The Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IPIC) is pleased to announce important changes to two prestigious awards that recognize outstanding newly qualified patent and trademark agents: the Maybee Emerging Patent Agent Award of Excellence and the Foundation Emerging Trademark Agent Award of Excellence. These annual awards have long served as a mark of distinction for professionals entering the patent and trademark fields.  Historically, each award was bestowed upon the candidate who achieved the highest mark on the qualifying patent or trademark examination.  However, with the recent transition of the CPATA examinations to a pass or fail system, the basis for selecting award recipients has been updated to reflect this change.