Policies
Eligibility
To be eligible to enter the SIA New Product Showcase, your company and new product must meet each of the following criteria:
- Your company must be a contracted ISC West exhibitor.
- Your new product or service must have been released after April 1, 2009, and must be available for sale on or before the first day of ISC West, March 24, 2010.
If your company and product meet these two requirements, you may proceed to the application process (Application Coming Soon). If you have additional questions, please contact Patricia Sherwood at psherwood@siaonline.org or 703-647-8499 (toll-free 866-817-8888).
Judging
The judging process for the SIA New Product Showcase consists of a pre-show online product review and a day-long series of face-to-face presentations. Read on for information about these events and the selection of NPS judges.
Online Product Review
Prior to the face-to-face product presentations, which take place at ISC West, the NPS judges review the entries using the information and materials that entrants provide in their applications.
Face-to-Face Product Presentations
The second stage of the judging process is a face-to-face presentation. Four panels consisting of approximately five judges each convene in separate rooms to judge the product entries, which are grouped by category. This presentation is the most important part of the judging process. It is critical that presenters arrive on time and be prepared to discuss the technical aspects of their product. Information presented to the judges should not duplicate information submitted in the application. Presentations are scheduled to be 15 minutes in length; this time period includes both a product presentation and a question-and-answer period.
Presenters may invite guests to attend the presentation. Guests may be colleagues, vendors or customers; presenters should make arrangements in advance for their guests by contacting Patricia Sherwood at SIA.
Award Presentation
Awards are presented on the first day of ISC West to the winners of each category. In addition, a Judges’ Choice Award will be presented as well as the top prize, the Best New Product Award. NPS judges designate awards in all categories that have three or more entries. If a category does not have at least three entries, judges reserve the right to assign no award in that category and/or move a product to an alternate category.
Judges
NPS judges represent a carefully selected cross-section of the security industry and are primarily drawn from dealers, specifiers, end-users, distributors and practitioners. This distribution is intended to ensure a balance of large, small, commercial/residential and practitioner business interests.
SIA contacts local chapters of national organizations such as ASIS International, the Electronic Security Association (ESA), Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA) and the International Association of Professional Security Consultants (IAPSC) with a call for judges.
To be considered for a judge's seat on the NPS panel, an applicant must meet the following criteria:
- Have at least 10 years of experience in the security field as an end-user, dealer, specifier, distributor or practitioner and currently be responsible for the specification or purchasing of security products.
- Disclose any manufacturer affiliations prior to assuming any judging role.
- Be able to commit the time to reviewing carefully and thoughtfully the submission materials and attending both the judging and awards ceremony.
- Be able to volunteer time and travel, as there is no stipend involved in participation.
More Information
For more information about eligibility or the judging process, please contact Patricia Sherwood at psherwood@siaonline.org or call 703-647-8499 (toll-free 866-817-8888).