SPIE and Photonics Media announce finalists for 2021 Prism Awards

01 Jan 2021

This year's candidates and shortlist reflect trends in quantum, manufacturing, healthcare, smart sensing, autonomous transport.

Industry giants and emerging challengers will be honored at the Prism Awards in a virtual ceremony in March 2021. The annual black-tie event, now in its 13th year, recognizes industrial innovation in photonics in multiple categories.

For the consideration of the 2021 Prism Awards, SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, and media partner Photonics Media received 149 applications from 18 countries.

Notable trends in quantum, manufacturing, healthcare, smart sensing, and autonomous transportation mark this year's entries and finalists. Emerging companies Lumedica and Qnami and returning Prism champions WaveOptics and nLight will share the stage alongside industry stalwarts such as IPG Photonics and Osram.

With ten categories ranging from manufacturing, vision technology, and life sciences to transportation, quality control, and medical devices, the Prism Awards showcase the latest products and technical innovations across optics and photonics.

'Exciting innovations'

"The finalists vying for the 2021 Prism Awards represent exciting innovations in the optics and photonics industry," commented SPIE CEO Kent Rochford. "In a year when R&D has been understandably challenged, we still see tremendous work from our community in terms of developing products that enable healthcare, make our planet safer and cleaner, and improve manufacturing, while also looking into the future to continue to impact and enhance our daily lives."

"The Prism Awards represent the preeminent honor for our industry and offer a window into the innovation taking place in established and emerging fields — from smart sensing to transportation to quantum and beyond," said Tom Laurin, CEO of Photonics Media. "It's our great pleasure to congratulate the 2020 finalists, and we wish them luck as the final round of voting takes place. If 2020 has taught us anything, it's that even a pandemic can't slow the progress of photonics in shaping our world."

Prism Award categories and finalists

Life Sciences

• Augmentiqs Medical, Augmentiqs 1000
• IPG Photonics, YLPF-FlexO
• OmniVision Technologies, OVM6948 CameraCubeChipTM

Manufacturing

• BMF (Boston Micro Fabrication), microArch S240
• IPG Photonics, LightWELD 1500 (right)
• nLight, AFX

Medical Devices

• Endofotonics, SPECTRA IMDxTM
• Lumedica Vision, OQ EyeScope
• Norlase, LION

Quality Control

• Ophir, LBS-300HP-NIR (right)
• Teledyne DALSA, Linea HS 32k TDI Camera
• RoadVista, StripeMaster 3 Retroreflectometer

Quantum

• AUREA Technology, Quantum Entangled Twin Photon Source
• Element Six, DNV-B1TM
• Qnami, Qnami ProteusQ

Safety & Security

• Alakai Defense Systems, Situational Awareness for First Responders (SAFR)
• Cubert, ULTRIS 20 Hyperspectral Camera
• RaySecur, MailSecur mmWave Scanner

Software

• ALPhANOV, Immersive Photonics Lab
• Beijing JCZ Technology, EZCAD Laser Processing Software
• OptoTest, OPL-CLX Software Suite

Smart Sensing

• Luxmux, Ultrawide Tunable Fabry Perot Laser
• mirSense, New QCLs from 10µm to 17µm
• nanoLambda, Digital Nano Spectrometer

Transportation

• AEye, AEye 4Sight M (right)
• Lumotive, X20 LiDAR
• SLD Laser, LaserLight W-IR SMD

Vision Technology

• Gamma Scientific, NED-LMD Waveguide Tester
• OSRAM Opto Semiconductors, 550 aperture PowerBoost VCSEL
• WaveOptics, WaveOptics Waveguide Platforms