The exhibition alongside the conference and awards is used by the TV channels to scout ideas for coverage

More than 600 women have benefitted over the past 10 years from receiving an award from BFIIN, the British Female Inventors and Innovators Network. This year's conference and awards will be held in Cardiff on 29th and 30th June 2009.

Apart from the seal of approval that winning an award lends to a new product idea or technology, the immediate media and TV interest around the annual event and its prizewinners kicks off an upward publicity spiral for inventor-entrepreneurs and their ideas.

Bola Olabisi, who heads up BFIIN and GWIIN (the Global Women Inventors and Innovators Network), as well as EUWIIN (yes, you guessed it...), says the 2009 awards are now open for entries.

Get in quick though. Entries close on 25 May 2009

You can visit the BFIIN site to download all entry forms and sift through instructions.

There are 14 categories in total, plus the coveted Female Inventor of the Year 2009, previously won by Tanya Ewing with her energy-saving device (2008), Morag Hutcheon with Pre-vu, her music sampling device for CDs (2006), Deb Leary with her innovative forensic stepping plates (2005), and Mandy Haberman with her Anywayup Cup (2000).

The complete list of entry categories:

The Inventor & Innovator The Exceptional Creative Category Inventors/Innovators in Industry(More than 10 Employees) Higher Education & Learning Institutions Women in Product Development Health & Beauty Award Capacity Building Initiatives or Projects Best Business Idea(BAWE) Most Innovative IT Award Communications & Electronics Award Best Product Design and Packaging International Award GWIIN Organisation Capacity Building Award (by invitation only) Chairman's Discretionary Special Recognition Award

The Awards are particularly significant because they include women from all sectors, from humble inventors and designers at their kitchen-table to women employed in industry.