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Outstanding contributor award

Bluetooth Support

The outstanding contributor award recognizes a Bluetooth SIG member who has made significant contributions to a Working Group over the past year. It is one of the SIG's annual member awards, voted on by the membership and presented at the annual September Bluetooth SIG Member Summit reception.

Who this applies to: Any individual at a Bluetooth SIG member company in good standing. The nominee does not need to hold any formal role. Nominations are submitted by other members, not self-submitted.

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What the outstanding contributor award is

Outstanding contributor recognizes the impact someone has had right now: the engineer who pushed a specification across the finish line, the contributor whose technical work shaped a key feature, the member whose recent effort visibly moved the work forward.

One outstanding contributor is selected each year.

Who is eligible

Any individual at a Bluetooth SIG member company in good standing is eligible, regardless of membership level (Associate, Promoter, or Adopter). The nominee does not need to hold any formal role. Chairs, Vice Chairs, regular Working Group participants, and individual contributors are all eligible.

Not eligible:

  • Members of the Bluetooth Special Technical Standards (BSTS) team
  • Current SIG staff
  • Current SIG Board members

Who can nominate

Any individual at a SIG member company may submit a nomination. There is no restriction on which membership level can nominate.

Self-nominations are not accepted for this award.

What "outstanding contribution" means

For this award, "outstanding contribution" means significant work performed in the 12 months immediately preceding the opening of nominations that has visibly advanced a Working Group's work.

Strong nominations point to specific, verifiable contributions made during this window. Examples include:

  • Authoring or co-authoring a specification, change request, or test suite that was adopted
  • Driving resolution of a difficult technical problem within a Working Group
  • Leading a major piece of cross-functional work that shipped during the year
  • Substantial errata or TSE work that improved an adopted specification
  • Other recent, specific work that materially advanced the group

The exact dates of the 12-month window are stated in each year's nomination announcement.

Long histories of past contribution belong in other categories such as lifetime achievement. Outstanding contributor is about the past 12 months.

What to include in a nomination

A nomination must include:

  • Nominee's name and the SIG member company they work for
  • Working Group where the contribution was made
  • Justification: a brief statement (a few sentences) explaining why this person stands out
  • Specific examples of the contribution from the past 12 months, including what they did, when, and what the impact was

Vague nominations rarely win. Voters read many nominations, and the ones with concrete examples (named specs, dates, outcomes) are easier to evaluate and easier to choose.

How the award is decided

  1. Nomination period: Nominations open on 3 June 2026 and will run for four weeks.
  2. Voting period: Once nominations close, voting opens for four weeks. Voting is open to Associate and Promoter member companies, with one vote per member company.
  3. Board approval: The vote result is reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors.
  4. Announcement: The winner is announced at the annual Member Summit reception.

Conflict of interest

Voting is anonymous, and member companies are not restricted from voting for individuals at their own company. However, voters are expected to consider all qualified nominees on their merits, not based on company affiliation.

What the winner receives

  • A plaque or comparable physical recognition
  • Public announcement at the Bluetooth SIG Member Summit reception and in SIG communications
  • Acknowledgment on the SIG's member awards page

FAQ

There is no formal restriction on winning in multiple years, but the award recognizes contributions made in the 12 months immediately preceding the nomination period. A repeat win requires a fresh contribution record within that new window.
Yes. There is no restriction on nominating someone at your own company.
Yes. Multiple nominations from the same company are allowed.
No. Outstanding leadership is a separate award that recognizes Chairs and Vice Chairs of Working Groups, Committees, Expert Groups, and Task Forces. Outstanding contributor is open to any member, in any role.

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