Credit: Eric Ogden

The eighth annual Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Awards, taking place in New York on October 4, recognizes the innovators and products poised to change the world in the fields of technology, medicine, aviation, and more. Popular Mechanics is proud to announce that renowned inventor and entrepreneur Elon Musk will be the recipient of the 2012 Breakthrough Leadership Award. Musk, who is currently the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla Motors, and was a co-founder of PayPal, will be honored for his pioneering contributions to space exploration, automotive engineering, and the Internet.

Past recipients of the Breakthrough Leadership Award include director James Cameron, genomics pioneer J. Craig Venter, efficiency expert Amory Lovins, inventor and FIRST Robotics founder Dean Kamen, and humanitarian engineer Amy Smith. Additional award recipients will be announced in early October.

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