PLEASANTON, Calif.— CooperVision, Inc. (NYSE:COO) announced last week that it will serve as lead sponsor of the first IACLE Contact Lens Educator of the Year Awards, a program initiated by the International Association of Contact Lens Educators (IACLE) to recognize contact lens educators worldwide for their innovations and achievements in the field. The awards are scheduled to be presented at the 2014 British Contact Lens Association Clinical Conference & Exhibition in Birmingham, U.K. June 6 to 9, 2014. The British Contact Lens Association will also sponsor the event.

“As one of the world’s leading soft contact lens manufacturers, CooperVision is proud to support the efforts and achievements of contact lens educators worldwide,” said Juan Carlos Aragon, OD, senior vice president of global professional affairs, CooperVision. “We are honored to sponsor the first IACLE Contacts Lens Educator Awards and help raise awareness for contact lens education and best practices.”

“We are grateful for CooperVision’s sponsorship which will enable the IACLE to recognize the exemplary contributions made by contact lens educators,” said Dr. Shehzad Naroo, IACLE president. “We thank CooperVision for helping us to further our mission to raise the standards of contact lens education and provide tools and resources to support educators worldwide.”

The IACLE Contact Lens Educator of the Year Awards will be given to three educators, one selected from each of the IACLE’s three regions: Asia Pacific; Europe, Middle East and Asia; and the Americas. The Awards are open to all IACLE members worldwide, with preference given to members who are active Fellows of IACLE (FIACLEs) or to those who have taken the IACLE Fellowship Exam. Full criteria for becoming an IACLE member is available here.

Each regional winner must be available to attend the events to receive the award. Winners will be provided travel and accommodation costs, sponsored by CooperVision, a full delegate package to attend the British Contact Lens Association Clinical Conference & Exhibition, supported by the BCLA, a place at the IACLE Education Day including lectures, workshops and a dinner in the evening, and a certificate to be presented at the events.

The deadline for entries for the 2014 IACLE Contact Lens Educator Awards is Friday, Feb. 28, 2014. Entries should be submitted to IACLE Director of Operations Bonnie Boshart at b.boshart@iacle.org. For more information on entry submission (nomination or self-nomination), visit the awards page on iacle.org.