Awards are presented in four categories:

    * Industry
    * SMEs/research
    * Non-European countries
    * Lifetime achievement

Method

For the first three competitions, examiners at the European and other patent offices were asked to propose outstanding inventors for the award. In 2009, for the first time ever, anyone could enter.
Jury

An EPO panel then narrows down the selection to a shortlist for each category, carefully checking that the proposed patents are still valid and meet the competition criteria.

The shortlists are passed on to a high-profile international jury, comprising entrepreneurs, managers, scientists, researchers, investors and journalists, which nominates three inventors in each category, before finally selecting the winners.

They judge the entries on the following criteria:

    * degree of inventiveness
    * practical application
    * commercial success
    * benefit to the economy and society
    * contribution to improving the quality of daily/working lives and/or protection of the environment

Gala event

All nominees are invited to a gala awards ceremony, where the winners are revealed.

Winners of the European Inventor Award are presented with a trophy in the shape of a sail, one of the world's oldest yet most dynamic inventions.
 

To enter yourself or another inventor for the European Inventor Award, you need to fill out an entry form and submit it to the EPO.

    * Self entry form (107 KB)
      Enter yourself or an inventor from your organisation

    * Recommendation form (103 KB)
      Recommend an inventor

Criteria for entry

The European Inventor Award was set up to reward the highest levels of excellence. This is why all entries must satisfy certain formal requirements.

There is one common denominator for all inventors that can be proposed for the European Inventor Award: They have been awarded a European patent. A recognised benchmark of quality around the world, European patents are granted by the EPO according to strict legal standards.

Any inventor of any nationality possessing at least one valid European patent can enter or be proposed. Inventors with European nationalities are eligible for the Industry, SMEs/Research and Lifetime Achievement categories even if they currently reside outside Europe. Other nationals can be entered in the Non-European Countries category.

Entries must meet the following criteria:

    * The invention's innovative factor - how it has advanced the prior technology/process in its field - must be stated clearly in the entry form.
    * The invention's practical application should be precisely defined.
    * The invention's commercial success in Europe should be proven.
    * The invention clearly benefits the economy and society.
    * The invention improves the quality of daily/working life and/or the protection of the environment.

An inventor may NOT be entered for the competition if:

    * The relevant patent is the subject of pending opposition or appeal proceedings.
    * The patent has been revoked.

Click here for further information and entry forms.