BARRINGTON, NJ —Edmund Optics (EO), a provider of optical components to both industry and academia, has announced the finalists for its 2014 Educational Award. Over 880 applications were received from around the world. This year Edmund Optics will be awarding over $85,000 USD in Edmund Optics products to the winners.

15 finalists were selected from the Americas, Asia, and Europe. The Educational Award recipients from each of the three regions will be announced on October 15, 2014. Each region will award a Gold ($10,000 in products), a Silver ($7,500 in products), and a Bronze ($5,000 in products). All remaining global finalists will be given a $500 Product Matching Award.

All finalists will be eligible for the Norman Edmund Inspiration Award: an additional $5,000 in products announced on November 5th to the program that best embodies the legacy of Edmund Optics' founder, Norman Edmund, for inspiring others to become interested in science and engineering.

"For the fifth year, our Educational Award program showcases the remarkable creativity and innovation of our applicants. So many of their programs continue to impress and inspire," said Kirsten Bjork-Jones, Director of Global Marketing Communications for EO. "The technical expertise and inventive use of optical components to create solutions that help make this world a better place is what this Educational Award program is all about. And inspiring optical innovation is key to what Edmund Optics is all about."

The 45 hopeful finalists, representing 21 countries, submitted applications ranging from developing a device to screen young children for neurodevelopmental disorders based on pupillary light reflex to designing solutions to assess water quality using high resolution microscopy.

The difficult task of selecting the winning award recipients from so many worthy finalists lies ahead for EO's global award team. The team will select three award recipients, in each region, based on two criteria: 1) technical merit, which is the application of optics in the program, and 2) the innovative use of optics in a lab or research setting.

Check back on October 15, 2014 to meet our 2014 Educational Award recipients. In the meantime, to meet the finalists, visit www.edmundoptics.com/award.