Deadline for Submissions is Friday, February 18
The Vision Council and RX, organizers of Vision Expo, today announce that submissions are now being accepted for the Fourth Annual OPTImum Retail Award.
The award celebrates independent boutique retailers by showcasing their products, stores, visions, and stories to the optical industry. Businesses in the independent retail market are encouraged to submit their stories for consideration by Friday, February 18. As part of the submission, applicants are asked to share insights into community engagement and how they pivoted post-pandemic.
The application form and instructions can be found here.
Applicants for the 2022 award will be judged based on three categories, detailed below. Applicants must address all three categories in their submission. Categories include:
- Pivoting post-pandemic: Applicants will be asked to describe what changes they have made to their business since the onset of the pandemic.
- Community: Applicants will be asked to describe how they engage with their local community to create meaningful relationships.
- Aesthetics: Applicants will be asked to submit photos of their retail environment.
To determine the top three finalists, a committee of top industry leaders will deliberate and vote based on the categories of pivoting post-pandemic, community and aesthetics. This year’s committee members include: Julia Gogosha, Gogosha Optique, 2020 winner; Christian Roth, Designer + Co-Founder of Christian Roth Eyewear & Optical Affairs and the first Council of Fashion Designers of America member in the eyewear category since 1990; and James Spina, 20/20 Magazine editor-in-chief and senior vice president.
The three finalists will be announced on Tuesday, March 1. To determine the final winner, Vision Expo’s social media channels will be open for voting from Tuesday, March 1 to Monday, March 14. Social media votes will then be factored into the judges’ scores.
The OPTImum Retail Award winner will be announced at Vision Expo East 2022 during the EYE2EYE Series panel Onward with Independents, beginning Friday, April 1 at 5:00 pm EST in The Bridge. Additionally, the winner will be featured in an article in 20/20 Magazine.
The three finalists will receive a stipend of $500 (domestic) and $750 (international) to attend Vision Expo East 2022 and attend the announcement celebration.
The OPTImum Retail Award recognized Todd Rogers of Todd Rogers Eyewear in 2018. Edward Beiner of Edward Beiner Eyes Forward received the honor in 2019, followed by Julia Gogosha of Gogosha Optique in 2020.
Vision Expo East 2022 will take place at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City from March 31–April 3, 2022. The Show’s educational program, together with OptiCon®@Vision Expo, will open Thursday, March 31 and the Exhibit Hall will open Friday, April 1. To register, click here.
For more information on Vision Expo, visit visionexpo.com and follow Vision Expo’s social media channels, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.