Omtool’s Drive for Innovation Award for the Legal Market

For More Info: Frequently Asked Questions Award Program Rules Previous Award Winners innovationaward@omtool.com

Who can enter?
Any law firm, corporate legal department, or business partner (on behalf of their legal customer) worldwide is welcome to enter this awards program. The law firm or corporate legal department must be a current Omtool customer and the rightful licensee of their AccuRoute® solution. This contest is not open to the general public, only Omtool customers.

For complete award program rules, click here.

What kinds of innovations are eligible?
Any of Omtool’s legal customers who currently leverage their AccuRoute document capture and handling solution to achieve substantial results in the areas of information accessibility, compliance, document retention, efficiency and/or productivity improvements should apply for this awards program.

Am I required to submit my entry on your application form?
Yes. To submit your innovation, please fully complete an entry form. You can apply via the online entry form or you can request a Microsoft Word document by sending an e-mail to innovationaward@omtool.com. Please request the Microsoft Word document if you are using charts or pictures, as our online form cannot accommodate graphics.

Am I allowed to submit an entry if I submitted one in previous years?
Previous non-winning entries and honorable mentions are encouraged to submit entries every year. The entry can be the same use as previously submitted; however, we strongly suggest that the new entry include more information and factual support to illustrate your claim.

Am I allowed to submit an entry this year if my company won this award in previous years?
Previous award recipients (top award winners and grand prize winners) are encouraged to submit entries every year; however, the entry needs to be based on a new use of AccuRoute, not the same use as previously submitted.

What sort of supporting documents should I send?
We don't require supporting documents, but please feel free to send documentation if it will help explain your innovation or bolster your claims. For instance: a peer-reviewed article in a technical journal. You can send supporting documents as links or as e-mail attachments to innovationaward@omtool.com. Please DO NOT send zip files.

If necessary, please use the following address to send us your supporting documents via standard mail: Omtool, Ltd., Attn: 2010 Drive for Innovation Award, 6 Riverside Drive, Andover, MA, 01810, US. Be sure to include a copy of your entry form and postmark your shipment by Friday, July 16, 2010.

How will the winners be chosen?
Working with an impartial panel of industry judges, Omtool, Ltd. will assess all applications. We will check to see whether the application is complete and whether the ideas contained in the application are expressed clearly and comprehensively. Omtool, as well as the judges, will consider whether the innovation currently leverages the organization’s AccuRoute® document capture and handling solution to achieve substantial results in the areas of information accessibility, compliance, document retention, efficiency and/or productivity improvements.

Who is on the judging panel?
The top winners will be chosen through a blind review process by a panel of impartial industry experts that include Christy Burke, founder and president of Burke & Company LLC, Dave Cunningham, managing director with Baker Robbins & Company Technology Consultants, Randy Dazo, director of document solutions with InfoTrends, Monroe Horn, chief technology officer with Sunstein, Kann, Murphy & Timbers LLP and Harvey Spencer, president of Harvey Spencer Associates, and Robert Zacharski, president of Data Minds.

I have several innovations. Can I submit more than one entry form?
Yes, but please use a separate form for each use of AccuRoute.

Can I nominate myself?
Yes.

I work for a facilities management (FM) company. Can I nominate clients?
Yes; however, we need the contact name, e-mail, and telephone number of your client.

I work for a PR company. Can I nominate clients?
Yes; however, we need the contact name, e-mail, and telephone number of your client.

What's the deadline for entries?
Online and e-mail entries must be received by Friday, July 16, 2010 (8:00 p.m. ET). Entries submitted via standard mail must be postmarked by Friday, July 16, 2010. We will not consider applications arriving after the deadline.

Is there a fee to enter?
No.

What is your best advice to applicants?
It is highly recommended that you provide screen shots, workflow diagrams, and/or actual savings figures in your submission entry. Please be as detailed as possible and provide visual evidence to help illustrate your claim to the judges.

Please remember, the judges are not familiar with your history as an Omtool customer, nor do they know what products you have purchased or currently use. Your award submission should articulate your current Omtool products, what you integrate them with (if applicable), and the innovative uses of these products and integrations.

Do NOT make unsubstantiated claims in your application. We will disqualify applications if people offer little or no evidence that their innovation does what they say it does. You need to be able to convince our panel of judges that your innovation is currently implemented and working. The best way to do that is to stick to factual data (and citing third-party validation of your claims, if available). For instance, you can send us articles from technical journals or testimonials from users or other third-party sources (including their contact details).

We strongly suggest you avoid technical jargon and write in terms that laypersons can understand. If you have to use technical terminology, please explain what you mean. Innovations should be explained clearly and comprehensively in plain English.

What's the prize?
Top winners will be awarded with 2010 Drive for Innovation Award trophies and associated public promotions. The first place award recipient will also receive $10,000 in cooperative marketing and licensing funds from Omtool.

IMPORTANT: By submitting your entry form, you agree to allow Omtool, Ltd. to use highlights and quotes provided in your entry form (credited to your company) in public disclosures for promotional purposes such as press releases, Website coverage, and tradeshow exposure. For complete award program rules, click here.

When do you inform the winners?
Winners will be notified confidentially on Friday, August 13, 2010. An announcement will be made at the annual ILTA conference on Tuesday, August 24, 2010. You do not need to be present at ILTA to win.

What if I have more questions?
For questions about the contest or more information, please check out our Frequently Asked Questions, Award Program Rules, Previous Award Winners, or send us an e-mail at innovationaward@omtool.com.

Click here to submit your online entry form today!