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All you need to know

Awards

We are proud of the esteemed awards presented at ONS, which are greatly appreciated by those who support the event. In this overview you find information about the awards, how the winners are chosen, how to send in applications and list of previous winners.

Award Categories

The following awards are handed out during ONS

ONS Innovation awards

Through the ONS Innovation Awards we recognise the crucial importance of cutting-edge technology and solutions. The first award was presented in 1982.

In 2004 the SME Innovation award was established to ensure that small and medium-sized enterprises are given the chance to highlight their new developments.

Previous winners

2022
– Wärtsilä Norway’s “Demo2000”
– Ruden AS for “HEAT” (SME Innovation Award)
2020
– Equinor, Shell and Total’s “Northern Lights project”
– Blue Logic for “Subsea docking station” (SME Innovation Award)
2018
– Interwell for “Thermite P&A Barrier”
– Typhonix for “Typhoon Valve System” (SME Innovation Award)
2016
– Island Offshore and Centrica for Riser-less coil tubing drilling
– TechInvent for the FluidCom™ technology (SME Innovation Award)
2014
– Schlumberger – for their GeoSphere – reservoir mapping while drilling service
– Fishbones – for or its completion method for making large numbers of laterals simultaneously out of one wellbore (SME Innovation Award)
2012
– Aker Solutions & Statoil – for the Åsgard Subsea Gas Compression System
– Biota Guard – for the Biota Guard System (SME Innovation Award)
2010
– FMC Technologies – for the development of its innovative well control system, “Through Tubing Rotary Drilling” – TTRD
– Reelwell – for its research-based innovations, The Reelwell Drilling Method and Telemetry System (SME Innovation Award)
2008
– Welltec – reverse circulating bit
– Cubility – for its MudCube™ enhanced fluid cleaning system (SME Innovation Award)
2006
– Aker Kvaerner – Subsea
– Tomax (SME Innovation Award)
2004
– BP Norge AS – seismic on demand,  a new way to monitor reservoirs
– Total Catcher – the tubing disappearing plug  (SME Innovation Award)
2002
– AS Norske Shell – Fuel cell with zero emissions
– Easy Well Solutions (Incubator Award)
2000 Norsk Hydro ASA – H-Sep system for downhole separation of wellstream fluids
1998 ABB Offshore Technology AS – Subsis
1996 Maritime Hydraulics AS – RamRig drilling machine
1994 ETPM – SmartLeg heavy deck installation
1992 Kværner Energy AS – Booster station for subsea production
1990 Eastman Christensen – Contribution to added flexibility and accuracy in directional and horizontal drilling systems
1988 Norwegian Petroleum Consultants AS – Triss field development concept
1986 Ugland/Kongsberg Joint venture – Ukols offshore loading system
1984 Mobil Exploration and Production Norway – Subsea Atmospheric System
1982 Norwegian Contractors – Condeep

Timeline for ONS Innovation Awards 2024
  • The application portal opens 11 March 2024
  • Deadline for applications – the portal closes 22 May 2024
  • The number of candidates is announced in June 2024
  • Finalists are announced in August 2024
  • The finalist and their innovations will be presented in all ONS channels
  • The awards will be presented to the winners in an award ceremony

Objective:
The objective of the ONS Innovation Awards is to promote efforts that support energy transition at all stages of the value chain.  

Background – explanatory information for the ones who intend to nominate:
ONS offers a unique opportunity for enterprises to present new solutions to challenges in the energy transition. The ONS Innovation Awards are intended to encourage inventors, operators, entrepreneurs, suppliers and contractors to promote their innovations (technologies, products, services, processes or business models) through this high-profile contest.

  • The ONS Innovation Awards address energy transition and includes all forms of energy.
  • The innovation should have a place in the Net Zero future.
  • The ONS Innovation Awards have two categories: one for large companies and one for small- and medium-sized companies (SME). There will be one winner for each category.
  • The nomination should be submitted from the core team or company behind the actual innovation. Clients or collaborating partners should be mentioned as part of the nomination.

General Rules and Criteria for the ONS innovation awards

Innovations accepted for consideration by the jury, and thereby for publication on the ONS web site, should relate to industry requirements as outlined above, and:

  • Constitute technologies, products, services, processes or business models and/or applications which are new/recently developed
  • be accompanied by enough information about the company behind the innovation so that the innovation can be easily placed in the correct category
  • be accompanied by a description of the team behind the innovation
  • be accompanied by a concise description of the innovation involved and answer clearly to all the criteria listed
  • be written in English and in layman’s terms so that it is understandable to those outside of one’s own field of technology discipline/subject. Some of the jury members are specialists, others are generalists, the descriptions must therefore be easy to understand for all
  • be submitted via the internet to the organiser with full documentation at any time up to application deadline

In order to achieve an effective and fair evaluation, the information requested must be submitted strictly in accordance with the specified format, which can be found on the ONS Innovation Awards website. Nominations that do not follow the formal requirements as outlined in the online portal will be rejected.

Jury assessment and evaluation criteria:

The jury will allocate entries to the relevant awards based on the information provided by the applicant. The following criteria will apply when evaluating the entries for both awards:  


Level of innovation  

  • Novelty of innovation involved (in the specific enterprise, in a specific industry or sector, in a national or global market)  
  • Incremental, disruptive or radical innovation      

Value potential

  • added value by the innovation and its likely business benefit to the enterprises involved (e.g. annual sales, new business lines, expanded customer base etc.)  
  • whether the innovation is a niche product, has possibilities for wider adoption, is a small step or something that can revolutionize the industry.
  • any other added value for the society  

Market readiness  

  • Identified local or global market potential and customers.  
  • whether the innovation is fully developed, has been tested/proven or has reached first commercial sales (reference to the EU TRL (Technology Readiness Levels) scale  
  • plan for execution/implementation/route to market

Environmental impact

  • how the innovation reduces or enables environmental impact compared to existing solutions  
  • how the innovation is in line with the aspirations of the Net Zero future

This document describes ONS and the Jury’s (the “Recipients’ ”) confidentiality policy (the “Confidentiality Policy”) towards applicants (“the Disclosing party”) in relation to information received in connection with the application for ONS Innovation awards (the “Confidential Information”). Applicants for the ONS Innovation awards are subject to acceptance of this Confidentiality Policy.

Recipients will receive Confidential Information as a part of the assessment of the applications. The jury is selected on the basis of their experience and reputation and are asked and expected to use the same care and respect for confidentiality as they do in reviewing designs, business ideas and product concepts in their other offices and positions. In particular, the Recipients shall:

  1. Keep the Confidential Information secret and confidential and not disclose any of it to any person other than individuals i) who are directors or employees of ONS or ii) members of the Jury; and iii) who need to know the same for the purposes of considering, evaluating, advising on or furthering the application.
  2. only use the Confidential Information for the sole purpose of considering, evaluating, advising on or furthering the application and shall not use it for any other purpose;
  3. keep the Confidential Information and any copies thereof secure and in such a way so as to prevent unauthorised access by any third party, shall not make any copies of it or reproduce it in any form except for the purpose of supplying the same to those to whom disclosure is permitted in accordance with this policy; and
  4. inform the Disclosing party immediately if the Recipient becomes aware that Confidential Information has been disclosed to an unauthorised third party.

The Confidential Information shall remain the property of the Disclosing party and its disclosure shall not confer on the Recipient any rights (including any intellectual property rights) over the Confidential Information whatsoever.

The provisions above shall not restrict any disclosure required by law or by any court of competent jurisdiction, or any enquiry or investigation by any governmental, official or regulatory body which is lawfully entitled to require any such disclosure.

If Confidential Information is disclosed to third parties, by a violation of this Confidential Policy, the Recipients will have no liability whatsoever towards the Disclosing party, to the extent it is possible to limit responsibility according to Norwegian law and court practice.

This Confidentiality Policy shall be governed by Norwegian law. Venue shall be Stavanger District Court, Norway.

This document describes the ONS and the Innovation Award Jury’s guidelines on conflict of interest with respect to evaluation of and decision on application(s) received for the Innovation Awards.Each individual is responsible for assessing his/her own impartiality and providing notification of any circumstance which may disqualify him/her.

The provisions pertaining to impartiality is based on Chapter II “Concerning disqualification” of the Public Administration Act.

1.1 Disqualification based on discretionary assessment
A member of the Innovation Award Jury or member of the ONS Administration shall be disqualified from preparing the basis for a decision or from making any decision in a case if there are any special circumstances which are apt to impair confidence in his or her impartiality.

Every effort should be made to assess impartiality on a discretionary basis. Such assessment should primarily be focused on whether special circumstances exist that could impair confidence in a member’s impartiality. In other words, the crucial element here is not whether there is reason to believe that an individual will act in a non-impartial manner, but whether confidence in this individual is likely to be diminished. It is on the basis of how this will be perceived by the parties involved, as well as by the public at large, that the assessment must be carried out.

Example on special circumstances that could impair confidence in a member’s impartiality: A bid situation or an aquisition involving a member of the Innovation Jury (or his/her enterprise/institution) and an applicant.


1.2 Automatic disqualification
A member of the Innovation Award Jury or member of the ONS Administration shall automatically be disqualified from preparing the basis for a decision or from making any decision if:

  • he himself or she herself is party to the case;
  • he or she is related by blood or by marriage to a party in direct line of ascent or descent, or collaterally as close as a sibling
  • he or she is or has been married or engaged to, cohabitant with or the registered partner of a party, or is the foster parent or foster child of a party;
  • he or she is the agent of a party to the case or has been the agent of a party after the case began;
  • he or she is the head of, or holds a senior position in, or is a member of the executive board or the corporate assembly of a public or private institution that is a party to the case;
  • he himself or she herself is a party to an application in direct competition with the application being processed.

A person who is a party to the case, or is in a close relationship to a party to the case as described under this section, will be automatically disqualified without any further consideration

SME Innovation Award

In 2004 the SME Innovation award was established to ensure that small and medium-sized enterprises are given the chance to highlight their new developments.


Best Stand Awards

Through the ONS Best Stand Awards, we recognize exhibitors that stand out. There are two awards in this category, one for exhibition stands larger than 50 sq. m., and one for those smaller than 50 sq. m. The jury nominates five exhibitors in each category before the final announcement of the winners.

Previous winners

2022
– Wintershall Dea (larger than 50 sq.m)
– Safety Tools (smaller than 50 sq.m)

2018
– Wintershall (larger than 50 sq.m)

– IGUS (smaller than 50 sq.m)

2016
– Vestteknikk (larger than 50 sq.m)
– Norwegian Petroleum Directorate/Ministry of Petroleum and Energy (smaller than 50 sq.m)

2014
– Centrica (larger than 50 sq.m)
– Gassco (smaller than 50 sq.m)

2012
– Welltec (larger than 50 sq. m)
– Talisman (smaller than 50 sq. m)

2010
– Statoil (larger than 50 sq. m)
– Latchways PLC (smaller than 50 sq. m)

2008 Statkraft

2006 ExxonMobil

2004 Verbundnetz Gaz

2002 Norske Conoco

2000 Universal Sodexho

1998 Aker Maritime

1996 Umoe

1994 Statoil

1992 Elf Petroleum Norge

1990 Alfa Laval

1988 Harwell OffshoreTechnology Centre

Criteria for Best Stand Award
  • Does the exhibition stand catch the eye? Overall creativity, design concept and message, product or theme presentation, and reference to the ONS theme.
  • Is the stand booth inviting to visitors? Its allocation of space and functions as a meeting place.
  • Is the staff attentive? Welcoming atmosphere and interaction with visitors.
More information on stand booking for ONS 2024

The Distinguished Service Award

This award is presented to a person for distinguished service for the energy industry, to strengthen the global dialogue on energy, cleaner solutions, and/or for contributions towards enhancing the reputation of ONS.

Previous winners

2022 – Dr. Fatih Birol, Executive Director, International Energy Agency (IEA)

2018 – Bente Nyland, Director General, NPD and Philip Lambert, CEO, Lambert Energy

2016 – Lars A. Takla, previous Chairman of the Board

2014 – Jostein Haukali, first Director of ONS2012 – Magne Ognedal, Director General of the Norwegian
Petroleum Safety Authority

2010 – Maury Devine, vice chair of DNV Board and Erik Jølberg, founder of Tess

2008 – Gunnar Berge, chair of state owned Petoro

2006 – Dr Burckhard Bergmann, chairman of the executive board of Germany’s E.ON Ruhrgas and Jim Mullva,
president and CEO of ConocoPhillips

2004 –  Mr.David Loughman, executive vice president, Shell Europe and Mr. Terje Vareberg, president and CEO Sparebanken 1 SR-Bank

2000 – Mr. Arne Rettedal, former mayor of Stavanger and minister of labour and local affairs and the late Mr.
Henrik Ager-Hansen, former EVP.

1994 – Mr. Pete Silas, former president and CEO of Philips Petroleum Company

1990 – Mr. Arve Johnsen, former president and CEO of Statoil

1988 – Mr. Finn Lied, former Norwegian minister of industry