Have You Entered In Design News' Golden Mousetrap Awards Yet?

Fall to February every year is known for Hollywood awards season. At Design News, it is awards season, too, and we've got our eyes on different kinds of winners!

On Feb. 9, 2016, in Anaheim, Calif., Design News will host the 14th Golden Mousetrap Awards, the publication's honored tradition of recognizing and validating the vast and indispensable OEM and engineering sectors that keep US manufacturing and industry humming. The Design News editors will award design and technology achievements from industry in our longstanding four pillars: Automation & Control; Design Hardware & Software; Electronics & Test; and Materials & Assembly.

In case you missed it, let's recap our 2015 winners:

2015 Golden Mousetrap Winning Products and Manufacturers

Automation & Control: Controllers

- Maxim Integrated for MAX11300 ("PIXI")

Automation & Control: Drives

- Control Techniques for Unidrive M

Automation & Control: Fluid Power Technologies

- Bosch Rexroth Corp. for Sytronix SVP 7010 variable-speed hydraulic pump drive

Automation & Control: Industrial Network Technologies

- Broadcom for XLP900 Series processor

Automation & Control: Motors and Mechanical Motion Devices

- Omron Automation and Safety for Delta Robot Series

Automation & Control: Sensors, Vision Systems, Feedback Devices and Peripherals

- Bimba Manufacturing for IntelliSense

Design Tools Hardware & Software: Analysis & Calculation Software

- Dow Chemical for NWA Focus EMI solution from Northwest Analytics

Design Tools Hardware & Software: CAD/PDM/PLM Software

- MSC Software for Apex CAE platform

Electronics & Test: Analog/Power Management/Control

- Texas Instruments for LDC1000 inductance-to-digital converter

Electronics & Test: Components Hardware and Software

- Broadcom for Wireless Internet Connectivity (WICED) development kit

Electronics & Test: Embedded Computing/Processing

- Renesas Electronics America Inc. for RX64M Group of Microcontrollers

Electronics & Test: Test & Measurement

- Keysight Technologies Inc. for U5309A 8-bit 8 channels PCle High-Speed Digitizer with On-Board Signal Processing

Materials & Assembly: 3D-Printing and Rapid Prototyping Materials, Tools, and Services

- igus Inc. for iglide Tribo-filament for 3D printingMaterials & Assembly: Engineering Plastics

- Piper Plastics Inc. for KyronMAX

Materials & Assembly: Fastening, Joining & Assembly Components

- Dow Automotive Systems for BETAMATE 1630 structural adhesive

Materials & Assembly: Materials Processing

- SEALPAC USA for EasyLid packaging system

The Golden Mousetrap Awards celebrate not only the companies, products, and technologies that are driving progress in today's design and manufacturing industries but, most importantly, the people behind them. This includes the Rising Engineering Star award, distinguishing an outstanding young design engineer in the U.S. who is making a difference. You'll want to read about the multifaceted and extremely talented engineer we awarded last year. As Executive Editor Jennifer Campbell pointed out, he is a man of few words, but what he had accomplished so early in his career spoke volumes.

Also part of the Golden Mousetrap Awards is Gadget Freak of the Year, awarding the best DIY electronic and electromechanical devices submitted by the Design News audience community. Up for grabs is $10,000 in prize money -- $6,000 for the winner and $2,000 each for two runners-up. Last year a group of college students decided to submit their school project into our contest. We were so impressed, we gave them our top prize. You'll never believe what they pulled off for Gadget Freak of the Year.

All of us want recognition and validation in front of industry peers-for ourselves and our organizations. That is why more than 500 industry leaders will be in attendance at the Golden Mousetrap Awards, Feb. 9 at the Anaheim Convention Center, held in conjunction with Design News' flagship industry event, Pacific Design & Manufacturing.

I encourage you to visit goldenmousetraps.designnews.com and learn all the details and enter in the Golden Mousetrap Awards. But you must act quickly; the deadline for entries is November 15 for our anticipated red-carpet evening in Anaheim. Let us celebrate together the people, products, creativity, and innovation in engineering and manufacturing!

Editor-in-Chief William Ng has been in business journalism for more than 15 years, many of which have been devoted to covering manufacturing, technology, and industry.