4S innovation award: what a jury actually assesses

What an innovation competition assesses

The novelty of a principle, the coherence of a project and its ability to find a market. Those are three different criteria, and an entry can be excellent on one and weak on the other two.

What it does not assess

Industrial quality. A jury judges an idea at a given moment; it measures neither the consistency of a production nor the behaviour of a product after three years of use, which are different questions.

Why enter all the same

Because an application obliges you to articulate. Describing a principle to an outside jury brings out what is demonstrable and what is not yet, and that clarification serves far beyond the competition.

The value of the questions

A jury asks the questions a client will ask later, earlier and more directly. The answers missing on presentation day are exactly the ones to prepare before going to market.

What an award is worth

Recognition by third parties, not proof of performance. It opens doors and attracts attention, and it is honest to present it as such rather than as a technical validation.

What remains to be done afterwards

Everything. An awarded product is still a product that has to be made consistently, documented and sold, and it is that work which decides whether it exists five years on.

The principle is developed on the Magic Speaker page, and ceiling sound on the dedicated page.