The Tech Museum Awards is a programme that aims to honour and award innovators from around the world who use technology to benefit humanity in the categories of:

• Education
• Equality
• Economic Development
• Environment
• Health

Five Laureates in each category are honoured and one Laureate per category receives $50,000.

Individuals, for-profit companies, and not-for-profit organisations are eligible to apply. The purpose of The Tech Awards programme is to inspire future scientists, technologists, and dreamers to harness the power and "promise of technology to solve the challenges that confront us at the dawn of the 21st Century".

Nominations and applications are evaluated according to the following criteria:

• The technology application significantly improves the human condition in one of the five award areas: economic development, education, environment, equality, or health.
• A serious problem or challenge with global significance is addressed by this use of technology.
• The technology application makes a noteworthy contribution that surpasses previous or current solutions.
• The technology application has the potential to serve as an inspiration or model for further innovation.
• Nominators and Applicants may submit their nomination/application in one category only. Self-nominations are accepted.
• Tech Award Laureates, including those named as category winners, are ineligible for The Tech Awards in the year(s) immediately following the one(s) in which they are honoured but may apply in subsequent years for technological innovations different from the one(s) for which they were already recognised.

Click here for more information about the award and to apply online.

Nominations must be submitted by April 3 2006.

Applications must be submitted by May 1 2006.

Click here for more information about nomination.

Click here to read about previous award recipients.