Calling all innovators: CTO awards deadline looms

The deadline is rapidly approaching to get your nominations in for the second annual Northern Virginia Technology Council/Washington Technology Government Contractor CTO Innovator Awards.

Yep, that’s a mouthful of a title, but it’s a worthy program because it recognizes the technologists who are driving innovation and bringing new ideas to life in today’s market.

Nominations are due Sept. 30.

Awards are given in large, midsize and small categories. Last year’s winners were
Venkatapathi Puvvada, Unisys Corp., in the large category; Robert Groat, Smartronix, midsize, and Visagar Shyamsundar, AMCAD, in the small-business category.

The program recognizes the role chief technology officers play with government contractors. The finalists and winners will be honored for the contributions to their companies and their customers.

Finalists will get a profile in Washington Technology, giving them a chance to talk about their accomplishments and the technology trends they see at work in the government market.

So think about the contributors at your company who are putting out fresh ideas and helping your company and your customers succeed. This is a great opportunity to let them know you value them and to have the community as a whole recognize their good works.

The categories for nominees are small (under $100 million in revenue), medium ($100 million to $500 million) and large businesses (more than $500 million). An independent panel of leaders from the government contracting community will select the winners, who will be honored by Washington Technology magazine and NVTC at TechCelebration, NVTC's Annual Banquet, on Nov. 14.

Nominees will be judged according to the following criteria:

• Internal contributions: Has the CTO introduced technology improvements or innovative usage of technology internally that had a significant impact on his or her company? Has the CTO's leadership promoted excellence within the company? Contributions made by qualified nominees during the award period should include, but are not limited to, increasing the company's revenue/profitability, winning new customers, expanding service/product offerings, and improving company efficiency/productivity.
• Contributions to the customer: Has the CTO introduced technology improvements or innovative usage of technology that has had a significant impact on a customer or customers? Has the CTO's leadership promoted excellence in the company's service to its customers? Contributions made by qualified nominees during the award period should include, but are not limited to, implementing new capabilities to meet the customer's mission, improving efficiency/productivity, and saving and/or reducing the cost of operations.

Nominations are being taken online, so click here to recognize your tech gurus.