As the prestigious Visionary Award program prepares to celebrate its tenth anniversary next year, the nomination process for the 2011 Visionary Award is now open to the global nonwovens and consumer products industries.

INDA, Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, which sponsors the annual award, will be accepting nominations through September 1. First presented in 2002 at the inaugural Vision Consumer Products Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, the award recognizes consumer end products that utilize nonwoven fabrics or employ nonwoven technology during their manufacturing process.

The 2011 Visionary Award will be presented at the Vision 2011 Consumer Products Conference, which moves to the West Coast and will be held January 10-12 at the Four Seasons Aviara in North San Diego, California. The annual Vision Conference is organized by INDA and each year it brings together hundreds of executives from nonwovens and consumer products companies around the world for three days of education and networking.

The process and criteria for the 2011 Visionary Award are:

• The finished consumer end product must contain a nonwoven fabric or utilize a nonwoven technology during its manufacturing process.
• The consumer product has to have been introduced to the trade or to consumers in 2009-2010.
• The product cannot have been selected as a finalist in any previous Visionary Award competition.
• Companies can nominate their own products. While any number of products can be nominated, only one product per company will be selected as a finalist.
• Products will be judged on their novel use of nonwoven technology, as well as on their consumer and trade acceptance. Eligible consumer product categories include disposable diapers, feminine hygiene products, adult incontinence products, household wipes and home filters, among others.

The nominees will be reviewed by an INDA selection committee and finalists will be selected to make presentations at the Vision 2011 Consumer Products Conference. Conference attendees will then vote on the recipient of the Award and the recipient is announced on the final day of the Vision 2011 Consumer Products Conference.

Last January at the Vision 2010 Consumer Products Conference in New Orleans, the environmentally-friendly Regenerated Cotton Wipe from Rockline Industries was named the recipient of the 2010 Visionary Award.

Previous recipients of the coveted Visionary Award include Ahlstrom’s Disruptor nonwoven water filter media (2009); Kimberly-Clark's SpaSensials spa treatment (2008); Tyco Swim Pants (2007); Chicopee's Disaster Relief Blanket (2006); Fiberweb's Resolution Print Media (2005); Church & Dwight's Brillo Scrub 'n' Toss (2004); FMJ ChemBio's Civilian Quick Escape Mask (2003); and Procter & Gamble's Swiffer (2002).

Industry members may nominate a product at the INDA website – www.inda.org – and following the links to the online submission form. Products can also be nominated by emailing an explanation of the product to Michael Jacobsen, Visionary Award Coordinator, [email protected] . Samples of the product should also be sent to Michael Jacobsen, INDA, 37 Page Drive, Oakland, NJ 07436 USA.

Call 201-396-7005 with any questions. For more information on the Vision 2011 Consumer Products Conference, visit www.inda.org .