The manus award celebrates its tenth anniversary and introduces its first sustainability prize

An offshore inspection device, a floating catamaran and a driver assistance system for people with reduced mobility. What they have in common is the extraordinary use of high-performance plastics in bearing technology with which they won the 2019 manus award.

A joint initiative, which the plastics specialist igus announces every two years, is now looking for unique applications with plastic plain bearings. The winner will receive prize money of up to 5,000 euros. To mark the tenth anniversary of the manus award, the jury is offering a sustainability prize. 

445 entries from 32 countries – that was for the 2019 manus award. Applications ranged from industrial environments such as asparagus harvesters and functional live-in kitchens up to laser measurement techniques in athletics.

The large number of special entries did not make it easy for the jury to choose the three winners. The Scottish inventors of an offshore inspection device, the German developer of a high-speed catamaran and a French company that developed a driver assistance system to enable people with a walking disability to drive a car, were all the lucky ones.

“Over 3,000 different submissions have already been received by manus from all over the world in the last 10 years. These different applications show the diverse uses of plastic plain bearings”, explains Tobias Vogel, Vice President and Head of the iglidur plain bearings & drylin linear technology division at igus GmbH and jury member of the manus award. Now the application phase for manus 2021 has begun.

Four prizes – prize money of up to 5,000 euros

The manus award comes with prizes of up to 5,000 euros. To mark the tenth anniversary, applicants now also have the chance to win a green manus award. “The jury would like to use the award to honour a very special sustainable project”, said Tobias Vogel.

All users can apply online until 12th February 2021. Everything is possible, from series applications for industry to individual items. There must be at least one built prototype of the presented application.

The winners will be selected by an expert jury composed of members from the fields of science, industry and specialist media and will be awarded at the 2021 Hannover Trade Show.

Contact Treotham for more information or visit www.igus.com.au/manus.