Nominations open for Young Innovator Award

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – The Chattanooga Chamber is now accepting applications for the 2016 Young Innovator Award.

The award is presented in part by Office Depot stores.

The Young Innovator Award recognizes three finalists in each of three categories: elementary, middle and high school.

One winner in each category is honored at the Chamber’s Spirit of Innovation event on November 9.

Winning students receive a Galaxy Tab S2 32 GB tablet, and the winning students’ homeroom teachers receive a $100 Office Depot gift card.

Find the Young Innovator application here.

Criteria for the Young Innovator’s innovation include:
• Stimulating: Innovation offers measureable impact on the community
• Tangible: Innovation demonstrates discernable value
• Exposure: Innovation promotes STEM knowledge and related field growth
• Awesome: Innovation has a wow factor
• Moving: Innovation shows leadership, initiative and potential for further gains

Applications open through September 30.

The Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce is the leading business association and economic development organization for the Chattanooga region. Founded in 1887, the Chattanooga Chamber’s membership consists of 2,250 companies of all sizes which employ more than 79,000 people. The Chamber Foundation is a separate but related entity established in 1969 for the purpose of economic development, which it carries out through a public-private partnership called Chattanooga CAN DO. That effort has played a direct role in supporting the creation of nearly 20,000 new jobs since 2003. The Chattanooga Chamber has won many national awards for recruitment, marketing and existing industry support and is accredited by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce with four stars.