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About the award
Europe's highest distinction for inventors worldwide
The driving force, the motor behind the innovation process, is people. Without their inventive spirit, creativity and perseverance there would be no progress.
The European Inventor of the Year competition, launched by the EPO and European Commission's DG Enterprise and Industry in 2006, gives inventors the recognition they deserve. And, like every competition, it is an incentive to all other potential winners.
The European Inventor of the Year has quickly established itself as one of the most prestigious competitions of its type.
Categories
Awards are presented in four categories:
- Industry
- SMEs/research
- Non-European countries
- Lifetime achievement
Method
For the first three competitions, examiners at the European and other patent offices were asked to propose outstanding inventors for the award. This year, for the first time ever, anyone can enter.
For more information, please read the rules for participation.
Jury
An EPO panel then narrows down the selection to a shortlist for each category, carefully checking that the proposed patents are still valid and meet the competition criteria.
The shortlists are passed on to a high-profile international jury, comprising entrepreneurs, managers, scientists, researchers, investors and journalists, which nominates three inventors in each category, before finally selecting the winners.
They judge the entries on the following criteria:
- degree of inventiveness
- practical application
- commercial success
- benefit to the economy and society
- contribution to improving the quality of daily/working lives and/or protection of the environment
Gala event
All nominees are invited to a gala awards ceremony, where the winners are revealed. In 2009, the gala will be held at Prague Castle in the Czech Republic.
Winners of the European Inventor of the Year are presented with a trophy in the shape of a sail, one of the world's oldest yet most dynamic inventions.