Soin Award for Innovation

What do the step ladder, the ice cube tray and the motorized wheelchair have in common? They were all created by Dayton inventors! Of course the Dayton region is known for its most famous innovators, the Wright Brothers, but hundreds of Dayton-based business leaders and creative thinkers have been disrupting life as we know it for many years.

Who should apply

The Soin Award for Innovation is designed to help innovative businesses take their ideas to the next level. The ideal applicant will demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit through a unique recently- or soon-to-be introduced product or service that will have the ability to sustain long-term growth for the company, increase local employment and assist in the creation of economic prosperity within the region.

With generous support of chamber members, especially Soin LLC and the Rajesh K. Soin family, the Chamber’s Education and Public Improvement (EPI) Foundation presents the Soin Award for Innovation at the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting each spring.

A selection committee made up of representatives of the region’s business and academic leaders, along with the EPI Foundation Board members, selects one recipient annually to receive a $25,000 cash award and its accompanying public and community recognition.

An organization applying for the Soin Award for Innovation should meet the following criteria:

  • The applicant should be an organization or company operating for the purpose of the commercial production of a product or service.
  • The submitting organization must be headquartered within the Dayton region.
  • The submitting organization does not need to be a member of the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce.
  • Soin family-owned or operated companies are not eligible.
  • The new or redesigned product or service presented as the focus of the application must be recently launched into the marketplace or ready to be launched in 2024.
  • The innovation should be unique or fill a needed void in the market or industry in which it serves.

Read more about past Soin Award recipients in Chamber News or meet the winners by tuning in to the Soin Award videos via Chamber TV.

Applications for the Soin Award for Innovation are now closed. Applications will open again early 2025.

Previous Awardees

2023: Lunnie
2022: Sentinel
2021: ConsumerOptix
2020: Arcani Coil Care
2019: GlobalFlyte
2018: Battle Sight Technologies
2017: DESIN LLC / Obi
2016: Redwall Technologies
2015: NONA Composites

2014: AAA Wastewater
2013: UDEXC
2012: Nanosperse
2011: Commuter Advertising
2010: Composite Advantage
2009: Iya Technologies
2008: Mound Laser & Phototonics Center
2007: Webcore

MENU