Awards and Recognition

Celebrating the Glass Industry

The GMIC awards program celebrates the people and companies that make this such a special industry. By recognizing their achievements, we hope to inspire a new generation of glass professionals.

See past Award Winners

2024 Award Application

The below three awards will be presented at the 85th Glass Problems Conference in Toledo, Ohio, USA on September 16, 2024. To apply for an award, please complete the below form and submit by August 15, 2024. Awards winners will be announced August 23.

For questions or more information about the awards program, please contact GMIC staff member Donna Banks at dbanks@gmic.org or 614-523-3033.

Glass Innovator Award

This award recognizes individuals who are taking risks to propose and pursue innovative solutions for the glass industry. The selected awardee should be advancing glass through industry, manufacturing, academia, or national lab. This award equally encourages applications across all experience levels – from early career to life-long innovators. Applicants early in their career should be able to describe how they are advancing a novel idea for the benefit of the industry. Experienced applicants should demonstrate a history of developing new ideas into products, processes, procedures, patents, and/or technical papers.

Criteria:

• Challenge the status quo: demonstrates the courage to defy conventional wisdom and innovate beyond traditional methods.
• Think differently: embraces unique viewpoints to approach problems unconventionally and think out-of-the box.
• Innovation: has a vision of the future, leads new developments, and is championing new developments.
• Involvement: serves the broader glass industry by being actively engaged in societies, unions, associations, etc.

The Glass Innovator Award is sponsored by CelSian.

Glass Manufacturing Excellence Award

This award recognizes individuals who are making significant contributions on the shop floor within their company.

Criteria:

• Demonstrated success in improving factory or operational performance.
• Success in deploying new technology into operations.
• Acts as a role model for others in a factory or operational environment.
• Mentors and trains the next generation.
• Shows tremendous potential for growth within the industry.
• Are passionate and dedicated to advancing glass.

Women in Glass Award

This award recognizes women who have demonstrated excellence in leading, motivating, and developing others in the glass industry. She exemplifies leadership in science, technology, engineering, production, and manufacturing. She mentors and supports the next generation of talent in the glass industry. This award recognizes women whose achievements and success stories have helped move the needle within the glass industry through sustainability, workforce development, innovation, and diversity.

Criteria:

• Leadership: demonstrated excellent leadership skills within their company.
• Impact: visible and tangible impact on fellow employees, whether subordinate or others through actions or activities.
• Development of others: mentoring withing or outside of their company, provided support for next generation of women in the glass industry actively engaging in career coaching.
• Presence: possesses visibility within their organization or field, demonstrates high integrity in actions and words and portrays an image of strength and confidence that inspires.
• Diversity, inclusion, equity: actively fosters a diverse and inclusive environment in all they do.

The Women in Glass Award is sponsored by the Air Products Foundation.

All Award Recipients will Receive:

• Complimentary admission to the 2024 Glass Problems Conference in Toledo, Ohio.
• Roundtrip airfare and hotel accommodation.
• A special award and recognition at the conference.

Application Rules for all Awards:

• Applicants can self-nominate or be nominated by their member company.
• There is a limit of one self-nomination per entry.
• There is a limit of three nominations from a member company across all three awards, i.e., three nominations for one award or one nomination under each award.
• Whether self or company nominated, nominees must provide a summary of how they strive to embody one or more of the award criteria (200 words max).
• Applications must include a letter of support from a supervisor or mentor describing the nominee’s contributions and how they embody one or more of the award criteria. (300 words max).