Which product will win the 2013 Pest Best Product Award?

Pest associate editor, Helen Riby, explains: “Now in its fourth year, we have already had some fantastic winners. All products introduced commercially during the 20 month qualifying period, that’s between 1 January 2012 and 31 August this year, can be put forward, with one exception. Products which have already achieved a first, second or third place cannot be nominated again.

“So for 2013 that means you cannot nominate the 2012 winners, which were Barrettine’s Romax Rodent Seal, JJ Bio’s Birdfree Optical Gel and Lodi’s Black Pearl Mousekiller. These apart you can put forward as many new products as you would like and you can add to your nominations as the year progresses.”

For example, all products launched at PestTech last November and any new products that will be launched in April at PestEx will be eligible for the 2013 award.

As always Pest readers are in the driving seat. Throughout the year, Pest publications will update you on progress and provide opportunities for product nominations, before, finally giving you the chance to vote for the product you feel has been the most innovative – the product which has made the greatest improvement to your life and/or your working practices.

You can nominate products online or, by using the nomination form in Issue 25, the Janaury & February 2013 edition of Pest magazine. Feel free to photocopy the form if you don”t want to deface your copy of the magazine, or download the nomination page and print it out.

Nominations will close at midnight on 31 August 2013 and a shortlist will be drawn up. We will then invite you to vote for the product you feel has been the most innovative – the product which has made the greatest improvement to your life and/or your working practices.

So which product will you nominate and will your choice make the shortlist? Which of the short-listed products will you vote for and will Barrettine take first prize for a fourth year running? Only time will tell!

The mechanics are quite simple:

• 18 February 2013 – Pest Best Product Award announced 
• 13 February to 31 August 2013 – Pest readers can nominate their selected products 
• 2 September 2013 – product shortlist drawn-up from nominations sent in 
• 2 September to 31 October 2013 – readers vote to establish the winner 
• 1 November 2013 – all votes counted 
• 6 November 2013 – award presented during PestTech.

Qualifying period
Any product launched between 1 January 2012 and 31 August 2013 can be nominated so that includes all the new products launched at PestTech last November and those that will be launched at PestEx this April.

Rules of engagement
We’ve tried to keep it as simple as possible but there are some rules to follow.

1. Only commercial pest control products can be nominated. Services, promotional schemes, special offers and the like are excluded; 
2. Products nominated must have been launched after 1 January 2012 and before midnight on 31 August 2013; 
3. Products which have previously achieved 1st, 2nd or 3rd place in an earlier year cannot be re-nominated. 
4. Products must have been fully commercially available during the time period shown in 2 above. Products supplied free for trials purposes cannot be entered; 
5. Only products sold in the UK are eligible; 
6. Entries must be made via an official printed nomination form as supplied by Pest or by using the online form accessible via this website; 
7. Readers can submit up to five products per nomination form but can only nominate the same product once. You can send in an unlimited number of nomination forms; 
8. Readers may vote for their top two products, but may only submit one voting form. Second choices will be taken into account in the event of a tie; 
9. Entries submitted after midnight on 31 October 2013 will not be counted. 

Nominations now open
So, nominations for thePestBest Product Award 2013 are now open!

Please click here to email the editor with the products that have impressed you the most.

All entries sumbitted must include:

• Your name; 
• Your company/organisation”s name; 
• The products you would like to nominate (five maximum). 

Legal stuff

• In the event of a tie then reader”s second choices will be taken into account. If there is still a tie, all the products with the same score will receive the award; 
• The count will be conducted by Pest publications and the decision made by Pest will be final. No correspondence will be entered into; 
• The results will be announced at PestTech and on the Pest website and in Pest magazine; 
• Pest takes no responsibility for late or lost entries. Proof of sending is not proof of receipt; 
• Pest will only use your personal details for the purposes of administering this award and will not publish them or provide them to anyone else without your permission.