Cutting-edge technologies from both emerging startups and longtime industry stalwarts are among this year’s finalists for the SPIE Prism Awards. The 24 companies and their innovations, across eight categories, will be honored the evening of Feb. 1 during a gala banquet at SPIE Photonics West. The annual event, which recognizes industrial innovation in photonics, will celebrate its 15th year. SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, received 76 Prism Award applications from 19 countries for this year’s competition. Dynamic technology areas — including augmented and virtual reality hardware, quantum, health care, and lasers — showcase the range and variety of this year’s entries and finalists. Newer companies such as Dotphoton, QuiX Quantum, Magic Leap, and Philophos will share the gala stage alongside previous Prism Award winners, including 4D Technology, EKSPLA, Norlase, Kyocera SLD Laser, and NKT Photonics. “The 2023 Prism Award finalists represent the most innovative technologies and developments in the optics and photonics industry,” SPIE CEO Kent Rochford said. “The scientists, engineers, and companies bringing these exciting products to market are impacting our daily lives and prospective futures in transformative ways, whether they are working on health care, augmented and virtual reality, quantum technologies, or any of the other categories. I’m very much looking forward to congratulating all of our nominees — as well as recognizing the winners, of course — at our 15th annual in-person gala celebration at Photonics West in February.” “The Prism Awards is the pre-eminent international competition for showcasing photonics innovations around the globe,” said Tom Laurin, president and CEO of Photonics Media. “We’re proud to once again showcase this year’s finalists, a mix of familiar names and dynamic startups, whose innovations are driving advancements in the areas of quantum and AR/VR, along with familiar categories that include cameras and imaging, lasers, sensors, and test and measurement. We wish all of the finalists the best of luck as we anticipate the Feb. 1 gala, when the winners will be announced.” The eight innovation categories are AR/VR/MR, Biomedical, Cameras and Imaging Systems, Lasers, Quantum Tech, Sensors, Software, and Test & Measurement. Nominated products that have applications in biophotonics follow. Biomedical InnovaQuartz (Phoenix) MegaJOULE lDD is a side-fire surgical optical fiber that produces a low-distortion, round output spot for the precise targeting of tissue for vaporization at up to 200 W. Norlase (Ballerup, Denmark) ECHO is a portable laser photocoagulator that uses high-power green diode lasers and MEMS mirror technology. The device can be mounted onto existing slit lamps. Philophos (Daejeon, South Korea) The KUOS-O100 is a compact, 5-kg OCT device for retinal imaging. All components, including a monitor, PC, headrest, and chinrest, are built into a single package. Cameras and Imaging Systems Printoptix (Stuttgart, Germany) PTX90-f42 is an ultrasmall commercial 3D-printed microcamera objective with all-aspheric lenses and tiny physical dimensions. Metalenz (Boston) The PolarEyes imaging module features full-Stokes polarization imaging technology in a mobile form factor, based on a single metasurface optic. Neurescence (Toronto) Chromatone is a miniature microscope for preclinical neuroscience research that enables simultaneous, multicolor imaging and dual-color neuronal stimulation in four brain regions in freely behaving animals.