Thirty-one companies and nonprofit organizations have been selected as finalists for the 2019 Wisconsin Innovation Awards, with the winners to be announced at a ceremony in October.

Since 2014, the Wisconsin Innovation Awards (WIA) have brought together visionaries from across the state to network, support each other and share transformational ideas. WIA innovators include not just biotech startups and software companies, but those thinking in new ways about food, health care, agriculture, nonprofits, education and government.

Hundreds of forward-thinking products, services and companies are nominated for the awards each year, after which a panel of statewide experts determines the finalists.

This year, Madison-area industry finalists include Trinity Gunshot Alarm System, neutron generator manufacturer Phoenix LLC, contract beverage company Octopi Brewing LLC and The Virtual Foundry, developers of metal, ceramic and glass filaments and pellets that can be used in standard 3D printers.

In the creative space, nonprofit Tall Poppy Writers is joined by Madison’s Filament Games and Acme Nerd Games, which partnered with UW Health to develop a game that lets students explore various health care careers.

The largest percentage of this year’s nominees comes from greater Madison’s technology sector, including biotech companies Imbed Biosciences, FluGen, Cellular Logistics, Stem Pharm and Virtue Solutions, and IT companies HealthMyne, Standard Imaging, Moxe Health, DataChat, and Infosec, along with mobile apps Politiscope and LÜM (Live Undiscovered Music).

Nominees from the greater Milwaukee area range from established organizations such Quad and the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation to startups like social media management platform Lumanu and residential construction consultants Build It Fab. Milwaukee companies Sift Healthcare, Retham Technologies and GenoPalate are also nominated for their innovations in health technology.

In northern Wisconsin, nominees Replace-A-Lace and lighting and solar manufacturer energybank are joined by Fork Farms, inventors of a fully self-contained, portable hydroponic growing system, and Kohler WasteLAB, which is using nature as a model for developing sustainable manufacturing processes and products.

The 2019 Wisconsin Innovation Awards will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 9 at the Wisconsin Union Theater in Madison. The celebration is open to the public, with individual tickets costing $40 and eight-ticket supporter bundles, which include admission to the WIA networking reception, priced at $250. More information and details can be found at www.wisconsininnovationawards.com.