Purpose:
To promote and reward original and innovative ideas that are scientifically based and that have relevance to the pork industry.

Nature of the Award:
The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) will provide three $500 awards, one award for an abstract selected from each of the following categories:

Applied research

involves work that can be immediately applied to the pork industry.

Basic research

involves work that has potential future application to the pork industry.

Education

involves classroom teaching, extension and service or outreach programs related to the pork industry.

Checks will be provided to the authors' home institutions as grants for their use. A plaque will be presented during the Midwestern ASAS Annual Meeting.

Eligibility:
1. Abstracts must be related to pigs or pork products. Comparative work among species that includes pigs is eligible. Abstracts involving experimental models using animals other than swine are eligible if the work is relevant to the pork industry.

2. At least one abstract author must be an ASAS member in good standing.

3. Each institution or organization may submit three (3) abstracts but only one (1) in each category: Applied Research, Basic Research, and Education. Abstracts may come from any department or organization, but should be submitted by the Animal Science Department head (chair) or director at each participating institution or firm to avoid duplicate nominations.

4. Abstracts in the Basic and Applied Research Categories found unacceptable as described in the ASAS "Quality Standards for Abstracts" will not be considered.

5. Abstracts in the Education Category will be unacceptable if they:

1. contain grammatical errors and/or meaningless statements such as, "The results will be presented."
2. do not present evidence of evaluation of the effect that the methods or approaches have on student or clientele learning, behavior or adoption of technology.
3. contain typing errors.
4. fail to comply with submission requirements.

6. All entries must be postmarked on or before November 1, 1997.

7. Abstracts must be accepted for presentation at the Midwest ASAS/ADSA Annual Meeting.

Nomination Procedure: Mail six (6) copies of the abstract and six (6) copies of the NPPC Swine Industry Award for Innovation entry form to the selection committee chairman shown on the entry form.

Note: Submit the original and five (5) copies of abstract to the Midwest ASAS Secretary-Treasurer as indicated in the Call for Abstracts.

Selection Criteria:
1. Degree that the reported work:

1. creates a previously unavailable opportunity to advance the swine industry by solving a problem.
2. addresses a previously unrecognized issue important to the swine industry.

2. Degree to which the scientific or educational process used:

1. contributes to understanding previously unavailable information in biology or education.
2. employs an untried approach that effectively addresses a conceptual problem.

3. Soundness of approach.

4. Relevance of work to the pork industry.