Submission Guidelines

The Orthopedics This Week Spine Technology Awards recognize exemplary and innovative spine surgery products and the engineering teams and inventors who create them.

Who May Enter:

Inventors (and companies) who’ve developed a new product which improves patient outcomes from spine surgery may enter this contest. Rules: Technologies that are eligible for a 2024 Spine Technology Award must be:

Any device, biomaterial, software-based device (robotic assist/navigation/artificial intelligence or augmented reality) or biologic product that was developed to improve the care of patients with spine disease.
The owners of the technology must have applied for patent protection within 36 months prior to the awards presentation (after September 25, 2021).
It need NOT be either FDA cleared or approved.
If FDA approved or cleared, such approval or clearance must be recent (i.e., within 12 months).
No prior WINNING technology may be submitted again.

How to Enter:

Complete an Entry Form on the Submission page for each technology. There is a $100 entry fee for each product
When we receive your entry form, then we will send you a technology submission form.
Please include one completed submission form for each technology per instructions on form.
Restrict support documentation to six (6) pages (8 pages total, including submission form). Any submissions that exceed 8 pages will be returned.
DO NOT exceed the 250-word total count.
DO NOT include graphics as part of the “Technology Description,” “Clinical Need Being Addressed” or “How does this technology improve upon current standards of care” sections.
All entries are the property of RRY Publications, LLC.

Submission Deadline: July 31, 2024

Winner Announcement: August 2024

Award Presentations: September 25-28, 2024 – at the 39th NASS Annual Meeting in Chicago.

Winning submissions are judged according to originality, clinical relevance, clinical problem solving, likelihood of improving patient outcomes, and cost effectiveness. The Spine Technology Award panel includes leading surgeons with clinical and research experience in robotics, cervical care, thoracolumbar care, motion preservation, minimally invasive spine care, biomaterials and biologics.

Awards and Recognition:

Winners will be announced mid-September and awards personally distributed at the NASS annual meeting in Boston. All winners will be featured in a special edition of Orthopedics This Week; OTM: Spine Magazine (post-conference issue) and their profiles will be posted on the Orthopedics This Week website (www.ryortho.com). Each winning company will be granted permission to post the profiles of their winning teams on their company websites and to distribute freely.

For an entry form or for more information contact: Suzanne Kirchner, at suzanne@ryortho.com or call 1-501-819-3990.