For the first time, Intersolar India members are eligible to enter into competition for the internationally coveted Intersolar Award, which recognizes innovation in the solar industry.

North America and Europe have been the only candidates for the last three years of the award, Intersolar spokeswoman Iris Funke wrote in an e-mail from Germany.

“The Intersolar award reflects the industry’s international character and global importance,” Funke wrote. “Therefore the decision to invite all of the exhibitors to participate was consistently the next step.”

Intersolar China is likely to be invited next year, Funke wrote.

The award does not come with a cash prize, but is coveted in the industry and draws attention from the hundreds of investors who attend the Intersolar events.

“The Intersolar award signet identifies them as the most innovative companies of the industry,” Funke wrote.

The deadline for entering the competition is April 1 and the awards are presented at Intersolar Europe in June.

This year, an expert panel of judges coming from various backgrounds in the solar industry will determine the winners of the Intersolar award. They will give special attention this year to innovations that result in reduced solar panel cost and smart grid technologies that make renewable energy more efficient, Funke wrote.

“But this is only one equal criteria among others,” she wrote. “The jury judges the submissions based on the extent of their technological innovation, their benefit for industry, the environment and society and their economic viability.”

Previous winners of the award include Festo AG & Co. KG of Germany for creating a faster handling system, Solartechnik GMBH for its solar thermal energy storage technology advances, Invensor GMBH for its solar-powered cooling system, ABB Schweiz AG for its high-performance process system that know when strings go out and protects unaffected ones, and Gehrlicher Solar Ag for its solar panel transportation and mounting system.

Those are just a few among previous winners that have changed the face of the solar industry with their technologies, Funke wrote.

The contest winner will be announced during the Intersolar Europe exhibition in June.