Smart Card Alliance Invites Nominations for its Annual ‘Outstanding Smart Card Achievement’ Awards

Princeton Junction, NJ, July 17, 2006 – The Smart Card Alliance is accepting nominations for its annual “Outstanding Smart Card Achievement” (OSCA) awards, recognizing individuals and organizations that have significantly impacted and influenced the North American smart card market. The awards will be presented at the 2006 Fall Annual Conference on October 3rd - 6th in San Diego.

Nomination submissions are due by August 18, 2006. Details and forms can be found at www.smartcardalliance.org, or by contacting the Alliance at info@smartcardalliance.org.

The three award categories and criteria include:

• Outstanding Issuing Organization Award. For an organization that is issuing smart card technology to its internal clients or external customers for their use in North America.
• Outstanding Supplier Organization Award. For an organization that designs, develops, manufactures or integrates smart card technology or provides services that support smart card usage in North America.
• Outstanding (Individual) Leadership Award. For an individual who stands out for his or her individual contributions to the smart card industry based on a professional record of leadership, vision, support and commitment to the smart card industry in North America.

A judging panel, consisting of smart card industry leaders along with individuals from the analyst and media communities, will evaluate all qualified OSCA applications and score them according to their merits and quality of the nominations. The judges’ combined ratings will be used to select the winners.

Among the past recipients: Chase Bank USA, for its trail-blazing role in the issuance of contactless smart cards to its payment cardholders; Robert Brandewie, director, Defense Manpower Data Center, who managed a dozen major operational DoD programs, including the DoD’s smart card program, known as the Common Access Card (CAC).

About the Smart Card Alliance

The Smart Card Alliance is a not-for-profit, multi-industry association working to stimulate the understanding, adoption, use and widespread application of smart card technology. Through specific projects such as education programs, market research, advocacy, industry relations and open forums, the Alliance keeps its members connected to industry leaders and innovative thought. The Alliance is the single industry voice for smart cards, leading industry discussion on the impact and value of smart cards in the U.S. and Latin America. www.smartcardalliance.org