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The EC&M Product of the Year competition was established in 2000 to honor excellence in new product development in the electrical industry. Now in its tenth year, the prestigious awards program showcases the most innovative products of the past year and recognizes the talent and commitment of the people involved with every aspect of development, from concept through sales. EC&M is proud to bestow these awards on inventive products that ensure electrical professionals are able to do their jobs more efficiently and effectively.

Benefits

Entering your new products into EC&M's Product of the Year competition will provide tremendous exposure for your products and your company. In addition to identifying yourself as a leader in the electrical market, the Product of the Year competition provides repeated exposure in the industry. All product entries will be featured in a special tabloid showcase, which will be polybagged with the March issue of EC&M and the April issue Electrical Wholesaling. Readers will have the opportunity to request more information through a Reader Service Number that is run at no extra cost with your product information.

If your entry is selected as a category winner:

• Your product will be prominently displayed at the Electric West 2010 show, where thousands of electrical contractors, plant/facility personnel, datacom installers, and engineers come to see the newest products offered to the industry. Finalists who exhibit at Electric West 2010 will be able to place brochures or sell sheets below their entry's display at the show.
• Your company will be presented with a plaque to commemorate achieving Category Winner standing in the EC&M Product of the Year competition.
• Your linked product digital image will be displayed as a featured category winner on the EC&M website.
• Your company will be awarded use of the EC&M Product of the Year Category Winner logo in all marketing materials. If your product is selected as a platinum, gold, or silver award winner, your company will receive additional recognition through:
• A special write up in a mid-year issue of EC&M magazine
• A commemorative trophy or plaque
• Use of the Product of the Year platinum, silver, or gold logo in all marketing materials.

Selection Process

All entries will be judged by a panel of industry professionals and experts selected by the EC&M editorial staff. The panel will review each entry and select a winner for each product category. EC&M will display all category winner information on the exhibit floor at the Electric West 2010 show in Las Vegas — and in a special supplement to the EC&M March 2010 issue. EC&M's subscribers will then cast their votes for the Product of the Year through an online ballot on the magazine's website. The Product of the Year platinum, gold, and silver award winners will be determined by readers' votes and the decision of our expert panel. In the event of a tie, the EC&M editorial staff will cast the deciding vote.

Official Rules

1. Entry Form. All entries must be accompanied by an official entry form. Incomplete entry forms or entries with false or misleading information will be disqualified without refund.
2. Eligibility. All entries must meet this criteria:
• The product must be available for purchase in the United States.
• The product must first be available for purchase between Jan. 1, 2009, and Dec. 31, 2009. (Redesigns or significant modifications occurring within the entry dates will be considered at the judges' discretion and must be presented as such.)
• The entry form must be signed by an employee who is an authorized representative of the manufacturer that produced the product.
3. Entries. Your entry must be submitted according to these guidelines. There is no limit to the number of products each company may enter. Entries that do not meet required guidelines may be disqualified without refund. Due to the change to an all-digital entry and judging process, samples will not be accepted.
4. Deadline. All entry materials, including the payment of $325 per product, must be received in the EC&M editorial office by Jan. 22, 2010, at 5 p.m. CST. In fairness to companies that take extra effort to submit their entries on time, this deadline will not be extended.

Product Categories

The EC&M Product of the Year competition will recognize winners in up to 25 categories (sample list):

• Ballasts
• Boxes
• Cable Fittings & Terminating Devices
• Computers & Software
• Conduit, Raceways & Wireways
• Connectors & Terminating Devices
• Construction Equipment
• Fasteners, Hangers & Accessories
• Lamps
• Lighting Controls
• Lighting Fixtures
• Monitoring Instruments
• Motors, Drives & Motor Controls
• Portable Test & Measurement Equipment
• Power Conditioning Equipment
• Power Distribution Equipment
• Power Sources
• Protective Devices
• Racks & Enclosures
• Security Equipment & Systems
• Specialty Products
• Tools (Hand)
• Tools (Equipment)
• Tools (Accessory Items)
• Voice/Data/Video Equipment
• Wire & Cable
• Wiring Devices

For more details on how to enter this year's contest, click here.

2009 Winner

The 2009 platinum award winner confirms the adage that sometimes two are better than one. The Tamper-resistant nightlight/GFCI combination device from Syracuse, N.Y.-based Pass Seymour/Legrand (P&S) aimed at residential homeowners, the product incorporates an LED nightlight into a tamper-resistant duplex ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI), meeting 2008 NEC standards for child electrical safety in newly constructed single- and multi-family dwellings.
The 2009 Gold Award: The first runner-up in this year's Product of the Year competition came from the luminaires (indoor/LED) category and went to Juno Lighting for its LED downlight. This recessed LED downlight features 5-in. and 6-in. LED housings available in new construction and remodel styles.
The 2009 Silver Award: The second runner-up in this year's competition was Ideal Industries' TKO hole cutters in the tools (hand/accessory) category. TKO carbide tipped hole cutters are designed to cut sheet metal and stainless steel.
Read more about the 2009 category winners.

2008 Winner

People say change is hard, but EC&M’s 2008 Product of the Year winner is helping to dispel this common notion. EverLED TR from Randolph, Vt.-based LEDdynamics is a direct “drop-in” replacement for standard fluorescent tubes that uses the existing fluorescent ballast of a luminaire. According to the company, the product is compatible with most standard ballast-equipped fluorescent light fixtures, including lenses, reactive and electronic ballasts, and programmed/instant/rapid/trigger start.
The 2008 Gold Award: Adjustable Mud Ring. The first runner-up in this year’s Product of the Year competition came from the boxes category and went to Thomas & Betts for its Steel City adjustable mud ring. The product ensures that stud-mounted outlet boxes fit flush with any thickness of finished drywall, plaster, or ceramic tile, according to the company.
The Silver Award: LED Linear Lighting. The second runner-up in this year’s competition was Juno Lighting Group’s Trac 12 LED in the lighting fixture category. Juno Trac 12 TL201LED low-power LEDs consume less than 15% of the power of conventional 5W low-voltage xenon lamps, according to the company.
Read more about the 2008 category winners.

2007 Winner

The KO Stamp from Deviser won EC&M’s 2007 contest by a knockout. This marking device for conduits helps electricians find the center points and conduit sizes to be installed in an electrical enclosure. According to the company, the device cuts layout time by 98%. To use, place the stamps into the electrical conduits, ink the tops of them, and then place the box on top of the stamps to accurately imprint center point and conduit size.
The 2007 gold award went to Carlon/Lamsom & Sessions for its Metal Adjust-A -Box. This product allows the installer to adjust the box to any wall thickness with the turn of a screw. Clip onto the stud, and then turn the screw to adjust the box in or out to make it flush with the finished wall.
The second runner-up in this year's competition was Fluke's 117 Digital Multimeter in the portable test & measurement equipment category. This device includes integrated VoltAlert non-contact voltage detection, which quickly senses the presence of AC voltage and provides a visual indicator to determine proper grounding.
Read more about the 2007 category winners.

2006 Winner

Short on features, but long on practicality, the One-Box non-metallic outlet box from Arlington Industries garnered the most votes from EC&M readers, securing the Platinum Award in the magazine's 2006 Product of the Year competition.
The One-Box is designed for new construction or retrofits and mounts securely to a wood or steel stud via its captive angled screws. If the box is set too far forward or too far back, you can easily back out the screws and reposition them for new work. In old work applications, the box mounts to the stud — not the drywall (as do boxes designed with wing brackets) — which enhances the structural integrity of the overall unit upon final installation.
Read more about the top three products. View the 2006 category winners.

2005 Winner

Proving the age-old adage that good things come in small packages, the Space Saver EMT Set Screw and Compression Connector from Cooper Crouse-Hinds garnered the most votes from EC&M readers to secure the Platinum Award in the magazine's 2005 Product of the Year competition.
The first runner-up was the 700 series of 600A and 1,000A industrial clamp meters with TightSight display from Ideal Industries.
The second runner-up was Southwire Co.'s Romex SIMpull tear-resistant, reduced friction nonmetallic Type NM-B cable.
Read more about the 2005 award winners.

2004 Winner

EC&M awarded Pass and Seymour/Legrand the 2004 Product of the Year Platinum Award for its Trademaster Decorator Combination Devices. The second and third place runners-up are MGE UPS Systems' Evolution Nexa RM Fuel Cell UPS and KO Instruments' CBA1000 Circuit Breaker Analyzer. View the list of the 2004 category winners.

2003 Winner

Drill-spotting tool helps electricians take the guesswork out of drilling

EC&M readers select the First Edition Products DrillSpotter as the 2003 Product of the Year. Learn about the 20 finalists.
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2002 Winner

Encore's Color-Coded Cable

Encore Wire Ltd., McKinney, Texas, expanded its line of color-coded wire and cable to NM-B, THHN and XHHW-2 building wire. Each wire size now comes in a different color. Encore Wire introduced its colored wire and cable for the commercial market in 1999 to help contractors with installation and inspection, simplify inventory management and provide a safer, more efficient work environment.
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2001 Winner

Generac's Power Player

Powered by natural gas and offering remote control and monitoring, the DG 50 generator offers small retail and commercial users a one-two punch -- 50kW of backup power during blackouts or power interruptions and an on-site power source that can help them slash their electrical bills by managing their power consumption and feeding excess power to the utility grid.
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