BELLINGHAM, WASH -- Applications are now open for the 2025 SPIE Prism Awards. The awards, presented by SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, recognize the most innovative optics and photonics products on the market, across the growing range of the technologies’ applications. The annual industry event will celebrate its 17th anniversary on 29 January, during a gala evening at SPIE Photonics West.

In 2025, along with the regular slate of awards in areas ranging from healthcare and sensing, to lasers and quantum, SPIE will once again showcase the SPIE Catalyst Award. Now in its second year, the Catalyst Award honors for-profit companies with specific social or environmentally focused programs that have had significant positive impact, either within their workplace, on society at large, or on the environment. The inaugural winner of the SPIE Catalyst Award last year was Intel Corporation, for their workforce-training program.

“The SPIE Prism Awards highlight the best and most innovative optics and photonics technologies on the market,” said SPIE CEO Kent Rochford. “It takes significant efforts to bring these transformative products to market, efforts that we are proud to celebrate every year. I invite companies with a new photonic product to honor the team’s hard work and submit an application for consideration, showcasing their exciting light-enabled accomplishments.”

Last year’s Prism Award winners — across categories such as AR/VR/MR, autonomy, biomedical, cameras and imaging, lasers, quantum tech, sensors, software, and test and measurement — were Porotech, ANELLO Photonics, JenLab GmbH, Thorlabs, Inc., EKSPLA, Qunnect, Scantinel Photonics GmbH, Frenel Imaging, and Persistence Data Mining. Winners from previous years have included newly emerging companies or startups such as Double Helix Optics, PhotoniCare, Luminar, Blackmore, and WaveOptics, as well as more established industry giants like General Electric, IPG Photonics, Edmund Optics, and Leica.

The deadline for applications is 13 September.