Technological Breakthrough of the Year FiFi Category Now Accepting Submissions

The Fragrance Foundation is now accepting entries for its 2012 FiFi Award in the Technological Breakthrough of the Year category. And, for the first time this year, the winners of the Technological Breakthrough of Year Award will be announced at the World Perfumery Congress, which is being held June 12–14, 2012, at the MGM Grand Foxwoods Resort in Mashantucket, Connecticut. The FiFi Award ceremony will take place during the closing session on June 14, 2012.

There are also now three subcategories for the Technological Breakthrough of the Year category, to better reflect the majority of entries that are submitted. They are:

  • Fragrance Ingredients, Creation and Testing—Includes innovations in production, formulation and testing; methods of ingredient extraction; new ingredients;  sustainability efforts as they relate to ingredients, formulation and finished fragrance; and basic research as it relates to formulation, product application and stability
  • Packaging Technology and Delivery Systems—Includes innovations in fragrance delivery systems; fragrance sampling technology; controlled release technology; design/manufacture technology (packaging components such as glass, pumps, caps and cartons); and sustainability efforts relating to packaging materials
  • Information Technology—Includes tablet and smartphone apps; computer-assisted programs that provide data analysis designed to assist companies with fragrance development and creation; and interactive information technologies geared to educate and assist consumers with selecting fragrances

All Fragrance Foundation member companies are eligible to submit entries, and nonmember companies who wish to submit an entry may do so. However, they will be required to pay an entry fee, and can contact Terry Molnar for more details.

In order to qualify for this award, the technology submission must be an entirely new and original concept. In addition, it must have been introduced in 2011 and must currently be on the market in the US, or if it is not currently on the market, a notarized letter must be submitted confirming that a signed contract has been executed to launch the entry in 2012.

In the awards' screening process, all submissions will be prescreened by a panel of experts before being approved for placement on the ballot for judging. Approved entries will be reviewed at the final judging, which is set to take place on Thursday, March 29, 2012, in New York. Companies with entries that have been approved for the ballot will be required to make an in-person presentation of the submitted technological breakthrough to the panel of judges.

For additional information and downloadable entry forms for the FiFi Technological Breakthrough of the Year Category, go to The Fragrance Foundation website. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012.

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