Celebrate the New Year by putting in your entry for the 2011 Optician Awards to gain recognition for you, your company or your practice.
Sixteen categories are open for entry and trophies will be awarded for excellence in areas aimed at individuals, optical practices and for the first time, at those who supply optical practices.
The line-up of categories includes some of the regular favourites plus some new ones for 2011. Tax expert AEL is once again the sponsor of the Optometrist of the Year Award while the Dispensing Optician of the Year is sponsored by Luxottica for the first time. The Contact Lens Practitioner of the Year is sponsored by CIBA Vision, while a trophy will be awarded to the Optical Assistant Team of the Year which always proves to be a popular category.
New categories have been created to provide optical companies with an opportunity to gain recognition for their excellence. Next April trophies will be awarded for the Lens Product of the Year, the Contact Lens Product of the Year, the Frame of the Year and the Optical Supplier of the Year.
Entries can be made by logging onto www.opticianawards.co.uk/ and submitting a 500-1,000 word statement. Additional materials may be submitted by post. Each category will be judged by a panel of industry experts and shortlists published in Optician in the new year.
The trophies will be presented at a black tie bash at the Hilton Metropole hotel next to the National Exhibition Centre near Birmingham on Saturday April 9 during the Optrafair weekend. The event is expected to attract over 500 guests from the industry and will have a Strictly Come Dancing theme. Optician readers with an interest in ballroom dancing are invited to apply to dance before celebrity dance experts in a competition on the night. Anyone interested should contact chris.bennett@rbi.co.uk as soon as possible.
? Closing date for entries is January 21 and an extension is unlikely to be made.
