The Microscopy Today Innovation Awards were established to honor innovative microscopy-related products and methods that appeared in the previous year. Winning products and methods are selected on the basis of their importance and usefulness to the microscopy community. The innovations most likely to win are those that provide better, faster, or entirely new methods of analysis by some type of microscope or microanalytical instrument.

The Evaluation Committee, under the leadership of Tom Kelly, looked for innovations that will allow new and impactful experimental investigations. There were many innovative products and methods nominated, making selection of the awardees difficult. The following ten innovations received the 2010 awards:

• Adaptive Band Excitation in scanning probe microscopy

• JEOL Clairscope™ integrated light microscope/SEM

• Direct Electron DDD sensor that detects individual electrons

• Dynamic Transmission Electron Microscope (DTEM)

• Nanonics Hydra™ MultiProbe BioScanned Probe Microscope

• Luminace Contrast illumination for light microscopy

• Agilent/Novelx “mySEM” with electrostatic electron optics

• Fischione Model 1040 NanoMill TEM specimen preparation system

• FEI Tecnai Osiris™ Scanning/Transmission Electron Microscope

• Ultra-high-resolution atomic imaging of surfaces and bulk materials

Descriptions of these innovations are given in an article within this issue. Congratulations to the developers of these instruments and methods.

Details of the nomination process for the 2011 Microscopy Today Innovation Awards will be posted on the Microscopy Today website (www.microscopy-today.com) on November 1, 2010. Nomination applications for the 2011 awards will be accepted through March 1, 2011.