NFC Forum

Ruth Cassidy NFC Forum Public Relations Phone: +1 617-957-8494 Email Ruth Cassidy

For release: 05 Jan 2012

NFC Forum and WIMA Call for Groundbreaking Entries for "Tap Into Innovation: NFC Global Competition 2012"

Developers of Creative NFC-Based Solutions Contend for Top Honors at WIMA in Monaco, April 12, 2012

WAKEFIELD, Mass., USA - Jan. 5, 2012 - The NFC Forum and WIMA today announced a call for entries to Tap Into Innovation: NFC Global Competition 2012, , recognizing the development and deployment of innovative and exemplary NFC solutions around the world. Co-sponsored by the NFC Forum, a non-profit industry association that advances the use of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, and WIMA, a worldwide event dedicated to NFC technology, the competition is expected to attract global entries spanning a diverse range of applications and industries.

NFC has already sparked breakthrough innovations in areas such as access control, gaming, healthcare and wellness, hospitality, loyalty, marketing, mobile payment, mobile social media, online banking, pairing of consumer electronics devices, and retail. 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.

Tap Into Innovation: NFC Global Competition 2012 selects the most outstanding NFC solutions in the world with first-place awards in three categories:

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

The deadline for all entries is 11:59 pm GMT March 5, 2012. A jury composed of senior and recognized professionals and experts from academia and industry will evaluate each entry and select three finalists in each of the above categories. Those nine finalists will be announced on March 19, 2012. Finalists will be invited to the awards ceremony at WIMA in Monaco on April 12, 2012, at which a winner will be announced in each of the above three categories.

In addition to the three awards, all nine finalists will also be judged, and a special award will be given, at the awards ceremony: 

• The Audience Award for the solution that receives the most votes from the WIMA audience; the audience award may be selected from among the winners of the other three awards.

First-place winners will receive a Global Competition trophy and all nine finalists will receive a certificate of commendation. The winners will have the opportunity to demonstrate their solutions at the NFC Forum booth at WIMA on April 13, 2012. It is preferred but not required for finalists to attend the WIMA Conference in order to be considered finalists. An entrant may be selected as a finalist or winner in any of the competition categories.

The competition attracts global media attention as well as interest from industry leaders and venture capitalists and the opportunity to share ideas and forge relationships with other leading developers from business and academia.
"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."

"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."

Tap Into Innovation: NFC Global Competition 2012 is open to anyone aged 18 or older, and there is no entry fee.  To enter, visit http://www.nfc-forum.org/events/2012_competition/, complete the entry form, and provide the information requested. The competition task force is now accepting entries; all final proposals must be received by 11:59 EST March 5, 2012. For further details or questions about competition rules and entries, write to: competition@nfc-forum.org.

Tap Into Innovation: NFC Global Competition 2012 builds upon the legacy of the NFC Forum Global Competition, which was conducted annually from 2007 to 2010. By changing the competition to a single contest with multiple award categories and eliminating entry fees, the organizers are opening the event to a broader and more diverse range of contestants from around the world.

About WIMA
WIMA is the leading global conference and exhibition held in Monaco and the U.S. exclusively dedicated to NFC applications, products and services and a name of confidence for hundreds of industry companies. The events bring together the entire ecosystem with both transversal and vertical sectors from industry leaders to startups, and from application developers to merchants and service providers spanning a wide variety of industries. WIMA is a catalyst, facilitating networking and information sharing, enabling partnering and business to take place within the NFC industry. More information at: www.wima-nfc.com.

About Near Field Communication Technology
NFC technology makes life easier and more convenient for consumers around the world by making it simpler to make transactions, exchange digital content, and connect electronic devices with a touch.
A standards-based connectivity technology, NFC harmonizes today's diverse contactless technologies, enabling current and future solutions in areas such as access control, consumer electronics, healthcare, information collection and exchange, loyalty and coupons, payments, and transport.
NFC technology is supported by the world's leading communication device manufacturers, semiconductor producers, network operators, IT and services companies, and financial services organizations. NFC is compatible with hundreds of millions of contactless cards and readers already deployed worldwide.

About the NFC Forum
The NFC Forum was launched as a non-profit industry association in 2004 by leading mobile communications, semiconductor, and consumer electronics companies. The Forum's mission is to advance the use of Near Field Communication technology by developing specifications, ensuring interoperability among devices and services, and educating the market about NFC technology. The Forum's 160+ global member companies currently are developing specifications for a modular NFC device architecture, and protocols for interoperable data exchange and device-independent service delivery, device discovery, and device capability.

The NFC Forum's Sponsor members, which hold seats on the Board of Directors, include leading players in key industries around the world. The Sponsor members are: Barclaycard, Broadcom Corporation, INSIDE Secure, Intel, MasterCard Worldwide, Microsoft Corp., NEC, Nokia, NTT DOCOMO, Inc., NXP Semiconductors, Renesas Electronics Corporation, Samsung, Sony Corporation, STMicroelectronics, and Visa Inc.

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