Junkosha Technology Innovator of the Year Awards funding grows

The Junkosha Technology Innovator of the Year Award is awarding up to $50,000 in prizes. [Photo courtesy of Junkosha]

Nominations are due Oct. 31 for the Junkosha Technology Innovator of the Year Awards, which is offering a new $25,000 prize for medical device innovations.

Junkosha — which provides fluoropolymer application technologies for medtech and other industries — says the awards program is meant to “champion the innovative work of an individual or team working in the delivery of products used within Microwave/mmWave technologies or interventional medical procedures.”

The winner of the commercial-ready innovation category will receive $25,000. A new category for early-stage ideas will give $25,000 to a single winner: $10,000 immediately, and then $15,000 upon recognition of commercial viability four years later.

The competition is open to companies, individuals and organizations that work in the delivery of products within Microwave/mmWave or medical device technologies, as well as researchers within a university, research institute or university spin-off company.

The judges include:

• Joe Rowan, Junkosha advisor and former Junkosha USA president and CEO
• Nitin Salunke, president and CEO at Shifamed Group’s Supira Medical
• Rob Sloan, CEO and consulting engineer for Microwave Inspection Technologies
• Bela Brian Szendrenyi, senior R&D design consultant for Advantest America
• Steve Maxson, innovation and business development manager, US Extruders
• Sabih Chaudry, CEO of Afon Technology

Afon Technology was last year’s $25,000 winner for its noninvasive Glucowear continuous glucose monitor. The program also recognized heart failure catheter developer Corveus Medical as a category winner.

“Following on from last year’s award, which saw Afon Technology win the coveted prize, we saw a clear distinction emerge between early phase and late phase innovation entrants which needed to be recognized,” said Rowan, the Technology Innovator of the Year Award chair, in a news release. “This is why we have created the new category for the third iteration of the Award.”

Rowan encouraged any individuals or teams who are thinking of entering to apply now.

“Since its inception in 2021, the spirit of these Awards has remained the same — to enable as many technology innovators as possible through this unique program,” he said. “With two categories this year to enter, there has never been a better time to achieve recognition for your innovation, whether in its infancy or closer to commercialization.”

Finalists will be named in February 2026 and winners announced in March.

More details on the program and how to apply are available here.