Have your say in pest control’s ‘Oscars’ for 2014

Pest associate editor, Helen Riby, explains: “Now in its fifth year, we have already had some fantastic winners. All products introduced commercially during the 20 month qualifying period, that’s between 1 January last year (2013) and 31 August this year, can be put forward, with one exception. Products which have already achieved a first, second or third place cannot be nominated again.

“So, for 2014 you cannot nominate the 2013 winners, which were the XL8 telescopic lance from Lance Lab, Formidor ant bait from BASF Pest Control Solutions and Bell Laboratories” Detex non-tox soft bait. These apart you can put forward as many new products as you would like and you can add to your nominations as the year progresses.”

For example, all products launched at PestEx last April and anything from PestTech last November will be eligible for the 2014 award. As always Pest readers are in the driving seat. Throughout the year, Pest publications will update you on progress and provide opportunities for product nominations, before, finally giving you the chance to vote for the product you feel has been the most innovative – the product which has made the greatest improvement to your life and/or your working practices.

You can nominate products by downloading our online PDF form, or by using the nomination form in Issue 31, the January & February 2014 edition of Pest magazine. Feel free to photocopy the form if you don”t want to deface your copy of the magazine.

Alternatively you can email the editor. Please type Best Product Award in the subject line and be sure to include: 
• Your name; 
• Your company/organisation”s name; 
• The products you would like to nominate.

Nominations will close at midnight on 31 August 2014 and a shortlist will be drawn up. We will then invite you to vote for the product you feel has been the most innovative – the product which has made the greatest improvement to your life and/or your working practices.

The mechanics are quite simple
• 27 January 2014 – Pest Best Product Award announced 
• 27 January to 31 August 2014 – Pest readers nominate their selected products 
• 1 September 2014 – product shortlist drawn-up from nominations sent in 
• 1 September to 30 October 2014 – readers vote to establish the winner 
• 31 October 2014 – all votes counted 
• 5 November 2014 – award presented during PestTech.

Qualifying period
Any product launched between 1 January 2013 and 31 August 2014 can be nominated.

Rules of engagement 
We’ve tried to keep it as simple as possible but there are some rules to follow. 
1. Only commercial pest control products can be nominated. Services, promotional schemes, special offers and the like are excluded; 
2. Products nominated must have been launched after 1 January 2013 and before midnight on 31 August 2014; 
3. Products which have previously achieved 1st, 2nd or 3rd place in an earlier year cannot be re-nominated. 
4. Products must have been fully commercially available during the time period shown in 2 above. Products supplied free for trials purposes cannot be entered; 
5. Only products sold in the UK are eligible; 
6. Entries must be made via an official printed nomination form as supplied by Pest or by using the online form accessible via this website or emailing the editor as deatiled above; 
7. Readers can submit up to five products per nomination form but can only nominate the same product once. You can send in an unlimited number of nomination forms; 
8. Readers may vote for their top two products, but may only submit one voting form. Second choices will be taken into account in the event of a tie; 
9. Entries submitted after midnight on 30 October 2014 will not be counted. 

Nominations now open 
So, nominations for the Pest Best Product Award 2014 are now open!

Legal stuff 
• In the event of a tie then reader”s second choices will be taken into account. If there is still a tie, all the products with the same score will receive the award; 
• The count will be conducted by Pest publications and the decision made by Pest will be final. No correspondence will be entered into; 
• The results will be announced at PestTech and on the Pest website and in Pest magazine; 
• Pest takes no responsibility for late or lost entries. Proof of sending is not proof of receipt; 
• Pest will only use your personal details for the purposes of administering this award and will not publish them or provide them to anyone else without your permission.