Corning Incorporated (NYSE:GLW) and Lightwave today announced the opening of nominations for individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in the deployment of optical access networks. This is the 11th FTTXcellence Award and the second year the award has included nominations from both North America and Latin America. This year’s award will be presented to the winner on Monday, June 23, at the 2014 FTTH Conference & Expo in Tampa, Fla.

“All across North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, there are extraordinary individuals dedicated to bringing fiber to as many customers as possible,” said Kim Hartwell, senior vice president and chief commercial officer, Corning Optical Communications. “Whether it is delivering high-speed broadband to underserved rural areas or pioneering ways to reach emerging industries, the FTTXcellence Award was created to recognize the visionaries, and their significant and lasting contributions to telecommunications.”

“The impact of even the smallest of innovative ideas can be felt all across the Americas,” added Stephen Hardy, editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave. “If you know someone who deserves to be recognized for making the deployment of high-speed FTTx technology faster, easier and more reliable, nominate them today.”

To be eligible for the award, candidates must be nominated by a peer. Nominees may include individuals at carriers and system operators, home developers, utilities, municipalities, or other organizations that have launched an FTTx project; individuals at vendors or research organizations whose work has benefited FTTx technology development; other elected officials or policymakers who have made a significant positive impact in the regulatory or legal arena; and other deserving individuals. Nominations can be submitted online, and May 16 is the deadline. A panel of judges from Lightwave, Corning and the FTTH Council will select the winner from the submitted nominations.

In addition to an awards ceremony at the FTTH Conference, the winner will be honored with a donation in his or her name to US Ignite, a non-profit, public-private partnership whose mission is to make the U.S. the world leader in applications and services for ultra-fast, software-defined networks. The winner will also receive a decorative glass piece from the Corning Museum of Glass and will be profiled in an issue of Lightwave magazine.

For more information on FTTXcellence visit Corning’s award page. For additional information on Corning’s products and services, contact a customer service representative at 1-800-743-2675, toll free in the United States; or (+1) 828-901-5000, international; or visit us online.

Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" (within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995), which are based on current expectations and assumptions about Corning's financial results and business operations, that involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These risks and uncertainties include: the effect of global political, economic and business conditions; conditions in the financial and credit markets; currency fluctuations; tax rates; product demand and industry capacity; competition; reliance on a concentrated customer base; manufacturing efficiencies; cost reductions; availability of critical components and materials; new product commercialization; pricing fluctuations and changes in the mix of sales between premium and non-premium products; new plant start-up or restructuring costs; possible disruption in commercial activities due to terrorist activity, armed conflict, political or financial instability, natural disasters, adverse weather conditions, or major health concerns; adequacy of insurance; equity company activities; acquisition and divestiture activities; the level of excess or obsolete inventory; the rate of technology change; the ability to enforce patents; product and components performance issues; retention of key personnel; stock price fluctuations; and adverse litigation or regulatory developments. These and other risk factors are detailed in Corning's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the day that they are made, and Corning undertakes no obligation to update them in light of new information or future events.

About Corning Incorporated
Corning Incorporated (www.corning.com) is the world leader in specialty glass and ceramics. Drawing on more than 160 years of materials science and process engineering knowledge, Corning creates and makes keystone components that enable high-technology systems for consumer electronics, mobile emissions control, telecommunications and life sciences. Our products include glass substrates for LCD televisions, computer monitors and laptops; ceramic substrates and filters for mobile emission control systems; optical fiber, cable, hardware & equipment for telecommunications networks; optical biosensors for drug discovery; and other advanced optics and specialty glass solutions for a number of industries including semiconductor, aerospace, defense, astronomy, and metrology.

About Lightwave
For 30 years, Lightwave (www.lightwaveonline.com) has delivered trusted technical, application and business insights to senior-level decision makers for optical communications worldwide. Our magazine, email newsletter, online and event content serves technology vendors, communications carriers and major enterprises with a complete and nuanced picture of the optical communications business environment. Lightwave is a valued information source for information related to FTTx, networking, equipment design, MSO optics, and test and measurement for corporate executives, department heads, project managers, network engineers and others making strategic decisions that are critical to the success of their businesses. Lightwave is a unit of PennWell Corporation (www.pennwell.com).

              
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