The Automotive Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE®), Troy, Michigan, has announced a “Call for Nominations” for its 50th annual Automotive Innovation Awards Gala, the oldest and largest recognition event in the automotive and plastics industries. This year’s Awards Gala will be held Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021, at the Burton Manor in Livonia, Michigan. Winning part nominations – which are due by Sept. 15, 2021 – in 11 different categories, and the teams that developed them, will be honored with a “Most Innovative Use of Plastics” award. A “Grand Award” will be presented to the winning team from all category award winners.
This year’s program will include a new category: “Automotive Plastics Industry Solutions for COVID-19,” highlighting how automotive OEMs and suppliers adapted their processes, materials or business to support the international needs for battling COVID-19. Additional categories include Additive Manufacturing, Aftermarket & Limited Edition/Specialty Vehicles, Body Exterior, Body Interior, Chassis/Hardware, Environmental, Materials, Powertrain, Process/Assembly/Enabling Technologies and Safety.
To further commemorate “50 Years of Plastics Innovation,” the Innovation Awards Gala planning committee is working on special events. One of the events will be a special Hall of Fame (HOF) Award honoring the top five most innovative HOF winners since the category was established in 1983. Instead of picking a single Hall of Fame Winner for 2021, the HOF committee will determine the top 10 from the previous 38 winners – from 1983 to 2019. Then, the HOF committee will select the top five to be honored with special recognition at the event.
The criteria for a HOF award is that the nomination be in use for at least 15 years and be game-changing; very successful worldwide; innovative in materials, process and application; and still being used. The HOF committee consists of engineers, managers, executives, technical experts, SPE Fellows, SPE Honored Service Members and automotive industry technical experts having served at least 30 years in the industry.
Nominations must be submitted online at https://speautomotive.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/2021-SPE-Innovation-Awards-Program-Part-Nomination-Form-V12.pdf.
For more information about the SPE Automotive Division, visit www.speautomotive.com. For more information on the Society of Plastics Engineers, visit www.4spe.org. To learn more about the awards competition and gala, visit https://speautomotive.com/innovation-awards-competition-and-gala/.
