Dear colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Batteries 2021 Best Paper Awards. All papers published from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2019 in Batteries were considered for the award. After a thorough evaluation of the originality and significance of the papers, citations, and downloads, the three winning papers, which were nominated by the journal’s Award Committee, have been selected and they are the following:

Review
Pre-Lithiation Strategies for Rechargeable Energy Storage Technologies: Concepts, Promises and Challenges
By Florian Holtstiege, Peer Bärmann, Roman Nölle, Martin Winter and Tobias Placke
Batteries 2018, 4(1), 4.

The winner ( one corresponding author) will receive an award of 300 CHF, a certificate, and an opportunity to publish free of charge in Batteries before 31 December 2021, after the normal peer-review procedure. 

Review
A Critical Review of Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Processes from a Circular Economy Perspective
By Omar Velázquez-Martínez, Johanna Valio, Annukka Santasalo-Aarnio, Markus Reuter and Rodrigo Serna-Guerrero
Batteries 2019, 5(4), 68. 

Review
Critical Review of the Use of Reference Electrodes in Li-Ion Batteries: A Diagnostic Perspective
By Rinaldo Raccichini, Marco Amores and Gareth Hinds
Batteries 2019, 5(1), 12. 

The winners (corresponding authors) will receive an award of 200 CHF, a certificate, and an opportunity to publish free of charge in Batteries before 31 December 2021, after the normal peer-review procedure. 

Article
Life Cycle Analysis of Lithium-Ion Batteries for Automotive Applications
By Qiang Dai, Jarod C. Kelly, Linda Gaines and Michael Wang
Batteries 2019, 5(2), 48. 

Article
Design Strategies for High Power vs. High Energy Lithium Ion Cells
By Michael J. Lain, James Brandon and Emma Kendrick
Batteries 2019, 5(4), 64. 

The winners (corresponding authors) will receive an award of 100 CHF, a certificate, and an opportunity to publish free of charge in Batteries before 31 December 2021, after the normal peer-review procedure.

We believe the above papers represent valuable contributions to Battery Technology and Materials. Please join us in congratulating the winners of Batteries 2021 Best Paper Awards. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all our authors for their continued support.