacturing and other control engineering applications more efficient through smart applications of new technologies. Investments in the best products and software can help solve the most pressing challenges in automation, control, and instrumentation,” according to Mark T. Hoske, Control Engineering content manager.

<<< If you choose to link to your posted product at www.controleng.com,  the URL is available at https://www.controleng.com/?id=4868.  

NOTE: The URL for your product will remain the same >>>

“Continuous improvements among leading technology providers ensure that manufacturers, machine builders, and automation system integrators can achieve the levels of agility, efficiency, and effectiveness necessary to compete—and win—in today’s global economy,” Hoske said.

About the recognition

More than 100 product nominations from 65 companies were entered for consideration in this year’s Engineers Choice Awards. Control Engineering subscribers voted to identify the products they felt were the most exceptional based on technological advancement, service to the industry, and market impact. Engineers’ Choice Award winners and honorable mentions were named 30 categories. Awards were presented as part of the 2012 Engineering Awards in Manufacturing event held on March 26, 2012 in Chicago.

About Control Engineering

Control Engineering (www.controleng.com) is the leader in connecting the global industrial engineering audience through the coverage of and education about automation, control and instrumentation technologies in a regionally focused, actionable manner through online and print media and in-person events.  Control Engineering, Consulting-Specifying Engineer, and Plant Engineering are part of CFE Media LLC, located in Oak Brook, IL. CFE stands for Content for Engineers (www.cfemedia.com).

If you require additional information not in this document, or if you have any questions or concerns, please contact Mark Hoske at mhoske(at)cfemedia.com or Patrick Lynch at plynch(at)cfemedia.com or Peter Welander at pwelander(at)cfemedia.com.

Return to the Control Engineering Engineers’ Choice Award nomination page.