2021 – Winner

What was it for and how did it work?

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) is the governing body of European football. It is the umbrella organization for 55 national football associations across Europe. Besides safeguarding the values of European football and maintaining relations with all stakeholders, it organizes two of the most prestigious competitions in international football: The UEFA European Football Championship and the UEFA Nations League. A distinctive sporting event with limited capacity, where fans are willing to pay high prices for experiencing games that make history, firsthand – these characteristics turn such events into the breeding grounds for counterfeiters and fraudsters.
Nanotech’s LiveOptik technology used to authenticate UEFA Euro 2020-21 football championship admission tickets. Nanotech’s LiveOptik™ technology was chosen for admission tickets, due to its intense high definition full colour imaging capabilities and anti-counterfeiting security features – replacing legacy security technology. UEFA sought a competent, responsive supplier with simple, secure solution that took customers & officials a few seconds to authenticate while presenting their brand at an exceptional level. The feature had to be exceptionally difficult to replicate and extremely secure across multiple countries, as UEFA EURO 2020-21 was held across Europe for the first time in the competition’s 60-year history, with 11 host cities in all.
• Using the brand guidelines, the nano -optic security feature ‘animated’ the UEFA Euro logo. The design focuses on a bridge motif, selected to represent the unity between the 13 host cities in what is the first ‘Euro for Europe’.
• At the primary viewing window, the bridge, trophy, and fans on both sides ‘appear’
• On-Off effects: Tilting the ticket either left or right shows fans on one side turning ‘on’ and rest of the elements turning ‘off’

What is significant about this hologram project?

• The full colour imaging capabilities and anti-counterfeiting security features of Nanotech’s LiveOptik™ technology were chosen to secure admission tickets for one of the most prestigious sports tournaments in the world. UEFA Euro 2020-21 is one of the first international tournaments that used nano-optic features to secure tickets and understood the importance of novel technology/ holography.

• LiveOptik controls light at nano-scale, producing an ultra-high resolution image that appears at specifically engineered viewing angles. Nanotech’s engineers employed a complex mathematical algorithm and advanced manufacturing technologies to accurately embed over two billion nano-sized holes on each of the 6 million admission tickets. Without dyes or inks, the nano-sized holes created the high resolution image.
• The LiveOptik platform is flexible and can be used to create diverse visuals like mascots and logos or photorealistic pictures of public figures and sports personalities. LiveOptik images are mastered in a high-tech, high-security cleanroom environment using the world’s most sophisticated nano-fabrication techniques making it extremely difficult to reproduce. Unlike legacy solutions, which could be harvested from the ticket, LiveOptik images were embedded into the ticket itself, adding an extra level of authenticity.
• LiveOptik’s exceptional visual effects created a significant ‘wow factor’ and encouraged attendees to preserve or display their tickets as souvenirs. Together with other ticket features, LiveOptik brand-authentication technology helped secure the authenticity of each ticket and protect against fraud. Previously, UEFA also selected Nanotech to secure its Euro 2016 admission tickets.

UEFA experienced multiple benefits by implementing Nanotech’s solution.
Counterfeiters deterred: LiveOptik images can only be manufactured by advanced hybrid micro and nano-optic engineering, modeling, and simulation processes. Originations are made employing an advanced electron beam lithography system housed in a secure, $65M Class 100 (ISO5) clean room facility. This multi-step manufacturing process is not available to counterfeiters.
Increased revenue : Counterfeit deterrence and the elimination of black market tickets results in increased revenue from the sales of authentic tickets.
Time saved : Large sporting tournaments are conducted over multiple weeks in different countries, venues, and stadiums of various capacities. Authentication and scanner capacity may vary, conditions may change, and staff training levels are inconsistent. LiveOptik has no machine-dependence, employing fast and intuitive authentication of compelling visual effects.
Better visuals : In addition to full customization with respect to authentication effects and design, LiveOptik’s multi-colour palette supports over 16 million colours with a 50,000 dpi resolution. The combination of these effects resulted in the stunning visuals present in the security feature.
Adoption of new technology : To counter illegal activities, safeguard their brand and protect fans, UEFA armed their tickets with Nanotech’s LiveOptik technology resulting in one of the most secure features available in the sporting event market. LiveOptik images not only delivered enhanced security, but also presented fans with a compelling, memorable visual experience with full HD colours, on-off graphics and a bright look.

Why do you think it should win an award?
• Excellent demonstration of latest developments in diffractive nano-optic technology for UEFA EURO Cup – one of the most prestigious and complex sporting events in the world
• Over 6 million tickets secured, featuring custom authentication effects with bright, saturated colours.
• Next-gen originations meet old school manufacturing: Despite the best-in-class origination and nano-fabrication techniques, the foil was applied using conventional hot stamping manufacturing to the tickets. This bridges the gap between novel security features and traditional, proven application methods- in line with the IHMA mission of innovation and advancement of the use and development of all types of holograms and holographic technology.
• Nanotech’s solution demonstrates the strength and security of overt optical effects as an anti-counterfeiting solution, further demonstrated by spreading the competition across 11 venues across 11 European nations, without any disruption due to counterfeiting.
• Other features include super-pixel structure to generate the full RGB colours and specific animation components, leveraging the nano-scale of the diffractive structures.

To summarize, sporting events and concerts offer counterfeiters the lucrative opportunity to dupe users who don’t know what to look for in counterfeit tickets. Legacy ticket security features are easy to duplicate and transfer. Nanotech’s LiveOptik technology offers next-generation ticket security protection with features including:
• Full customization – motion, 3D depth, colour, design
• Multi-colour palette – full RGB colour, >16 million colours
• Pure colour – no holographic rainbowing
• Movement – multi-directional movement
• 3D depth – three dimensional effects
• Image switches – flexible design options
• <5 micron – ultra-thin nano- scale form factor
• Resolution – 50,000 dpi resolution
• Mechanism – 50-350 nm structure sizes
• Secure – combination of overt, covert and forensic features
• Compatible – with most machine-readable features
• Originations – unique nano-optic technology platform using e-beam lithography

The full colour imaging capabilities and anti-counterfeiting security features of Nanotech’s LiveOptik™ technology were chosen to secure admission tickets for one of the most prestigious sports tournaments in the world. UEFA Euro 2020-21 is one of the first international tournaments that used nano-optic features to secure tickets and understood the importance of novel technology/ holography. 

• LiveOptik controls light at nano-scale, producing an ultra-high resolution image that appears at specifically engineered viewing angles. Nanotech’s engineers employed a complex mathematical algorithm and advanced manufacturing technologies to accurately embed over two billion nano-sized holes on each of the 6 million admission tickets. Without dyes or inks, the nano-sized holes created the high resolution image.
• The LiveOptik platform is flexible and can be used to create diverse visuals like mascots and logos or photorealistic pictures of public figures and sports personalities. LiveOptik images are mastered in a high-tech, high-security cleanroom environment using the world’s most sophisticated nano-fabrication techniques making it extremely difficult to reproduce. Unlike legacy solutions, which could be harvested from the ticket, LiveOptik images were embedded into the ticket itself, adding an extra level of authenticity.
• LiveOptik’s exceptional visual effects created a significant ‘wow factor’ and encouraged attendees to preserve or display their tickets as souvenirs. Together with other ticket features, LiveOptik brand-authentication technology helped secure the authenticity of each ticket and protect against fraud. Previously, UEFA also selected Nanotech to secure its Euro 2016 admission tickets.

UEFA experienced multiple benefits by implementing Nanotech’s solution.
Counterfeiters deterred: LiveOptik images can only be manufactured by advanced hybrid micro and nano-optic engineering, modeling, and simulation processes. Originations are made employing an advanced electron beam lithography system housed in a secure, $65M Class 100 (ISO5) clean room facility. This multi-step manufacturing process is not available to counterfeiters.
Increased revenue : Counterfeit deterrence and the elimination of black market tickets results in increased revenue from the sales of authentic tickets.
Time saved : Large sporting tournaments are conducted over multiple weeks in different countries, venues, and stadiums of various capacities. Authentication and scanner capacity may vary, conditions may change, and staff training levels are inconsistent. LiveOptik has no machine-dependence, employing fast and intuitive authentication of compelling visual effects.
Better visuals : In addition to full customization with respect to authentication effects and design, LiveOptik’s multi-colour palette supports over 16 million colours with a 50,000 dpi resolution. The combination of these effects resulted in the stunning visuals present in the security feature.
Adoption of new technology : To counter illegal activities, safeguard their brand and protect fans, UEFA armed their tickets with Nanotech’s LiveOptik technology resulting in one of the most secure features available in the sporting event market. LiveOptik images not only delivered enhanced security, but also presented fans with a compelling, memorable visual experience with full HD colours, on-off graphics and a bright look.

Why do you think it should win an award?
• Excellent demonstration of latest developments in diffractive nano-optic technology for UEFA EURO Cup – one of the most prestigious and complex sporting events in the world
• Over 6 million tickets secured, featuring custom authentication effects with bright, saturated colours.
• Next-gen originations meet old school manufacturing: Despite the best-in-class origination and nano-fabrication techniques, the foil was applied using conventional hot stamping manufacturing to the tickets. This bridges the gap between novel security features and traditional, proven application methods- in line with the IHMA mission of innovation and advancement of the use and development of all types of holograms and holographic technology.
• Nanotech’s solution demonstrates the strength and security of overt optical effects as an anti-counterfeiting solution, further demonstrated by spreading the competition across 11 venues across 11 European nations, without any disruption due to counterfeiting.
• Other features include super-pixel structure to generate the full RGB colours and specific animation components, leveraging the nano-scale of the diffractive structures.

To summarize, sporting events and concerts offer counterfeiters the lucrative opportunity to dupe users who don’t know what to look for in counterfeit tickets. Legacy ticket security features are easy to duplicate and transfer. Nanotech’s LiveOptik technology offers next-generation ticket security protection with features including:
• Full customization – motion, 3D depth, colour, design
• Multi-colour palette – full RGB colour, >16 million colours
• Pure colour – no holographic rainbowing
• Movement – multi-directional movement
• 3D depth – three dimensional effects
• Image switches – flexible design options
• <5 micron – ultra-thin nano- scale form factor
• Resolution – 50,000 dpi resolution
• Mechanism – 50-350 nm structure sizes
• Secure – combination of overt, covert and forensic features
• Compatible – with most machine-readable features
• Originations – unique nano-optic technology platform using e-beam lithography