Ahead of the upcoming SkogsElmia foresty tradeshow in Bratteborg, Sweden, the organisers Elmia AB have launched the SkogsElmia Innovation Award. The purpose is to highlight new and innovative technology in forestry. "There are some really innovative contributions amongst the nominees," says Mattias Pontén, Project Manager for SkogsElmia and Chairman of the jury tasked with the first selection round of the new award.
Like its German counterparts, Elmia has hosted similar innovation awards, the most recent being the Elmia Agriculture Innovation Awards that were presented in 2018. The SkogsElmia Innovation Award is a new prize for the year. Consisting of two categories gold and silver, the award aims to highlight new and innovative technology in forestry.
The products that receive the award are considered to be so interesting that they contribute to the development of forestry.
The jury consists of industry experts. They have assessed the innovations according to the criteria of novelty value, environmental impact, work environment, end-product quality, and economy or productivity.
In order for the jury to award a product SkogsElmia Innovation Award Gold, it must be both new to the market and that the technology is fundamentally new. It should be an innovation that contributes to the development of Swedish forestry.
To qualify for a silver medal, the product needs to stand out in the market, explained Mattias Pontén
Another requirement for both categories is that the product is on the market when the fair is held but was launched no earlier than at the beginning of 2017.
The number of medals and its denomination is not limited but depend on the number of nominees and how the criteria are met. The final listing of nominees will be disclosed in the run-up to the event whereas the “who wins what and why” will be revealed at the event itself that takes place on June 6-8, 2019.
According to Pontén, the nominated products range all the way from planting to logging and targeting both self-employed forest owners and the more large-scale forestry. Here are smart apps, cloud-based programme environments, and handy products for the various stages of forestry.
The jury has remarked especially on the innovation level of the nominees and it is considered to be high, said Mattias Pontén without disclosing anything further.
