The finalists for the prestigious ONS innovation awards in 2006 have been selected by the international jury from among 65 approved applications.

For the first time, an individual has also been chosen to receive a special award for an outstanding contribution to knowledge-building in the oil, gas and energy sectors.

"We were gratified to see a number of good applications covering a wide range," says Rolf Wiborg, a senior adviser at the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate and chair of the jury.

"But we’ve also observed that some projects and companies we expected to see among the applicants had not applied, and wonder whether this might be a symptom of today’s good times.

"In other words, companies may simply be too busy to bother with an application - which is fair enough, but perhaps a bit of a pity for employees who might have deserved some recognition."

The names of the finalists will remain confidential until the innovation awards lunch between 13.00 and 14.00 on Wednesday 23 August at the ONS 2006 conference and exhibition in Stavanger.

Five of them are under consideration for the ONS Innovation Award, while the others are in the running for the ONS SME Innovation Award for small and medium-sized enterprises.

The two winners will receive their awards from Odd Roger Enoksen, Norway’s minister of petroleum and energy.

First given in 1982 and increased to two prizes in 2004, the innovation awards have always reflected the heavy emphasis placed by ONS on promoting innovative products and services.