A new awards scheme for the UK motion and automation engineering industry has been launched in association with Drives & Controls’ publisher, DFA Media. The Motion & Control Industry Awards are designed to honour and celebrate business and professional excellence in the industry, with the inaugural awards being presented at a ceremony during the Drives & Controls Show in Birmingham next April.

The awards are being organised by Touchwave Media in association with DFA, which also publishes Hydraulics & Pneumatics, Plant & Works Engineering and Power Electronics Europe. They will recognise achievements both by companies and by individuals in nine main categories:
•  Technical Innovation of the Year
•  Environmental/Energy Efficiency
•  Project of the Year
•  System Integrator of the Year
•  Manufacturer of the Year
•  Distributor of the Year
•  Training Initiative of the Year
•  Young Engineer of the Year
•  Lifetime Achievement Award

Nominations for the awards will open in August, with the closing deadline for entries being 2 December, 2010. A judging panel will convene in late December to review the entries and to draw up a shortlist of finalists in each category. These finalists will then be promoted in the trade press and via a dedicated awards Web site, where readers will be able to vote for their choice of winners.

Entry forms will be available on the awards Web site from 1 August. The site will also contain details of the entry guidelines and nomination criteria. This information will also be available by phoning the organising team on 077927 20597, or emailing the team via hannah@touchwavemedia.co.uk.

The awards will culminate with a Gala Awards Ceremony at the St Johns Hotel in Solihull on the evening of 17 April, 2012 – the first day of the Drives & Controls Show and the co-located events including the MACH, Air-Tech, Plant & Asset Management and International Fluid Power exhibitions.