Kadon presents a special annual award to the individual or organization that created the best new pentomino or polyomino idea of the year. Each award is a unique custom design.

For the year 2012, the award went to an international team of 8 puzzlists headed by Odette De Meulemeester of Belgium, for their amazing Yin-Yang pentominoes, an extensive research project that started out as Challenge #59 in their Pentominoes website.

The interactive award plaque was designed by Kate Jones, solved by Elijah Allen, and custom-made by Thomas Atkinson with the Kadon laser. The pieces in it are movable and playable:

• All 12 pentominoes are included.
• Names of the recipients are engraved on the 8 hexominoes that represent their initial.
• The contrasting insert is the W pentomino that is Kadon's trademark.
• The two halves join to form a heart symbolizing our love of puzzlers and of pentominoes.
• The two halves can also be adjoined in other symmetrical patterns. How many ways can you think of joining them? Either half may be flipped over.
• The assembled award becomes an art piece on its two-part, interlocking display stand.

A formal certificate for each member accompanied the award. Congratulations, all! The brilliant solution shown on the certificate is by Helmut Postl. And kudos to Odette for the many years of care in overseeing the continuing pentomino competitions on the student-run pentomino website.