IOTA Honours Legacy and Leaders at Inaugural Excellence Awards

The International Optical Technologies Association (IOTA) has announced the winners of its Inaugural Excellence in Optical Technologies Awards 2025 during a special ceremony at the Optical & Digital Document Security™ (ODDS) Conference in Warsaw, Poland.

Sponsored by IOTA, the awards, which evolved this year from the long-standing ‘Excellence in Holography Awards’, now celebrate achievements across the entire spectrum of optical technologies.

Awards were made in seven categories: Best Innovation in Optically Variable Technologies, Best Origination, Best Disruptive Technology, Best Integrated Technology / Best Document Security Application, Best Product Security Application, and Best Decorative / Packaging Product. In addition, the Lifetime Achievement Award honoured individuals for their lifelong contributions to the advancement of holography, optical security, and the global fight against counterfeiting.

On the occasion, Dr. Mark Deakes, Chairman, IOTA, said: ‘I would like to congratulate all the winners and also everyone who applied for these categories. The 2025 awards drew a highly competitive field of global entries, making it especially difficult for the judges to decide. The strength and number of submissions reaffirm the role of optical technologies at the forefront of innovation in authentication, brand protection, and packaging’.

Award Highlights

Best Innovation in Optically Variable Technologies

The winner was IQ Structures for Smart Mirrors – an innovation based on the principle of OVD  kinoform structures, which utilises the ability to mathematically define the structure. The foundation lies in a mathematical formula for a diffractive lens, which enables the viewer to see a reduced direct reflection of themselves.

 

Best Origination (Joint Winners)

The joint winners were IQ Structures for Wings for the Precious and Demax Holograms for S. George Icon.

Both demonstrate mastery in the art and science of optical origination, while Wings for the Precious (a hologram design for the front page of the 11th edition of the Banknote Technology Report magazine), shows impressive 3D achromatic effects with vertical and horizontal parallax, plus added diffraction.

 

 

The St George Icon project was based on the miraculous Phanuel Icon of St George the Victorious, which was developed as a prestigious gift for the Zograf Monastery and intended for representational and ceremonial purposes. The hologram  depicts excellent  control of the fringes to create subtle colours.

 

 

 Best Disruptive Technology

The winner was China Banknote Printing Technology Research Institute for Wireless-driven, ultra-thin, flexible OLED anti-counterfeiting components.

Based on flexible display technology and smartphone wireless communication technology, this element can be integrated into banknotes, passports, and product packaging to provide effective anti-counterfeiting protection for goods. When powered by a smartphone’s wireless reverse charging module, it achieves a luminous effect visible to the naked eye. The key is integration, and the innovation shows the disruptive potential of OLED-based optical elements, opening new pathways for anti-counterfeiting strategies.

Best Integrated Technology / Best Document Security Application (Joint Winners)

The joint winners were Crane Currency for its Beauty of Life House Note and IN Groupe for the Plasmogram™ Reverso Stripe on the Polymer Philippines 500 Piso Banknote.

For Crane Currency – its ‘Beauty of Life House Note’, moves with light, tells a story, and earns trust at a glance. The centrepiece of the note’s security is its most daring use of Crane micro-optics to date. MOTION SURFACE®, presented in a groundbreaking super-wide format to deliver vibrant, synchronised, multi-directional animation. This feature doesn’t merely shimmer – it performs.

 

 

The Plasmogram Reverso stripe is the result of teamwork involving the central bank, the substrate supplier, the printer and the technical and production teams of the IN Groupe/ SURYS. This advanced security element, developed by SURYS (an IN Groupe company), features a unique triptych of visual effects, offering distinct optical appearances from the front, reverse, and in transmitted light. Unlike conventional foils or holograms, the Plasmogram™ Reverso delivers high-definition dynamic effects, including kinetic animations, depth, and colour-shifting features, which are seamlessly embedded into the clear window of the polymer substrate.

Both highlight how the integration of new generation optical technologies, micro-optics, and plasmonics is now enhancing the security and aesthetic value of banknotes and secure documents..

Best Product Security Application

The winner was ARA Authentic for checkmyheat – a constantly warm laser marking and lighting-dependent colour-changing label based on laser-treated PVD coating system.  The innovation features a laser coating that always remains a few degrees warmer than its surroundings, which shows special optical colour changes. For example, a PVD layer stack that appears blue can shift to bright yellow when illuminated. These advanced PVD coatings are also available as labels, which serve not only as security features but also as effective information carriers.

Best Decorative / Packaging Product

The winner was Hazen Paper for its “Firedancer” Poster: Dave Matthews Band.

The holographic effects work perfectly with the registered design. The nano wave optics were created in Hazen’s laser lab, then micro-embossed and transfer-metallised onto smooth-as-glass cover stock using Hazen’s environmentally friendly Envirofoil® and HoloJet® process. The holography is created with an optical structure that is imparted on the surface of the paper (underneath the printed graphics) with an ultra-thin polymer layer that is less than 2 microns in thickness. A beautiful combination of holography and print from Hazen, who always produces a knock-out product.

 

 

Lifetime Achievement Award

For the first time, the Lifetime Achievement Award honoured three recipients:

Michael Boehm of Louisenthal and Dr Brian Holmes of De La Rue were recognised for their outstanding careers in optical security innovation, while Elisabeth Schulz, Principal Counterfeit Expert at the Counterfeit Analysis Centre (CAC), European Central Bank, was recognised for her lifelong contribution to the global fight against counterfeiting.

 

 

 

Brian’s career of over three decades has shaped the foundations of security holography, from early credit card and passport holograms to today’s advanced optically variable technologies. With more than 80 patent families and 2,000+ holographic originations, he pioneered iconic features such as Spotlight™, PureImage™, Active™, and Kinetic StarChrome™. Renowned for bridging science, design, and engineering, he remains one of the world’s foremost leaders in optical security at De La Rue.

 

 

 

From 1996 to 2011, Michael led Louisenthal through a wave of innovation, creating features like Animat®, ColourShift™, RollingStar®, and varifeye® that continue to secure banknotes worldwide. He filed over 100 international patents, pioneered micromirror and holographic technologies, and introduced windows in banknotes to rival polymer. His leadership shaped today’s cost-efficient optical elements and inspired a new generation of technologists.

 

 

 

 

Elisabeth began as a forensic document expert with the German police before joining the ECB in 2000, where she led efforts against holographic counterfeits. She organised the first CAC Symposium in 2003, co-developed a hologram scanner in 2004, and built a comprehensive euro counterfeit hologram database. Her research, including her 2020 ODS paper, has advanced forensic science and left a lasting legacy in hologram analysis.

Recognising innovation and impact

The ‘Excellence in Optical Technologies Awards’ reinforce IOTA’s mission to promote innovation and best practice across the optical security and decorative industries. They celebrate not only technical ingenuity but also commercial viability – marking out projects that will influence markets, policy, and consumer trust in the years ahead.

With winners spanning from currency and document security to consumer packaging and next-generation optical devices, this year’s awards underline the breadth of innovation in the sector. The joint recognition in several categories reflects the depth of talent and the diverse approaches to applying optical science in practical solutions.