NFC Forum and WIMA Monaco call for entries for NFC competition

NFC Forum and WIMA Monaco call for entries for the Tap Into Innovation: NFC Global Competition 2012

WIMA Monaco is coming up fast, and in our small but rapidly growing industry we like to call NFC, it’s kind of a big deal to win an award at WIMA. The NFC Forum and WIMA get together and put on the Tap Into Innovation: NFC Global Competition every year, and more than a few companies apply for the honor. So, if your firm thrives on being recognized as an innovator in the NFC space and you want your profile raised, it probably wouldn’t hurt you too much to enter the WIMA competition.

The results of that competition are announced in Monaco during the WIMA conference and tends to attract global entries spanning all manner of industries and use cases. For one great example of how diverse entries are you only need look at the winner of WIMA NFC USA’s competition that saw Near Field Solutions scoop a top award for an NFC wine tracking solution that also used humidity and temperature sensors to track the conditions wine were exposed to during transportation and all the way to your table.

“NFC’s simple user experience and broad applicability make it a tremendously powerful tool for business,” said Joanna Merchie, Executive Director of WIMA. “We are excited to partner with the NFC Forum in both recognizing and encouraging the development and deployment of innovative NFC solutions throughout the world.”

Use cases for NFC shown at WIMA are diverse to say the least

Access control, gaming, healthcare and wellness, hospitality, loyalty, marketing, mobile payment, mobile social media, online banking, pairing of consumer electronics devices, and retail are already using Near Field Communication and yet the use cases are more diverse than that impressive list. This next year we expect to see TV based NFC use cases, warranty uses for NFC, toys and games that benefit from some NFC magic and more as well as automotive solutions for consumers and dealers. We also expect to see far more use of Near Field Communication  in travel, navigation and check-ins as well as more creative uses for Near Field Communication in social media and NFC marketing. Really, the list is endless and our NFC infographic we did last year is already hopelessly out of date because the industry has already moved on so far. There is even orthopedic implants that use NFC and sensors to monitor post operation healing.

“The NFC global ecosystem is an abundant source of inventive solutions that bring NFC’s power and ease to both new and existing applications,” said Koichi Tagawa, Chairman of the NFC Forum. “We are delighted to partner with WIMA in bringing the best of these services to global attention.”

WIMA said, “A key reason for this diversity of applications is NFC’s unique ability to operate in three modes: reader/writer, peer-to-peer, and card emulation. Entries in the competition may take advantage of one or more of these operating modes.” So, if you have a product or service that uses one or more of these operating modes you are in with a chance.

Near Field Communication solutions categories for the co-sponsored WIMA and NFC Forum Tap Into Innovation: NFC Global Competition 2012

• Best Innovative Solution for the entry that uses Near Field Communication technology in the most inventive way to address a market, business, or consumer need;
• Best Business Viability for the entry that offers an Near Field Communication solution with the most commercial potential;
• Best User Experience for the solution that best leverages the power, ease, and convenience of Near Field Communication technology.

As with the WIMA NFC USA conference there will also be a audience award. This award is an important award because it is voted on by your peers in the NFC industry and represents some of the best brains in the business judging the novel approach you may have taken and its likely business success and viability.

So, if you have been convinced that you need to enter the the Tap Into Innovation: NFC Global Competition 2012 you need to get a move on because entries need to be submitted by by 11:59 EST March 5, 2012. You can enter the WIMA and NFC Forum co-sponsored competition by filling out the application that you will find here.