IASA members will get an opportunity to be partof innovation when the association selects this year'sTechnology Innovation Award.

Rather than name the award winner during the IASA's annualconference, award coordinators will unveil the top three finalistsduring the gathering this week. Then, later this year, for thefirst time, the award winner will be selected in September at theIASA's Executive Edge conference. In another first, associationmembers will participate in selecting the award winner.

The revised award format is designed to benefit IASA members byshowcasing far more information about outstanding technologicaldevelopments, according to award coordinators Celeska Fredianelliand Leah Hollstegge.

As has been the case every year since the Technology InnovationAward's inception in 2008 — when the honor was called theTechnology Award — only insurance companies are eligible. Vendors,however, could nominate award candidates, even when the vendor andinsurer collaborated on a technology innovation, notes Fredianelli,a Southfield, Mich.-based vice president-financial planning andanalysis at QBE North America. And, as always, insurers couldsubmit nominations for technology that they developed alone inhouse, she says.

Fredianelli notes that IASA modified the award's name threeyears ago to stress that it “was not just about technology but thatit also relates to something on the cutting edge.” IASA wants torecognize technological developments that are creative and have had“a big impact” on the performance of the insurers that areimplementing the technology, she says.

“This (innovation) might put you a step ahead of other carriersor competitors,” Fredianelli says.

But when the award was presented at past IASA annualconferences, she, as a conference attendee, wanted more informationnot only about the winning technology but also about its topcompetition.

“I thought there was great educational content in thesesubmissions that we weren't using as best we could,” she says. “Itseemed a shame to have a lot of wonderful innovations that wentaway without sharing that information.”

So this year, the judging panel will select the top threefinalists, rather than the award winner. The finalists will beselected by an eight-person panel consisting of the IASA's currentand future chief information officers and representatives ofinsurers, consulting or analyst groups and the media.

Because the award winner will not be determined until later inthe year, the nomination deadline was extended this year, notesHollstegge, a director at insurer management consultant Ward Groupof Cincinnati. Ward has sponsored the award since it wascreated.

In addition, rather than having to demonstrate the impact thatnew technology had on organizations as of year-end 2012, thatcut-off date was pushed back to the end of 2013's firstquarter.

At the Executive Edge Conference, scheduled for Sept. 29-30 atthe Marriott Hartford Downtown hotel in Hartford, Conn., each ofthe finalists will be asked to make a presentation about their newtechnology the second day of the conference. The presentations willserve a dual purpose, Fredianelli explains: It will give thenominees one more chance to champion their submissions, and IASAmembers will have the opportunity to learn about an innovation thatcould benefit their own organizations.

After the presentations, the winner will be determined through anew, yet-to-be announced process that will give Executive Edgeattendees a vote in the selection.

With more nominees having a greater role in the process and IASAmembers participating in the award selection, “It's a win-winacross the group,” Hollstegge maintains, noting that nominationsthis year are especially detailed, including evidence on the newtechnologies' business impact. She says greater detail likely isthe result of submitters getting more comfortable with IASA'snomination requirements.

Fredianelli and Hollstegge stress that nominations must bedetailed, particularly on an innovation's business impact.

“That will provide great food for thought” for other IASAmembers, Fredianelli says. “Could I do something like that, thoughit may not be the exact same thing?”