Nanotech Briefs has announced its annual Nano 50 Awards: the top 50 products, technologies, and innovators. (Disclosure: I was on the judging committee — but only one of many judges, so if you disagree with the list, it’s not my fault!).
One concern you may have, with which I would have to agree, is that the list is heavily US-based, with only two non-US winners out of 50, both in the Product category:
NanoLub™
NanoMaterials, Ltd.
Rehovot, Israel
Nanit®active Oral Care Products
SusTech GmbH & Co. KG
Darmstadt, Germany
To deal with this, the competition could either do more outreach beyond the US, or alternatively, make it a US contest. Either would be okay. As one who organizes nano prizes (e.g., Feynman Prizes, Foresight Communication Prize, and our Student Award), I know how hard it is to monitor nanotech globally, so let’s be patient here. And as the years go by, it will be interesting to watch these awards migrate from “bulk” nano to bottom-up, atomically-precise nano. —Christine
