The organizing committee for the KIRA Awards– which recognize excellence in the knowledge industry in New Brunswick – has named its 2014 finalists, which include several members of the startup community.

The winners will be named May 15 at a dinner at the Fredericton Convention Centre. Following is the announcement from the organizing committee:

Fredericton—April 14, 2014 –The KIRA Organizing Committee is pumped to announce the 2014 KIRA Finalists (With a Little Help From Our Friends)

“This year marks the 16th Annual KIRA Awards and again we are impressed with the number of nominations and the calibre of those nominated,” said Co-chair Colleen Benson “With the knowledge industry playing such an important role in our daily lives and the economic health of our province, it is important to step back and recognize the amazing talent we have in New Brunswick”.

“The KIRA Awards have become a part of the fabric of our industry and the province as a whole because of our growing need for technology solutions” commented Co-chair Alan Gray “Each year we get to showcase just how innovative and smart our community is!”

Below are the 2014 KIRA finalists for each category in no particular order.

Export – Products & Services

•LuminUltra Technologies

•Ironflow Technologies

•SmartSkin Technolgies

Most Promising Start-Up

• Foodtender.com

• Ara Labs

• Xiplinx

Technological Advancement / Innovation (Private)

• SHIFT Energy

• SmartSkin Technologies

• Ara Labs

Technological Advancement / Innovation (Public)

• Elementary Literacy Inc.

• GNB – Clean Water Act Data Collection and Reporting cWave

• Atlantic Cancer Research Institute

Community Engagement & Industry Commitment

• Biorefinery Technology Scale Up Center

• Place Aux Competences

• New Brunswick Information Technology Council

Special Recognition

• David Alston

• Nicole LeBlanc

• Kevin Shiell

Good luck to all finalists and thank you to everyone that submitted a nomination.  Be sure to check our Twitter Feed @KIRAAwards for some video from last year’s winners – a little help from our friends!

The 2014 KIRA Awards will be held at the Fredericton Convention Centre on Thursday May 15th. For ticket information contact Wendy Gallant of Enterprise Fredericton at 444-4686.

For more information on the 2014 KIRAs, visit http://www.kiraawards.ca.