Purpose

The purpose of the Innovation in Analytics Award is to recognize creative and unique developments, applications or combinations of analytical techniques. The prize promotes the awareness of the value of analytics techniques in unusual applications, or in creative combination to provide unique insights and/or business value. The prize is not meant to recognize strictly theoretical advances, though theoretical advances might be an enabler to innovative applications. Similarly, the prize is not focused on implementation value created, but such value creation might add credibility to the innovation. 

Applicants can submit proposals in the descriptive, predictive or prescriptive areas of analytics. Descriptive innovation could include novel measures, visualization methods, or creative approaches to the analytics process improvement among others. Predictive innovation might be statistical application, text analytics or simulation, among others. Prescriptive innovation might include for example, game theory or optimization. The lists above are not meant to be exclusive, but rather illustrative examples of areas of innovation.

Organizing and Judging Committees

The organizing and judging committees will be made up of members of the Analytics Section of INFORMS. The 2012-2013 committee is to be determined. 
Michael F. Gorman, University of Dayton, Committee Chair
Committee members may serve for a minimum of one, and a maximum of 2 years. Past chairs of the committee and section officers may serve in an advisory role in order to create continuity.

Judging Criteria

• The judging criteria will be based on the level of uniqueness, creativity, value and (potential) contribution of the analytical techniques developed.
• Submissions will be evaluated based on innovations in any of the three dimensions of analytics: descriptive, predictive or prescriptive. Submissions that span more than one dimension of analytics are preferred.
• Implemented approaches are preferred but not required; to the extent implemented savings are claimed in the submission, the judging panel will seek verification of the implementation.
• Submissions that have the potential for more widespread use will be given added consideration, but particularly clever innovations with narrow focus are also highly valued.

The judging panel might choose, solely at its discretion, to call in subject matter experts to provide insights on an individual submission. All decisions of the judging panel are final. The judging panel can decide in any year that no award be given if no suitable applications are received.

Application Process

• Applicants should submit a brief summary (approximately 500 to 1000 words) of their work. 
  The format of such a submission is left to the discretion of the applicant, however, the write-up should include:

Summary Overview (100 words)

1. Introduction
2. Problem description
3. Techniques used (Descriptive, Predictive, Prescriptive)
4. Implementation
5. Results obtained
6. Future steps and conclusions

• Applicants may be queried by a subset of the committee to provide supplemental information, or to clarify, verify and validate their work via either written or oral questions (email or phone call).
• Finalist(s) will be selected based on their summary, presentation and response to judge’s questions.
• Applications should be submitted to:
  • Michael F. Gorman, Ph.D. 
    937-229-3382 
    michael.gorman@udayton.edu

Important Dates – 2012-2013 Award

The application process is as follows:

• Applicants should submit a brief (500-1000 word) summary of their work by July 15, 2012.
• Semifinalists will be notified by July 31, 2012. Applicants under consideration for semifinalist positions may be interviewed or asked to provide supplemental materials by judge(s) during the month of July.
• Semifinalists will be eligible to present at the INFORMS annual meeting in Phoenix (Monday or Tuesday, October 15 or 16 in the Innovations in Analytics Track; Final dates and times to be determined). Semifinalist presentation at the fall conference is preferred, but not required.
• Finalist(s) will be selected based on their submission, presentation at the conference, supplemental materials provided and and response to judge's questions. Finalists will be selected by November 30, 2012.
• Up to three finalists will present their work in a fifty minute session at the spring INFORMS Analytics Conference (April 7 or 8, 2013, San Antonio, TX).
• The winning submission will be announced at the INFORMS Analytics Conference.

Eligibility

• The prize is intended to recognize recent or on-going work. Any member of INFORMS is eligible to submit an application.
• Prior year’s non-finalist submissions are eligible to resubmit.
• No Analytics Section Officer or Innovation in Analytics Award judges are eligible.
• In order to win the Innovation in Analytics award, the applicant must be willing to share the innovation in a public presentation or publication, as described elsewhere in this document.

Prizes and Sponsors

Winner –$ 2000, Second – $1000, Third – $500
Each finalist will receive one complementary registration to the INFORMS Analytics Conference in San Antonio in 2013.
Each of the finalists will receive a plaque commemorating their accomplishment.

Finalists

• Finalist(s) are expected to present at the spring Analytics conference.
• Finalist(s) will be expected to write a summaries of their work for Analytics Magazine, OR/MS Today and/or the Analytics Newsletter.
• Winners and finalists are encouraged to submit their work to Interfaces, where it will undergo the standard review process