Awarded by the President of the United States himself, The NMTI (National Medal of Technology and Innovation) is the highest honor for technological achievement and innovation.

What is the National Medal of Technology and Innovation?

The NMTI was established in 1980 by the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act (1980), and was first presented in awarded in 1985.

This award is recognised as the highest honor for technological achievement and innovation in America. The award highlights the critical importance of technological innovation plays in present-day American culture and our history.

The medal also stands as a symbol of inspiration for the future generations of Americans preparing to pursue technical careers, keeping America at the forefront of international technological and economic leadership.

Who Can Win the National Medal of Technology and Innovation?

It is awarded to individuals, teams of up to 4 people, companies or divisions of companies in recognition of outstanding contributions to America’s economic, environmental, and social well-being.

The winner of the medal has made a lasting contribution to America’s national competitiveness, standard of living, and quality of life through technological innovation.

As a result, the winner has also made substantial contributions to strengthening the nation’s technological workforce.

Notable previous winners include Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and multinational organisations such as eBay, Johnson & Johnson, and IBM.

How is the winner of the medal selected?

The National Medal of Technology and Innovation Nomination Evaluation Committee selects the winner of the award. This committee is made up of distinguished and independent experts and are appointed by the secretary of commerce.

These individuals review and evaluate each of the candidates nominated on merit and makes its recommendations for the medal candidates to the secretary of commerce.

It is the President himself that makes the final selection.

How do I nominate someone for the National Medal of Technology and Innovation?

The National Medal of Technology and Innovation (NMTI) is accepting nomination forms and letters of support now. Anyone can submit their nomination, but must do so by April 30th 2021.

Would you like to learn more about America’s highest honor for technological achievement and innovation? A Live webinar session will be available soon to answer any questions and offer clarification.

A recording of the session will also remain available after the event.

Tips for Writing a NMTI Recommendation Letter (credit USPTO)

• Letters should be written by individuals from varied organizations and backgrounds (ie. they should not all come from the nominee’s workplace). The letters should reflect direct knowledge and expert understanding of the nominee and his/her work.
• Give a brief introduction and describe your association with/to the nominee.
  Focus your letter on your own personal and expert knowledge and understanding of how the nominee has demonstrated innovative leadership in technological achievement on their field, other fields, their community, nationally, and/or globally.
• Describe your familiarity with some or all of the work specifically chronicled on the nomination form and the benefit you have seen this work deliver to you, your colleagues, and to society as a whole. Specifically, the committee is looking for lasting contributions to America’s competitiveness, standard of living, quality of life, or strengthening the nation’s technological workforce.
  Mention specifically the time period for which you are most familiar with the nominee’s cited work; be specific by use of an anecdote or through use of numbers.
• Mention other pertinent information about the nominee that may be helpful to the committee members in their evaluation.
• You will receive a link from the nominator on where to upload your letter. You must upload your letter prior to the award deadline.
• Your letter should be a PDF file, named with the last name of the nominee, underscore, first name, underscore, the word “rec” and the last name of the person writing the support letter (pdf).

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