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<p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f">
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</v:shapetype><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_1" o:spid="_x0000_s1026" type="#_x0000_t75" style='position:absolute;margin-left:87.75pt;margin-top:.75pt;width:138.95pt;height:73.4pt;z-index:-251658240;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square;mso-width-percent:0;mso-height-percent:0;mso-wrap-distance-left:9pt;mso-wrap-distance-top:0;mso-wrap-distance-right:9pt;mso-wrap-distance-bottom:0;mso-position-horizontal:right;mso-position-horizontal-relative:text;mso-position-vertical:absolute;mso-position-vertical-relative:text;mso-width-percent:0;mso-height-percent:0;mso-width-relative:margin;mso-height-relative:margin'>
<v:imagedata src="cid:image001.png@01D3C700.3ABF4F60" o:title="" />
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</v:shape><![endif]--><![if !vml]><img width="186" height="98" style="width:1.9322in;height:1.0208in" src="cid:image001.png@01D3C700.3ABF4F60" align="right" hspace="12" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_1"><![endif]>I’m
 very pleased to report that the <a href="http://openid.net/certification/">OpenID Certification</a> program has won the
<a href="http://www.idnext.eu/en/events/annual-idnext-2018/digital-identity-innovation-award/">
2018 Identity Innovation Award</a> at the <a href="http://www.idnext.eu/en/events/annual-idnext-2018/">
IDnext conference</a>.  While the <a href="http://openid.net/connect/">OpenID Connect</a> standard won the
<a href="http://openid.net/2012/04/18/openid-connect-wins-2012-european-identity-and-cloud-award/">
2012 European Identity Award</a> for best innovation/new standard and has been widely deployed since then, a standard is only as good as its implementations.  The OpenID Foundation created the OpenID Certification program to help ensure that high-quality, interoperable
 implementations become the norm.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The significant global impact of the OpenID Certification program was a reason for its selection for the Identity Innovation Award. It recognizes that the innovative use of self-certification, with freely available testing tools, has resulted
 in substantial participation in the certification program, improving the security, quality, and interoperability of OpenID Connect implementations worldwide.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Special thanks are due to <a href="https://twitter.com/RolandHedberg">
Roland Hedberg</a> for writing the certification software and to <a href="https://twitter.com/hanszandbelt">
Hans Zandbelt </a>and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/filipskokan/">Filip Skokan</a> for also being key members of the development and operations team. Certification committee members
<a href="https://twitter.com/4thibeau">Don Thibeau</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeleszczprofile/">
Mike Leszcz</a>, and <a href="http://self-issued.info/">Mike Jones</a> contribute to strategy and planning for the program.  And many members of the
<a href="http://openid.net/wg/connect/">OpenID Connect working group</a> helped define the requirements in the certification profiles.  The contributions of the many engineers worldwide who helped us “test the tests”, helping validate and improve them, were
 also significant.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thanks to <a href="http://idnext.eu/en/home/">IDnext</a> and the awards committee for recognizing the impact of the OpenID Certification program!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><img border="0" width="404" height="539" style="width:4.2083in;height:5.6093in" id="Picture_x0020_4" src="cid:image006.jpg@01D3C720.5696A330"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">                                                       -- Mike<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">P.S.  This note is also posted at <a href="http://openid.net/2018/03/29/openid-certification-program-wins-2018-identity-innovation-award/">
http://openid.net/2018/03/29/openid-certification-program-wins-2018-identity-innovation-award/</a> and as
<a href="https://twitter.com/openid">@openid</a>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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