Rules and Regulations

2013 Official Rules

1. DESCRIPTION OF THE CONTEST: EE Times and EDNs' ACE Awards will recognize outstanding achievements of people, products and companies that show leadership in the electronics industry.

2. HOW TO ENTER: Submit your EE Times and EDN ACE Awards nominations by completing the submission form online and following the instructions on the screen at www.ubm-ace.com. Individuals and companies shall nominate themselves and their products and executives, either directly or through an agent. All required fields must be completed in order for the submission to be valid. Required fields are noted on the submission form. Each question has a maximum limit of 500 words per question.

Online entries may be submitted at www.ubm-ace.com. Submissions will be accepted from 12:00 AM (EST) November 12, 2012 through 11:59 PM (EST) February 13, 2013. The competition begins November 12, 2012. All entries must be received on or before 11:59 PM (EST) February 13, 2013. No purchase other than the entry fee is necessary. All entries are judged fairly by an independent panel of judges.

You may nominate as many products and individuals, and you may enter as many of the categories as you like. Multiple entries for the same category will be judged separately.

3. ELIGIBILITY: This contest is open to nominees who do business in the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) and are 18 years of age or older. Void where prohibited by law. All winners will be required to execute and affidavit swearing to compliance with these eligibility requirements. If you reside outside the U.S. or Canada, you may submit entries, but you are not eligible to win any awards; however, EE Times and EDN reserves the right to post your entry in a showcase if in its sole discretion it deems worthy of showcasing. Employees of United Business Media LLC, its parent, subsidiaries, affiliates, agencies and assigns, and their immediate family members (spouse and parents, children and siblings, and their spouses) as well as individuals living in the same household of each are not eligible to participate. The contest is subject to all applicable federal, state, and provincial laws and regulations.

4. CATEGORIES AND CRITERIA: One winner will be selected in each of the following categories.

Design Team of the Year:

The winner will be selected based on the5 creative, efficient and inspiring project management capabilities of the team, which led to a significant contribution to the furtherance of technology, including:

• The likelihood that the technology will make a significant impact in some sector of the electronic systems market.
• A novel and engaging way in which the technology delivers features.
• Techniques which led to faster design time and time to market.
• Exceptional creativity and persistence demonstrated by the team in the face of technical or business hurdles.

Innovator of the Year:

The winner will be selected based on the leadership, creativity and out-of-the-box thinking brought to technology, a product or a business, including:

• Success in the initial phase of a technology, product or business.
• The likelihood that a technology, product or business will have a significant impact in some sector of the electronics market.
• Persistence shown in the face of technical, business and/or cultural hurdles.
• The winner may be a researcher, engineer, manager, executive, venture capitalist or educator.

Executive of the Year:

The winner will be selected based on the leadership, and technological and fiscal vision brought to a company, or business during a calendar year, including:

• Outstanding growth in business, patents, alliances or design wins.
• The ability to demonstrate success in the marketplace or the likelihood that the business will have a significant impact in some sector of the electronics market.
• Persistence shown in the face of technical, business and/or cultural hurdles.

Company of the Year:

The winner will be selected based on its professionalism, staff development and retention, customer focus, technical excellence and profitable growth, including:

• The ability to exceed annual financial business goals and other market metrics set by management and/or third-party analysts for year-to-year performance.
• Advancement in rank or market order to surpass its competitors and gain a significant new industry, product or technology leadership position recognized by one or more independent industry observers.
• Introduction of a break-though product and/or technology that has the potential to alter the price/performance curve in a key product or technology area in electronics.
• A novel business or management practice that makes a significant contribution to improving the environment and/or quality of life for a region or country.
• Excellence and leadership in business practices and management in some or all of the following areas: capitalization and financing, research & development, hardware and/or software design, product design, device or system manufacturing, human resources management, marketing, PR and media relations, sales, and distribution.

Energy Technology Award:

A significant portion of the electronics industry has begun the historic shift from information to energy technology. This trend will help sustain and expand several industry sectors. Our Energy Technology Award recognizes those companies that have made the most significant contribution to this shift through the introduction of new concepts and products that help conserve energy or create new energy sources.

Criteria:

The recipient will have demonstrated the successful introduction of a renewable energy product, tool or service to a broad market. Among the metrics for this award are:

• The scaling of development and/or manufacture of renewable energy products, tools and services;
• The development and expansion of a company's business partnerships through joint ventures, financial investors or other forms of collaboration that further the its business plan;
• Evidence that the company and its product, tool or service can compete in a global market often characterized by competition among nations rather than international companies.
• Putting federal or state funding or incentives, if any, to the best possible use to achieve the "biggest bang for the buck."
• Evidence that the new product, tool or service has the potential to create new manufacturing or other technology jobs.

Ultimate Products

The Ultimate Products are electronic devices, components or subsystems that are deemed to be the best in their respective category. All nominations must be products that debuted between January 1 and December 31st, 2012. Final winners will be determined by the editors of UBM Tech.

Student of the Year:

The award goes to an individual whose discipline, hard work and academic success are considered hallmarks for other engineering or science students.

5. CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION: By entering, participants (i) agree to be bound by these Official Rules and (ii) grant EE Times and EDN a division of United Business Media a royalty-free, non-exclusive, perpetual, worldwide license to use and publicly display their entries for all advertising and marketing purposes, including promoting its web sites, products and services. Accordingly, no confidential information should be included in any entry. Submissions remain the property of the entrants; however, by entering, entrants consent to the use of their name and likeness for advertising, promotional and/or marketing purposes without additional compensation. (A Tennessee resident consents to the use of his name and likeness only if such Tennessee resident expressly consents to such use.) By entering, participants release and hold harmless EE Times and EDN a division of United Business Media, its parent, subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees and agents from any and all liability or injuries, loss or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with participation in this contest. EE Times and EDN a division of United Business Media is not responsible for incorrect or inaccurate entry of information including, but not limited to technical malfunctions, human error, lost/delayed data transmission, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, line failures of any telephone network, computer equipment, software or any combination thereof, entry materials that have been tampered with, or mail in entries that are illegible, late, lost, damaged, postage due or misdirected. EE Times and EDN a division of United Business Media is not responsible for any injury or damage to participants' or any other person's computer related to or resulting from participation or downloading any material in this promotion. Entries that have been tampered with or altered are void. EE Times and EDN reserves the right to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend this promotion if it becomes technically corrupted or if for any reason the Internet portion of the program is not capable of running as planned, including infections by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures or any other causes beyond the control of EE Times and EDN a division of United Business Media that corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this promotion.

This promotion shall be governed by the laws of the United States

6. Finalist and Winner Logos:

EE Times and EDN ACE Awards Finalists and Winners can purchase use of the EE Times and EDN ACE Awards Finalist and Winner logos. For more information & logo usage guidelines, please contact Paul Pimlett paul.pimlett@ubm.com